An efficacy study on probiotic vaginal treatment in sexually active women
B. Horváth (1), F. Hadaritts (2), L. Szabó (3), P. Serényi (4), Gy.
Godó (3)
Faculty of Health Science, University of Pécs, Hungary (1); Department of
Cytolaboratory Medicine, Batthyány Strattmann Hospital, Körmend, Hungary (2);
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, County Hospital, Kecskemét, Hungary
(3); Department of Cytolaboratory, County Hospital, Kecskemét, Hungary (4)
Introduction: Sexually active women are at increased risk for
vaginitis because the presence of semen in the vagina may raise the pH. ‘Vaginitis
must cause more unhappiness on earth than any other gynecologic disease. In
addition to the many physical and emotional problems associated with vaginitis,
the economic loss involved is of astronomic proportions’ (Herman Gartner).
Aims and Methods: Authors performed a prospective in outpatient
clinics of two Hungarian towns to assess the efficacy of a local probiotic
tablet preparation and the recovery rate after applying the ecotherapy
consisting of Gynoflor vaginal tablets (Medinoava, Zurich). For statistical
analysis SPSS 11.0 was used.
Results: The diagnoses of 155 patients were as follows: bacterial
vaginosis in 73, mycotic vaginitis (candidiasis) in 45 and atrophic colpitis in
7 patients. 30 patients received preventive therapy because of long-term
antibiosis. The mean initial vaginal pH was 4.88. By the end of medication pH
had significantly lowered (pH 4.21). After the six days’ treatment the degree
of cleanness was unchanged or became level 1 (only Do¨ derleins) in 95 out of
155 patients. The success rate was also significant. The presence or absence of
cervicitis did not influence the success of therapy. The patients’ and the
physicians’ opinion about the effects was mainly (121 out of 155) the same. In
25 cases the patient’s opinion on efficacy was better than that of the
physician, in 8 cases the discrepance was converse.
Conclusion: Probiotic local vaginal treatment with living organisms in
sufficiently large quantities is called ecotherapy. This is a highly effective
alternative therapy of bacterial vaginosis, candidiasis and atrophic colpitis,
and is also a reliable and safe tool to prevent dysbacteriosis, an alternative
therapeutic approach to the wide-spread antibacterial treatment used for vaginal
inflammation.