With a bacterial vaginal infection, it makes sense to also treat the man

Research in The New England Journal of Medicine Two months ago, a new, successful treatment method of bacterial vaginosis was enthusiastically received in both scientific circles and the regular media. The conclusion: women whose condition keeps coming back can have their regular bed partner treated with antibiotics. The study yielded such good results that it was even stopped early.

It is not the first time that scientists are experimenting with the treatment of male bed partners of women with bacterial vaginosis. In an earlier study, just like the woman, they received antibiotics in the form of pills for a week. That yielded little. In the new study, the men also received antibiotics in the form of a cream, which they had to apply to their penis for the same seven days.

The study from the New England Journal of Medicine was a so -called randomized double -blind study, the gold standard of medical examinations where a control group is also treated in addition to the treatment group. The participants did not know in advance which couples in which group they were assigned. When starting the study, they were told to prevent a placebo effect.

Monogamous relationship

The treatment group and the test group consisted of couples who were in a monogamous relationship. For all women, the bacterial vaginosis always came back after treatment. In the treatment group (81 couples) the woman received the ‘standard’ treatment with antibiotics and the partner seven days the pills and the ointment. In the control group (81 couples), only the woman received the standard treatment. After twelve weeks the women were again seen by a doctor.

What turned out? In the treatment group, the bacterial vaginosis had returned to 24 out of 69 women (35 percent). In the control group that was the case with 43 of the 68 women (63 percent). Does this now put the treatment of bacterial vaginosis in a different light?

« I think it’s a great investigation, but this is also the first study that shows that partner treatment works, » says Hanna Bos. She is a doctor in infectious disease at STD AIDS Nederland and not involved in the American research. « After this you want to see the results of this study confirmed with other studies. » Bos emphasizes that the processing of male partners only applies to stubborn recurring bacterial vaginosis « In many cases, the condition will automatically pass, or after one antibiotic cure by the woman. You do not want to sprinkle unnecessarily with antibiotics because of the risk of resistance. » In addition, she says, in this study also the bacterial vaginosis came back to a number of women whose partner has been treated. “So it’s not Magic Bullet. « 

And then there is the issue of the treatment of the man, who is supposed to use seven days of pills and ointment. It is precisely in antibiotics that it is important to complete the course completely, because otherwise the condition will return and the bacteria are more likely to become resistant to the medicine. Not only did the male participants report complaints of antibiotics, such as nausea, headache and a metal taste, one in six men took less than 70 percent of the medication. For the women that was only one person.

« The study shows that the best results are achieved if the male partner also completely finishes the cure, but the treatment is always complicated, » says Bos.

« We also see that at STDs. » With regular partners, such as in this study, she is highest in the chance of success. « Then you also have an interest in having no complaints. »

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