Comparing the efficacy of probiotic plus antibiotic with the Antibiotic Therapy alone on the recurrence of Bacterial Vaginosis

• Published in: Pakistan journal of medical sciences 2025-01, Vol.41 (1), p.125-129
• Main Authors: Butt, Saima Ashraf, Haroon, Amara, Fayyaz, Asiya
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age; Antibiotics; Antimicrobial agents; Bacteria; Chi-square test; Marital status; Microbiota; Original; Probiotics; Vagina; Variables
• ISSN: 1682-024X; 1681-715X
• DOI: 10.12669/pjms.41.1.9922

Objective: To compare the efficacy of a probiotic plus antibiotic with antibiotic therapy alone for the prevention of the recurrence of bacterial vaginosis. Method: A Randomized control trial was conducted in the Gynecological Department of Nishtar Hospital, Multan, between July 2022 and June 2023. One hundred and twenty (N=120) women with bacterial vaginosis, all cured with metronidazole, were enrolled and randomized. In Group-A, Probiotics were administered once a day for 14 days following antibiotic treatment (Tab Metronidazole 400mg, three times a day for seven days). In Group-B, only oral antibiotics were given. The patients were followed up in four visits for five months for bacterial vaginosis recurrence (responders, partial responders, non-responders, and drop-outs) using Amsel criteria by vaginal swabs. All the data was collected on a structured Performa. Results: The mean age of enrolled 120 women was 32.28±2.58, and 111(92.5%) were married. Of 120 enrolled women, 8 (6.7%) were dropped out. Evaluating the recurrence rate, the probiotic group (n=57) had fewer recurrences than the placebo (n=55) (8.9% vs 21.4%, p-value