The common condition we rarely talk about

Also: Is the U.S. "flying blind" with bird flu? [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  June 25, 2024 Hi CommonHealth reader, Bacterial vaginosis, or BV, may be the most common medical condition we rarely talk about. This imbalance of bacteria in the vagina occurs in an estimated one-quarter to one-third of women worldwide. It can cause odor, discharge, pain and itching. It’s also associated with higher risk of preterm birth and sexually-transmitted infections, including HIV. [Antibiotics can treat BV]( but for some people, the problem keeps coming back. Jade Genga, a dancer, actor and teacher in Rhode Island, tried every treatment she could find, but for years, her BV symptoms kept returning. It was hard to sleep, work, travel — and even be near other people. “You just end up staying home,” she told me. “You’re like, ‘I’m just not going to be around people, because I’m uncomfortable and grossed out by myself.’ " A couple years ago, Genga's search for answers led her to a lab at Massachusetts General Hospital that was testing [a new treatment: vaginal fluid transplants](. Desperate for relief, she signed up to participate. This approach takes donated fluid from a healthy vagina and — after lots of safety testing to make sure the sample is free of infections and other harmful things — puts it inside a vagina with BV. The results of the pilot study are now in, and they offer some hope for the future treatment of this common condition. All the study participants who received transplants saw a [growth of beneficial bacteria]( called Lactobacillus crispatus, at least temporarily. Participants were not told whether they were receiving the experimental treatment or a placebo, but Genga said she felt a difference in her body within weeks. Eventually, her symptoms were gone. And they haven't come back. Genga said she finally feels comfortable in her body again. “I feel like a new person,” she said. “I don't have that discomfort all the time. I'm not having pain. I’m not having that embarrassing smell and feel. It's truthfully been a complete life-changing event for me.” The pilot study was small, with just eight participants. Half received transplants and the other half placebos. Two of the participants who received transplants experienced long-term relief; it’s unclear why the other two did not. Still, Dr. Caroline Mitchell, an OB-GYN at Mass General who is leading the research, said the results are promising. “In people where nothing else had worked for years and years, it actually feels like a victory,” she told me. Mitchell’s lab is working to enroll dozens of participants for the next phase of research. It’s not an easy sell. Though many women suffer from BV symptoms, many are also hesitant to sign up because they think receiving fluid from another person’s vagina is “kind of gross,” Mitchell said. Gathering donations is also a challenge. Donors must agree to abstain from sex for up to 45 days. And of those who sign up to donate, about 95% are deemed ineligible because they lack the specific strain of healthy bacteria being tested in the study, or because they have an infection or some other disqualifying issue. Mitchell hopes this research soon will lead to the development of a preventive treatment that some women can take to avoid BV. “The fact that treatment in this field hasn’t changed in 40 years is what motivates me,” she said. “Many people will say, ‘Well, it’s just vaginal discharge, it’s just vaginal odor.’ It’s a big deal, and we need to do more.” Priyanka Dayal McCluskey Senior Health Reporter [Follow]( Support the news  This Week's Must Reads [Abortion is becoming more common in primary care clinics as doctors challenge stigma]( More family medicine and primary care doctors are doing abortions and questioning why it’s been separated from other care for decades. [Read more.]( [Abortion is becoming more common in primary care clinics as doctors challenge stigma]( More family medicine and primary care doctors are doing abortions and questioning why it’s been separated from other care for decades. 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