Skip to main content
PMC home page
Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics and Gynecology logoLink to Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics and Gynecology
. 1997;5(4):297–302. doi: 10.1155/S1064744997000513

Six Years Observation After Successful Treatment of Bacterial Vaginosis

Jane Boris 1,✉, Carl Påhlson 2, P-G Larsson 1
PMCID: PMC2364553  PMID: 18476155

Abstract

Objective: The cure rate after treatment of bacterial vaginosis (BV) differs in various investigations, but most studies report a cure rate of 70% after 1 month.

Methods: A long-term observation study after successful treatment of BV has been undertaken. The original study was a treatment study of BV and included 50 patients.

Results: We were able to identify 44 of the original 50 patients. The mean follow-up time was 6.9 years (range 4.7–9 years). During this time, 21 women (48%) had been free of BV while 23 women had had relapses. There was no difference in the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, episodes of candida vaginitis, bleeding disturbances, family planning method, development of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), or gynecological operations between women with and without relapses. The women with relapses had had a new sexual contact more often during the observation period than women without relapses. There was no difference in hydrogen peroxide production of the lactobacilli among women with or without relapses, and survival analysis shows that most relapses occur during the first year after treatment.

Conclusions: If patients are successfully treated, half of the patients will stay cured indicating that treatment is of benefit. Most relapses occur during the first year. Our results indicate that the etiology of BV might have something to do with new sexual contacts.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (511.1 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Amsel R., Totten P. A., Spiegel C. A., Chen K. C., Eschenbach D., Holmes K. K. Nonspecific vaginitis. Diagnostic criteria and microbial and epidemiologic associations. Am J Med. 1983 Jan;74(1):14–22. doi: 10.1016/0002-9343(83)91112-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Berger B. J., Kolton S., Zenilman J. M., Cummings M. C., Feldman J., McCormack W. M. Bacterial vaginosis in lesbians: a sexually transmitted disease. Clin Infect Dis. 1995 Dec;21(6):1402–1405. doi: 10.1093/clinids/21.6.1402. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bump R. C., Zuspan F. P., Buesching W. J., 3rd, Ayers L. W., Stephens T. J. The prevalence, six-month persistence, and predictive values of laboratory indicators of bacterial vaginosis (nonspecific vaginitis) in asymptomatic women. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1984 Dec 15;150(8):917–924. doi: 10.1016/0002-9378(84)90381-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Eschenbach D. A., Davick P. R., Williams B. L., Klebanoff S. J., Young-Smith K., Critchlow C. M., Holmes K. K. Prevalence of hydrogen peroxide-producing Lactobacillus species in normal women and women with bacterial vaginosis. J Clin Microbiol. 1989 Feb;27(2):251–256. doi: 10.1128/jcm.27.2.251-256.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Eschenbach D. A., Hillier S., Critchlow C., Stevens C., DeRouen T., Holmes K. K. Diagnosis and clinical manifestations of bacterial vaginosis. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1988 Apr;158(4):819–828. doi: 10.1016/0002-9378(88)90078-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Gardner H. L. Haemophilus vaginalis vaginitis after twenty-five years. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1980 Jun 1;137(3):385–391. doi: 10.1016/0002-9378(80)90924-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Hart G. Risk profiles and epidemiologic interrelationships of sexually transmitted diseases. Sex Transm Dis. 1993 May-Jun;20(3):126–136. doi: 10.1097/00007435-199305000-00002. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Hawes S. E., Hillier S. L., Benedetti J., Stevens C. E., Koutsky L. A., Wolner-Hanssen P., Holmes K. K. Hydrogen peroxide-producing lactobacilli and acquisition of vaginal infections. J Infect Dis. 1996 Nov;174(5):1058–1063. doi: 10.1093/infdis/174.5.1058. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Joesoef M. R., Wiknjosastro G., Norojono W., Sumampouw H., Linnan M., Hansell M. J., Hillis S. E., Lewis J. Coinfection with chlamydia and gonorrhoea among pregnant women and bacterial vaginosis. Int J STD AIDS. 1996 Jan-Feb;7(1):61–64. doi: 10.1258/0956462961917096. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Larsson P. G., Bergman B. B. Is there a causal connection between motile curved rods, Mobiluncus species, and bleeding complications? Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1986 Jan;154(1):107–108. doi: 10.1016/0002-9378(86)90403-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Larsson P. G., Bergman B., Forsum U., Påhlson C. Treatment of bacterial vaginosis in women with vaginal bleeding complications or discharge and harboring Mobiluncus. Gynecol Obstet Invest. 1990;29(4):296–300. doi: 10.1159/000293339. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Larsson P. G., Platz-Christensen J. J. Enumeration of clue cells in rehydrated air-dried vaginal wet smears for the diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis. Obstet Gynecol. 1990 Oct;76(4):727–730. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Larsson P. G., Platz-Christensen J. J., Sundström E. Is bacterial vaginosis a sexually transmitted disease? Int J STD AIDS. 1991 Sep-Oct;2(5):362–364. doi: 10.1177/095646249100200511. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Larsson P. G. Treatment of bacterial vaginosis. Int J STD AIDS. 1992 Jul-Aug;3(4):239–247. doi: 10.1177/095646249200300402. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Moi H. Prevalence of bacterial vaginosis and its association with genital infections, inflammation, and contraceptive methods in women attending sexually transmitted disease and primary health clinics. Int J STD AIDS. 1990 Mar;1(2):86–94. doi: 10.1177/095646249000100203. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Morgan D. J., Aboud C. J., McCaffrey I. M., Bhide S. A., Lamont R. F., Taylor-Robinson D. Comparison of Gram-stained smears prepared from blind vaginal swabs with those obtained at speculum examination for the assessment of vaginal flora. Br J Obstet Gynaecol. 1996 Nov;103(11):1105–1108. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1996.tb09591.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Nygaard O. G., Csángó P. A., Jagars G. Bakteriell vaginose assosiert med mobiluncusspecies i allmennpraksis. Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen. 1991 Mar 10;111(7):845–847. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Pheifer T. A., Forsyth P. S., Durfee M. A., Pollock H. M., Holmes K. K. Nonspecific vaginitis: role of Haemophilus vaginalis and treatment with metronidazole. N Engl J Med. 1978 Jun 29;298(26):1429–1434. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197806292982601. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Platz-Christensen J. J., Pernevi P., Hagmar B., Andersson E., Brandberg A., Wiqvist N. A longitudinal follow-up of bacterial vaginosis during pregnancy. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 1993 Feb;72(2):99–102. doi: 10.3109/00016349309023420. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Platz-Christensen J. J., Sundström E., Larsson P. G. Bacterial vaginosis and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 1994 Aug;73(7):586–588. doi: 10.3109/00016349409006278. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Sobel J. D., Schmitt C., Meriwether C. Long-term follow-up of patients with bacterial vaginosis treated with oral metronidazole and topical clindamycin. J Infect Dis. 1993 Mar;167(3):783–784. doi: 10.1093/infdis/167.3.783. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Thomason J. L., Gelbart S. M., Anderson R. J., Walt A. K., Osypowski P. J., Broekhuizen F. F. Statistical evaluation of diagnostic criteria for bacterial vaginosis. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1990 Jan;162(1):155–160. doi: 10.1016/0002-9378(90)90839-y. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics and Gynecology are provided here courtesy of Wiley

RESOURCES