- Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is an extremely common vaginal infection caused by an overgrowth of bad bacteria and is often linked to sex and sexual activity.
- Men cannot get BV, but they can instigate, prolong, and retrigger BV infections.
- Avoid sex for 7 days after completing any treatment for BV, and take steps with your partner to avoid recurrent infection for the weeks and months afterward.
- It’s important to seek treatment from a healthcare professional for any active BV infections.
- Antibiotics can help treat active infections, while daily probiotics help prevent future ones.
If you have a vagina, you are probably familiar with bacterial vaginosis or BV. And how could you not be? Bacterial vaginosis is one of the most common vaginal infections caused by an overgrowth of bacteria within the vaginal flora.
BV is often annoying, uncomfortable, or even embarrassing. And if you’ve noticed new infections or increased infections after becoming sexually active with a new partner, you might be wondering, “Can men get BV? Does my partner have BV and giving it to me?”
The answer is both yes and no. No, your male partner cannot have BV because they don’t have a vagina. But yes, they can be contributing to your BV infections. How is that possible? Let’s dive into it.
Can you get BV from a male partner?
While men cannot experience BV themselves because they don’t have a vagina, research suggests that sexually active men can pass BV to their female partners during sex. One particular study of 165 uncircumcised men with multiple female partners actually found these men carried BV-causing bacteria on their penises, putting their partners at an increased risk of getting BV.
How long can a man carry BV-causing bacteria?
One study recently published in Cell Reports Medicine found that men having vaginal sex not only carried the bacteria associated with bacterial vaginosis but that the bacteria was detectable for at least two months after sex. Which is… not ideal for us females and can explain how a particular sexual partner seems to trigger recurring BV infections.
Is BV a sexually transmitted infection (STI)?
No. Although there is a link between sexual activity and BV, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not consider BV to be a sexually transmitted infection (STI) or sexually transmitted disease (STD). While BV is more prevalent in people who are having sex, particularly those having unprotected sex or sex with multiple partners, people who are not sexually active can also get BV.
Unlike BV and vaginal yeast infections, STIs can affect men and women both. Some common examples of STIs include:
- Syphilis (Treponema Pallidum)
- Genital herpes (Herpes Simplex Virus – HSV)
- Gonorrhea (Neisseria gonorrhoeae)
- Trichomoniasis (Trichomonas vaginalis)
- Chlamydia (Chlamydia trachomatis)
Why do BV symptoms worsen after sex?
If you have noticed your BV symptoms seem to increase or worsen after sex, you aren’t alone. The most common BV symptoms noticed after sex are:
- Unusual vaginal discharge
- Itching around the outside of the vagina
- Unpleasant fishy smell
- Burning sensation while urinating
This is because not only does vaginal sex introduce or reintroduce bad, BV-causing bacteria to your vaginal microbiome (and remember, BV-causing bacteria can live on a penis for more than 2 months), but vaginal sex can also irritate the vagina, worsening the discomfort that comes from BV.
Can you give BV to your male partner?
No, you cannot give BV to your male sex partner. Remember, BV is a vaginal infection, so a vagina is definitely required. But you can introduce the BV-causing bacteria to your partner, who can then reintroduce it to your vaginal microbiome later, instigating a second infection and fueling a cycle of recurrent BV.
Can you have sex with BV?
Can you? Sure. Should you? Probably not. As we said, it can exacerbate BV symptoms, which can not only make you more uncomfortable than necessary but can prolong your current infection and put you at increased risk of recurrent BV from your partner.
Can you have sex during BV treatment?
Same answer as above. Yes, you can have sex while receiving an antibiotic treatment like metronidazole, but you probably shouldn’t. Recurrent BV is no joke, so do what you need to do to clear the infection entirely.
How long should you wait to have sex after BV treatment?
This is a great question to ask your healthcare provider or gynecologist when they first prescribe you a BV treatment like antibiotics. But generally, the rule of thumb regarding BV and sex is to wait at least 7 days AFTER completing your full round of antibiotics. So if you get prescribed a 3-day round of antibiotics or a 7-day round, add another 7 days to that before resuming sexual activity.
How do you avoid getting recurrent BV from your partner?
The math doesn’t exactly add up, right? Because even if you wait 7 days after completing your antibiotic prescription, the BV-causing bacteria living on your partner’s penis can stay alive for another month or more. That’s why it’s so easy to fall into the cycle of recurrent BV. But it’s also an easy cycle to break if you know how to practice good sex hygiene.
To prevent recurrent BV:
- Practice safe sex and use condoms
- Clean and sterilize sex toys before engaging in any sexual activity (yes, every single time!)
- Wash your vaginal thoroughly with clean water after having sex
- Go to the bathroom after having sex since urination can help flush out any unwanted bacteria from your vagina
- Take a daily probiotic, particularly one that has the healthy bacteria Lactobacillus. Lactobacillus is responsible for maintaining your overall vaginal pH, which can help kill any bad bacteria that gets reintroduced
What happens if you leave BV untreated?
We know that chronic and recurrent BV can be frustrating, especially if you feel like it is linked to a particular sexual partner. And if giving up that partner isn’t an option, you should just give up hope of ever treating the BV, right? Wrong. Wrong wrong wrong!
You can break the cycle of recurrent BV, and more than that, it’s important you do. Leaving BV untreated has been linked to:
- Increased risk of STIs
- BV and STIs also increase your risk of getting HIV AIDS
- Increased risk of developing post-surgical infections after an abortion or a hysterectomy
- Fertility problems
- Increased chances of miscarriage, preterm birth, and low birth weight of a newborn
- Increased risk of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), or the inflammation and infection of the ovaries, uterus, or fallopian tubes that can result in infertility
Your healthcare provider or gynecologist can be a great ally if you don’t know where to start. They will likely prescribe you a course of antibiotics like metronidazole, clindamycin, or tinidazole to help clear the active infection. While this prescription may be necessary, it won’t help prevent future infections. To do this, look to daily probiotics like Happy V’s Prebiotic + Probiotic. It is doctor-formulated to contain clinically proven strains of probiotics (like that healthy Lactobacillus we mentioned) at clinically effective doses to restore your vaginal flora and prevent future BV infections.
- Bacterial Vaginosis (BV): A common vaginal infection caused by an overgrowth of bacteria in the vaginal flora.
- Vaginal Flora: The community of bacteria and microorganisms that inhabit the vagina, maintaining its health and balance.
- Antibiotics: Medications used to treat bacterial infections, which can sometimes disrupt the balance of vaginal flora.
- Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI): Infections that are passed from one person to another through sexual contact.
- Lactobacillus: A type of beneficial bacteria that helps maintain the pH balance of the vagina and prevent infections.
- Probiotics: Live beneficial bacteria that promote a healthy balance of microorganisms in the body, particularly in the gut and vaginal microbiome.
- Metronidazole: An antibiotic commonly prescribed to treat bacterial vaginosis.
- Recurrent BV: Repeated episodes of bacterial vaginosis, often linked to sexual activity or an imbalance in vaginal flora.
- Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID): An infection of the female reproductive organs that can result from untreated BV and lead to infertility.
- Vaginal pH: The level of acidity in the vagina, which is important for maintaining its health and preventing infections.
- Sexual Hygiene: Practices that help maintain genital health and prevent infections, such as using condoms and cleaning sex toys.
- Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), https://www.cdc.gov/std/bv/stats.htm. Accessed on July 3, 2023.
- Condom Fact Sheet in Brief. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/condomeffectiveness/brief.html . Accessed November 24, 2023.
- Hesham, H., Mitchell, A. J., Bergerat, A., Hung, K., & Mitchell, C. M. (2021). Impact of vaginal douching products on vaginal Lactobacillus, Escherichia coli and epithelial immune responses. Scientific reports, 11(1), 23069. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-02426-5
- Hills RD Jr, Pontefract BA, Mishcon HR, Black CA, Sutton SC, Theberge CR. Gut Microbiome: Profound Implications for Diet and Disease. Nutrients. 2019;11(7):1613. Published 2019 Jul 16. doi:10.3390/nu11071613. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31315227/
- Liu, C. M., Hungate, B. A., Tobian, A. A., Ravel, J., Prodger, J. L., Serwadda, D., Kigozi, G., Galiwango, R. M., Nalugoda, F., Keim, P., Wawer, M. J., Price, L. B., & Gray, R. H. (2015). Penile Microbiota and Female Partner Bacterial Vaginosis in Rakai, Uganda. mBio, 6(3), e00589. https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.00589-15
- Madden, T., Grentzer, J. M., Secura, G. M., Allsworth, J. E., & Peipert, J. F. (2012). Risk of bacterial vaginosis in users of the intrauterine device: a longitudinal study. Sexually transmitted diseases, 39(3), 217–222. https://doi.org/10.1097/OLQ.0b013e31823e68fe
- Meena V, Bansal CL. Study to Evaluate Targeted Management and Syndromic Management in Women Presenting with Abnormal Vaginal Discharge. J Obstet Gynaecol India. 2016;66(Suppl 1):534-540. doi:10.1007/s13224-016-0879-x. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5016465/
- Menstrual Hygiene. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/hygiene/personal-hygiene/menstrual.html . Accessed November 24, 2023
- Think You Have a Vaginal Infection? Here’s What You Need to Know. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. https://www.acog.org/womens-health/experts-and-stories/the-latest/think-you-have-a-vaginal-infection-heres-what-you-need-to-know . Accessed November 24, 2023.
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Author
Hans Graubard
Subject Matter Expect of Dietary Supplement Manufacturing, Regulatory & Product Development. Member of the International Probiotic Association.
Contributor
Dr. Barry Peskin
Dr. Barry Peskin is an accomplished medical professional with extensive experience in gynecology and healthcare management. As a dedicated practitioner and medical director, he offers comprehensive expertise in ambulatory gynecology and a profound commitment to patient care and medical education.
