What defines a Healthy Woman-(Bacterial Vaginosis)

What defines a healthy woman

First and foremost excuse my language. No offence intended but only to inform.

I am sure someone somewhere will find this information important and to my critics, vaginosis has no geographical boundaries. You have to be a woman to know that some of these infections are shared by many women. For the poor it’s a nightmare because there are no antibiotics to clear the infection. I wonder how they deal with this

 If what they say is true, that is (Bacterial vaginosis is linked to transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, so this is a potentially significant risk factor for acquiring sexually transmitted diseases, then no wonder HIV/AIDS has prevalence in poor communities)

Bacteria that live normally in the vagina differ from woman to woman and can even change dramatically in short periods of time in the same woman, a new analysis reveals.

The findings are likely to alter the one-size-fits-all diagnosis and treatment of vaginal infections that currently prevails among obstetricians and gynaecologists.

This certainly changes the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of vaginosis (bacterial infection in the vagina).

Among other things, this makes vaginosis much harder to diagnose. If (vaginal bacteria) change over time, how sure are you that this really is vaginosis?

Not all vaginas are equal

In the practise of medicine, all women have been considered pretty much the same when it comes to vaginal microbiota, with the same treatment. Antibiotics typically are prescribed to treat vaginosis.

Research shows in some people treatments work really well, and in some they fail.

Now we know it's because not all women are made equal.

Prior research by the same group had identified five basic microbial communities in the vagina. The researchers also found that these communities tended to vary according to ethnicity.

The balance of microbial communities is vital in protecting women from infections, including sexually transmitted diseases.

But bacterial vaginosis - when one type of bacteria thrives and dominates other types, which raises the risk of infection - is extremely common.

How the study was done

Ravel and his co-authors collected vaginal bacterial samples from 32 healthy, reproductive-age women twice a week for four months, and then analysed the samples using genomic techniques.

Again the researchers found five basic bacterial communities, and also noted that some changed rapidly in the same woman while others stayed stable.

In some cases, the collection of bacteria seen in a particular woman would have indicated the presence of bacterial vaginosis, although these women were healthy and not experiencing any symptoms.

This change what has been considered to be a normal bacterial community in the vagina.

Changes in bacterial communities tended to correspond with oestrogen levels at different points in the menstrual cycle, the particular composition of bacteria in a woman's vagina and sexual activity.

It's also likely that what a woman eats or the environment in which she lives will affect microbial composition.

The authors postulated that microbiota that fluctuated regularly may make a woman more vulnerable to infection.

Bacterial vaginosis and STDs

Bacterial vaginosis is linked to transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, so this is a potentially significant risk factor for acquiring sexually transmitted diseases.

Interestingly, vaginal bacteria also can affect pregnancy and fertility. The composition of vaginal microbiota and of a man's sperm could mean that a woman is fertile with one man and infertile with another, an accompanying editorial suggested.

There is need to rethink the way we approach women's health and treatment and diagnosis.

Think of those poor women from poor communities and how they manage vaginosis. Please read and retweet.It’s better to know than to be ignorant of something that affects many women out there.