Getting Everyone on Board to Break the Cycle of Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) Recurrence: A Qualitative Study of Partner Treatment for BV

Introduction Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a common condition that affects the sexual wellbeing of women and other people with a vagina. Recurrence following individual treatment is frequent and exerts a cumulative burden over time. Researchers at the Melbourne Sexual Health Center have recently completed the first successful trial of male partner treatment (MPT) for BV, demonstrating the superior effectiveness of concurrent MPT in reducing recurrence. Method Using a case study design, semi-structured interviews with trial participants explored the views and experiences of nine men who had received MPT and nine women whose partners had received MPT. Action and emotion coding were employed to create an explanatory model of experiences of BV recurrence and MPT. Results Three key themes within this model related to the cycle of recurrent BV: the physical, psychological, and relationship impacts of BV (“experiencing BV”); the importance of healthcare providers exploring different options and understanding individual context (“seeking care”); and the frustration, cost, and inconvenience of individual treatment (“dealing with it alone”). This cycle was broken by “Getting everyone on board” with MPT. This involved women, men, and healthcare professionals understanding BV and MPT, overcoming barriers to access, and open communication between partners. These factors, in combination, resulted in couples “dealing with BV together”, undertaking a week of inconvenience to share the responsibility of preventing recurrence. Conclusion These findings suggest that the widescale adoption of MPT for BV will require multilevel approaches to address gaps in the awareness of BV with sensitivity to the relational, social, and structural context of delivering care.