Research shows that oral sex can cause bacterial vaginosis

Receiving oral sex can cause a bacterial vaginosis condition because bacteria in the oral cavity can destroy the bacteria that naturally occur in the vagina.

One study found that common bacteria in the mouth that cause periodontal disease are associated with embarrassing infections.

Bacterial vaginosis causes symptoms only in about half of the women who get it, but those who show symptoms report a “fishy” odor and abnormal secretions.

Scientists say women are more likely to develop a condition known as BV if they have unprotected oral sex.

The researchers found that oral bacteria “supported” the growth of BV-causing vaginal bacteria and that the two forms formed a “mutually beneficial relationship.”

Little is known about how bacteria from other parts of the body contributed to the infection, and scientists are currently investigating to see if insects from the penis or anus can induce it. Say you should do.

Bacterial vaginosis is common, affecting about one-third of women at some point in their life, but it can recur several times. Not usually considered a sexually transmitted disease (stock image)

Scientists, led by the University of California, San Diego, studied how two bacteria interacted with swab samples from the vagina of mice and humans.

Oral bacteria, called fusobacterium nucleatum, usually do not cause any harm, but can contribute to the gingivitis known as gingivitis.

And it is already known that the vaginal bacterium Gardnerella vaginalis causes BV when the normal vaginal imbalance is lost.

When the two bacteria come together, they essentially work together, causing an unpleasant infection, researchers have discovered.

F. nucleatum has been found to increase certain types of vaginal enzymatic activity, called sialidase activity. This is G. Provided fuel for vaginal growth.

Researchers said the combination of the two led to “colonization.”

“These results could help reciprocal beneficial relationships between vaginal bacteria support colonization of pathogens and maintain the characteristics of enterotoxemia,” said a researcher led by Dr. Amanda Lewis. Shows that [biological imbalance]’.

This study suggests that direct contact between the mouth and vagina produces the effect, which allows bacteria to move from one side of the saliva to the other.

Gynecologist Dr. Lewis and her colleagues said the discovery added another dimension to the understanding of BV.

Earlier, they said they were thought to be due to a lack of healthy bacteria called lactic acid bacteria.

“These findings challenge the simple doctrine that the mere lack of “healthy” lactobacilli is the only mechanism that creates a permissive environment for pathogens during vaginal abnormalities,” the paper says. Told.

“Given the universality of the Fusobacterium nucleus in the human mouth, these studies also suggest possible mechanisms underlying the association between vaginal flora and oral sex.”

Even small amounts of bacteria can initiate the described “colony formation” process, scientists say, suggesting that oral sex is sufficient once.

They added that, knowing that bacteria in the mouth could trigger BV, opened the door to bacteria from other parts of the body, which also caused it.

BV is not known as a sexually transmitted disease, but it can be caused by sex.

Dr. Lewis’ team added:’In light of these findings, future research indicates that vaginal exposure to microbes from other body sites (eg, oral, rectal, penis) [cause the infection]”

There was no suggestion that women who had oral sex with men were at risk of bacterial vaginosis.

Professor Claudia Estcourt, a spokesperson for the British Sexual Health and HIV Society, BBC“BV is a very complex entity and I know many factors are involved.”

BV is a very common infection, and at some point about one third of women will get it. Dr. Lewis’s study states that about 29% of women in the United States are infected.

It is usually harmless and can be resolved with antibiotics, but in some women it can cause relapses and may require long-term treatment.

According to the NHS, developing BV during pregnancy may result in a small risk of miscarriage and complications, but “the majority of pregnancies do not have problems.”

Infection may be due to activity that can introduce bacteria that are not normally present into the vagina.

This includes sex, IUD birth control and the use of perfume cosmetics in or around the vagina.

If one of the two women is infected, it can be transmitted during sexual transmission.

Dr. Lewis’s research published in the journal PLOS biology..