THRIVE BV
What is Bacterial Vaginosis?
Approximately 30-50% of reproductive aged women experience bacterial vaginosis (BV) globally(10), but what is BV? Bacterial vaginosis is a clinical diagnosis of a vaginal condition where the vaginal microbiota is “non-optimal”(11), causes discharge, odor, and irritation, and is associated with a high bacterial diversity inside the vagina. BV causes detrimental effects on a woman’s quality of life physically, emotionally, sexually, and socially(25).
Why are we studying bacterial vaginosis?
BV is common
30% of North American women experience bacterial vaginosis at least once in their lifetime. Up to 51% of women can be affected in other parts of the world(10).
Poor treatment options
Only a few treatment options are available for bacterial vaginosis. Even after treatment, 30% of women will experience a recurrence of BV within 3 months and 50% will get BV again within a year of initial treatment(12).
Increase in STI risk
Women who have bacterial vaginosis have a higher risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, trichomoniasis and vaginal herpes(26-31). The reason for this increased risk is not well understood.
Proper diagnosis is lacking
Proper diagnosis is lacking
Many women experience asymptomatic bacterial vaginosis, where there is a large diversity of bacterial species present without the clinical symptoms(32). Normal clinical tests used to diagnose BV are not able to identify all women with bacterial diversity. These women are still at risk for reproductive health problems(32, 33).
Poor reproductive health
Proper diagnosis is lacking
Poor reproductive health
Bacterial vaginosis is associated with negative reproductive health outcomes such as pre-term birth, miscarriage and pelvic inflammatory disease(27, 34-36),. The increase in inflammation during BV is thought to contribute to poor health, but the causes need to be further investigated.
Causes unknown
Proper diagnosis is lacking
Poor reproductive health
The cause(s) of bacterial vaginosis are largely unknown. Certain hygiene and sexual practices are associated with bacterial vaginosis and the vaginal microbiome(37-42). However, other factors, such as diet, may also contribute to BV and require further investigation(43, 44). The causes behind these associations need to be studied in detail to determine the best way to prevent BV from occurring.