clarification needed

March 24, 2007 8:36 AM

STD-filter - men spreading bacterial vaginosis?

OK, so a former sexual partner told me recently that she was diagnosed with bacterial vaginosis after sleeping with me (and no one else but me). So off to the internet I go to try to understand this new wrinkle that life has handed me (after profuse apologies and unstomachable feelings of guilt) - but it still remains unclear - can men be carriers and, indeed, spreaders? Sounds like much of the info on bv is speculative. Sounds like it is often (if not always) asymptomatic in men. I can't even tell if it's treatable in men. I have no reason to doubt this woman, and I WILL see a doctor regardless. But I guess I'm still a little reeling from the whole thing and found my online research a little unsatisfying, so I bring my questions and anxiety to you, oh wise and compassionalte askme populace. I am sexually active, presently with only one partner but that hasn't always been the case. My current partner uses a diaphragm, although typically I use condoms. I want to be responsible and safe without being an alarmist. What's my next move?

posted by anonymous to Human Relations (8 answers total)

BV isn't really an STD, although it does usually occur after sex. It happens when the normal balance of bacteria in the vagina is disrupted and replaced by an overgrowth of certain bacteria. You didn't "spread" anything in the sense that you didn't introduce something that wasn't already there, but having sex with you probably did cause the BV by upsetting the balance of bacteria. One of the major players in BV is the bacteria Gardnerella vaginalis. This organism appears to be present in 30 to 40 percent of all women. But in order to cause infection, it must interact with at least three other bacteria, and the entire group must proliferate sufficiently to wipe out healthy organisms such as the Lactobacillus. If your partner is being treated for it (treatment is usually antibiotics) her doctor really should have told her what if anything her male partner(s) should do. Generally, men aren't treated, but some doctors believe it's best for both partners to take antibiotics.
posted by Violet Hour at 9:05 AM on March 24, 2007 [2 favorites]

yup, what she said. don't feel guilty. it's one of those things that just happens sometimes, like a yeast infection or athlete's foot, although a doctor can give you tips for how to prevent it in the future.

sex is usually the culprit, but if she uses a diaphragm, it's possible she may have given it to herself if she didn't wash her hands before putting it in, or if a bug found its way onto the diaphragm itself. again, no casting blame here--i admit i don't always wash my hands before i put my contacts in--just something to think about in terms of future prevention.
posted by thinkingwoman at 10:35 AM on March 24, 2007

My nurse practitioner said there's current research being done specifically on this question of whether men can carry or spread BV or not; according to her, t's just not definitively clear at this point.
posted by scody at 11:01 AM on March 24, 2007

Well, men can't have or spread BV because they don't have vaginas.

Women, on the other hand, likely can spread it to each other through sex (my boss is the leading researcher on BV in women in the US). Women can get a BV infection after sex with men, but it's not because the man gave it to her, but possibly introduced something into the vagina to cause the BV.

So, yeah, don't stress about it, she could have gotten BV without you around anyway (douching, sex toys, allergy....)
posted by tristeza at 12:27 PM on March 24, 2007

Above, I should have said "BV in women who have sex with women" not just "BV in women." Duh.
posted by tristeza at 12:28 PM on March 24, 2007

Well, men can't have or spread BV because they don't have vaginas.

Touche. But theoretically they could indeed have or spread the bacteria that causes BV. That's what's being researched, given the fact that many women report recurrent BV with the same (male) partner.
posted by scody at 5:04 PM on March 24, 2007

scody - yes. And women, too, apparently can spread it to each other with fingers, dildoes, vulva-on-vulva. Cool field of research.
posted by tristeza at 6:25 PM on March 24, 2007

There are mucus membranes in the urethra, so I would think this does happen. IANAD
posted by brujita at 8:58 PM on March 24, 2007