Sustainable intimate care solutions

Today, the research is clear: Bacterial Vaginosis is more than an annoyance; it is a significant health problem with potentially serious consequences
 

BACTERIAL VAGINOSIS

 – a serious threat to women’s health

 

  • BV is the most common vaginal infection in women of child bearing age, and overall twice as common as Yeast infection2).
  • If left untreated, BV may be associated with serious obstetricial and gynaecological complications (including upper genetial tract infections, pregnancy complications, i.e. miscarriage or preterm labour and delivery)4).
  • BV has been shown to be associated with increased risk of acquiring HIV and other sexual transmitted diseases4).
  • Conventional treatment of BV is not always effective and recurrent infection rates as high as 30% within 3 months of treatment  and 80% within 9 months of treatment have been reported4).
  • Increasing problems with antibiotic resistance to Gardnerella vaginalis5) may likely contribute to the low efficacy rates of conventional BV treatment with antibiotics that in some studies have been reported as low as 60%4).
  • Many women who self treat for infection symptoms, are not aware of BV or do not recognise the particular symptoms of BV, potentially leading to wrong self-treatment3).
  • Physicians may not always apply all the available methods for an accurate diagnosis of BV, potentially overlooking the BV infection or providing treatment for a different infection i.e. yeast infection3).
  • Some studies show that symptoms of BV can be intermittent and as many as 35% of women with BV are asymptomatic3).
 
In the past BV was considered a nuisance condition that was treated to eliminate annoying symptoms. Today, the research is clear: Bacterial Vaginosis is more than an annoyance; it is a significant health problem with potentially serious consequences3).
 

Definition of Bacterial Vaginosis

Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) is an infectious condition caused by a change in the vaginal ecosystem where levels of lactobacillus species are greatly reduced, while concentrations of anaerobic micro-organisms like Gardnerella Vaginalis, bactericides species, and Mobiluncus species are greatly increased.
 

Diagnosis of Bacterial Vaginosis

Most commonly in clinical practice, BV is diagnosed using the Amsel criteria3):
 
  • Thin, white, yellow, homogeneous discharge 
  • Clue cells on microscopy  
  • pH of vaginal fluid >4.5 
  • Release of fishy odor on adding alkal – 10% potassium hydroxide
 
At least three of the four criteria should be present for a confirmed diagnosis.