![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SEC_293010301-e0d9.jpg\")
\n\t\tIt\u2019s STI awareness week and doctors are calling for change (Picture: Getty\/ Metro)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tIt\u2019s STI awareness week and doctors are calling for change (Picture: Getty\/ Metro)<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re sexually active<\/a>, hopefully you\u2019re aware of STIs like chlamydia<\/a>, gonorrhoea<\/a>, and syphilis<\/a>.<\/p>\n But there could soon be a new addition to the line-up, as doctors call for a common infection which affects around one billion women worldwide to be reclassified as a sexually transmitted infection<\/a>.<\/p>\n Bacterial vaginosis<\/a>, caused by a change in the natural balance of bacteria in your vagina, will impact a third of women in the UK at least once in their lifetime.<\/p>\n Gynaecologist and founder of gynaecological-health brand Daye, Valentina Milanova, is pushing for urgent action to update UK guidance surrounding this infection, since it can be caused by being sexually active or changing sexual partners.<\/p>\n While men can\u2019t get BV themselves, they can carry the bacteria which can cause this infection in women.<\/p>\n \u2018The traditional argument against calling bacterial vaginosis an STI is that it stems from an overgrowth of endogenous flora rather than a single external pathogen,\u2019 Dr Milanova explains. \u2018But this is becoming increasingly difficult to defend.\u2019<\/p>\n Why? Because a landmark 2025 New England Journal of Medicine trial found that treating male partners alongside women with BV significantly improved cure rates.<\/p>\n \u2018This provides the strongest evidence to date that BV is sexually transmissible and that reinfection is a primary driver of its notoriously high recurrence rate, which can reach up to 50% within six months,\u2019 Dr Milanova adds.<\/p>\n \t\t This change wouldn\u2019t be a world-first. In fact, countries like Australia<\/a>, America <\/a>and Canada<\/a>, all manage bacterial vaginosis within their STI frameworks and treatment pathways already.<\/p>\n The same goes for the World Health Organisation, while the American College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology notably began to recommend partner treatment in recurrent and first-occurrence symptomatic cases, as of late 2025.<\/p>\n \u2018The UK is an outlier,\u2019 Dr Milanova explains. She points out the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV<\/a>\u2019s guidelines on bacterial vaginosis have not been updated since 2012.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tBacterial Vaginosis: at a glance\t\t\t<\/p>\n Bacterial Vaginosis is a common condition affecting the vaginal microbiome, where there\u2019s a disruption of the normal balance of bacteria, particularly a reduction in lactobacilli which help maintain an acidic environment and an overgrowth of other bacteria.<\/p>\n It can be symptomless but around half of women will experience some changes. According to the World Health Organisation, these include:<\/p>\n unusual discharge from the vagina It\u2019s usually not serious, but if untreated, it could lead to issues during pregnancy like miscarriage or premature birth. It also increases the likelihood of you contracting other STIs including HIV, as well as pelvic inflammatory disease.<\/p>\n What causes BV?<\/p>\n The cause isn\u2019t entirely clear but you\u2019re more likely to get BV if you\u2019re sexually active, have changed partners, have an IUD, or use perfumed products in or around your vagina.<\/p>\n \u2018As a result, clinicians are not routinely treating partners, notifying contacts, or screening systematically \u2014 leaving many women stuck in a cycle of recurrence which impacts women\u2019s holistic wellbeing,\u2019 she adds.<\/p>\n For Dr Giuseppe Aragona, GP and medical advisor for Prescription Doctor<\/a>, the matter of whether BV should be formally reclassified as an STI depends \u2018how strictly you define the term\u2019.<\/p>\n \u2018While there\u2019s growing evidence of sexual transmission dynamics and partner involvement in recurrence, it still doesn\u2019t behave like a classic STI in terms of a single causative organism or straightforward transmission pattern,\u2019 he tells Metro.<\/p>\n Dr Aragona, says it could be more accurately labelled as a \u2018sexually associated dysbiosis\u2019, which refers to an imbalance of bacteria typically induced by sexual activity. <\/p>\n \u2018But, I can understand why some clinicians argue that recognising its sexual transmissibility more explicitly could improve prevention strategies and partner management,\u2019 he adds.<\/p>\n While there aren\u2019t currently any known developments in terms of classifying BV as an STI within the NHS, clinical director of women\u2019s health at Voy, Katy Jackson, tells Metro experts are starting to suggest it should be managed as one.<\/p>\n \t\t Simply put, Dr Aragona says that if BV was officially labelled as an STI in the UK, it would \u2018become one of the most prevalent diagnosed conditions in sexual health services\u2019.<\/p>\n Dr Jackson adds that it would be more prevalent than chlamydia or gonorrhoea, although it\u2019s not included in STI statistics currently because it\u2019s not defined as one.<\/p>\n This could impact service demand, screening practices, and of course, public awareness.<\/p>\n \u2018It could potentially reduce diagnostic delay, and encourage more consistent consideration of partner factors in recurrence, but it could also risk over-medicalisation or stigma if not framed carefully,\u2019 he explains.<\/p>\n \u2018However, reclassification could shift treatment pathways towards more partner-inclusive approaches, and place greater emphasis on recurrence prevention.\u2019<\/p>\n In doing so, this could prevent the use of repeated short courses of antibiotics, and Dr Aragona theorises this label could drive research funding into microbiome restoration therapies and vaccine-like approaches, which are emerging areas of interest.<\/p>\n Do you have a story to share?<\/p>\n Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow![\"Medical](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-952036388.jpg\")
\n\t\tA study found that treating men alongside women improved cure rates (Picture: Getty Images\/Westend61)
\nBritain needs to catch up<\/p>\n
\na strong fishy or musty odour from the vagina
\nitching or irritation around the vagina
\nburning during urination<\/p>\n![\"Condom\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-1176464914.jpg\")
\n\t\tHaving sex with a man who carries the bacteria can cause BV, even though men can\u2019t develop the condition themselves (Picture: Getty Images)
\nWhat if BV was classed as an STI?<\/p>\n
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