Doctors want 'fishy' infection that affects one in three women recognised as an STI

A host of health experts believe that a common intimate infection should be classed as an STI.

Although the NHS advises people to visit a sexual health clinic or their GP if they encounter this problem, it isn't held in the same regard as the likes of chlamydia, gonorrhoea or syphilis.

But a number of medics want this to change - as one said it is becoming 'increasingly difficult to defend' why it is not grouped in with other sexually transmitted infections.

Even though bacterial vaginosis (BV) can be triggered by sex, it is still not considered an STI because women who are abstinent can also end up with it.

It is caused by a change in the natural balance of bacteria in your vagina and according to the NHS, there are some telltale signs of it.

These include 'unusual vaginal discharge that has a strong fishy smell, particularly after sex', and 'a change to the colour and consistency of your discharge'.

But around half of the women who encounter this infection this don't have any symptoms, so it can sometimes be difficult to realise that you are suffering from it.

BV is not classed as an STI, much to the dismay of some medical professionals (Getty Stock Image)

You can take a test which is reminiscent to one that you might undergo to ensure your sexual health is in tip-top condition - but it's still not viewed as an STI.

BV is usually treated with antibiotic tablets or gels or creams, the NHS says, which are 'prescribed by a GP or sexual health clinic'.

"You're more likely to get an STI if you have bacterial vaginosis," it adds. "This may be because it makes your vagina less acidic and reduces your natural defences against infection."

Despite all of this, it's still not recognised as an STI - but if this experts gets her way, this won't always be the case.

"The traditional argument against calling bacterial vaginosis an STI is that it stems from an overgrowth of endogenous flora rather than a single external pathogen," gynaecologist Valentina Milanova told Metro.

"But this is becoming increasingly difficult to defend."

Her main gripe with this is that although blokes can't get BV, they can carry the bacteria that causes it - Gardnerella vaginalis - and pass this onto their female partners.

2025 study provided 'strongest evidence to date' that BV is an STI

A lot of Dr Milanova's argument also rests on a bombshell study that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine last year.

It found that treating BV as an STI 'achieves significantly higher cure rates' - by treating a patient's sexual partners as well as her - is a lot more successful at clearing up the infection.

Experts in Australia conducted a trial on 164 couples in monogamous relationships who had BV. They found that treating both the men and women for the infection simultaneously worked a lot better.

One of the authors, Dr Lenka Vodstrcil, said of the results: "We’ve suspected for a long time that it’s a sexually transmitted infection (STI), because it has a similar incubation period (after sex) to most STIs and is associated with the same risk factors as STIs like chlamydia, such as change in sexual partner and not using condoms."

Another boffin involved, Professor Catriona Bradshaw, added: "Our trial has shown that reinfection from partners is causing a lot of the BV recurrence women experience, and provides evidence that BV is in fact an STI."

Treating both the female and her sexual partners is more successful when it comes to getting rid of BV, the 2025 trial found (Getty Stock Image)

According to Dr Milanova, this research provided 'the strongest evidence to date that BV is sexually transmissible and that reinfection is a primary driver of its notoriously high recurrence rate'.

She reckons that as it is not treated as an STI, 'clinicians are not routinely treating partners, notifying contacts, or screening systematically'.

According to the gynaecologist, this leaves 'many women stuck in a cycle of recurrence which impacts women’s holistic wellbeing'.

Although Dr Giuseppe Aragona somewhat agrees with this stance, he pointed out that BV 'doesn’t behave like a classic STI in terms of a single causative organism or straightforward transmission pattern'.

The GP suggested it would be better off being dubbed 'sexually associated dysbiosis', to describe the imbalance in bacteria which is usually brought on by having sex.

He reckons that BV would 'become one of the most prevalent diagnosed conditions in sexual health services' if it was classed as an STI, drastically outdoing other common ones such as chlamydia or gonorrhoea.

If you've got any concerns about BV, make sure you check in with a medical professional to find the best course of action.