New research is challenging this assumption.
More than half of women who receive the standard one-week oral antibiotic treatment experience a recurrence within three months.
To test whether treating male partners could improve outcomes, researchers in Australia studied 164 monogamous couples.
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Half of the couples followed the standard approach, where only the woman received a seven-day course of antibiotics.
This was interpreted as evidence against sexual transmission, Bradshaw said.
Is BV Sexually Transmitted?
BV can arise from a number of situations that do not have to do with sex.
Some women get BV every time they are treated for a yeast infection, Hirsch told Verywell.
Hirsch said theres already shame surrounding BV, and categorizing BV as an STI may further stigmatize the condition.
We have work to do as a medical community to destigmatize STIs in general, Hirsch said.
In the meantime, lets not add to the panic and fray.
Lets leave it at that.
Will This Change Treatment Guidelines for BV?
The same change may not take place in the United States just yet.
They are well-established, older drugs, and overall considered quite safe, she said.
More research may be needed for a change to the existing treatment guidelines.
