If you’ve ever treated the same female patient for bacterial vaginosis (BV) more times than you can count, you’re not alone. Recurrent BV is incredibly common. In fact, more than 50% of women experience a recurrence within six months of treatment. For clinicians, it's tough to manage. For our patients, it’s disruptive and frustrating. But there’s good news: recent research has provided us with promising results. And no, it’s not a new antibiotic. It’s a different approach: treating the male partner.
Historically, the standard of care has focused on treating women alone. Thanks to compelling new evidence from a 2025 study, that’s starting to change. The evidence in this study was so compelling that, in October 2025, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) adopted new clinical recommendations to support concurrent male sexual partner treatment.
The Study That Changed Things
In a 2025 open-label, randomized controlled trial, researchers enrolled monogamous heterosexual couples in which the female partner had symptomatic BV. All women received first- line standard therapy, such as oral metronidazole. Male partners in the intervention group were also treated with:
Oral metronidazole 400 mg twice daily for 7 days
Topical 2% clindamycin cream applied to the penis twice daily for 7 days
Male partners in the control group received no treatment.
The results? BV came back in about 1 in 3 women in the partner-treatment group, compared to nearly 2 in 3 in the control group. To sum that up, treating male partners nearly cut BV recurrence in half. Additionally, male partner treatment was well tolerated, with only mild side effects like nausea, headache, and metallic taste.
The findings were so significant that the study was stopped early. Read more about it in the study found here.
Who Does This Apply To?
This guidance is aimed at:
Women with recurrent, symptomatic BV (two or more episodes in the past year)
In long-term, monogamous heterosexual relationships
Where the male partner is asymptomatic and available for treatment
It may not apply to situations involving nonmonogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, and asymptomatic BV — though future research may expand the scope of treatment.
Ending the Cycle for Our Patients
After years of limited progress for recurrent BV treatment, we finally have something new that works. Treating male partners with a short course of oral and topical antibiotics significantly reduces BV recurrence for female patients. ACOG backs it. The evidence is strong. And for patients dealing with BV over and over again, this might just be the game-changer they’ve been waiting for.
To hear more, listen to our Urgent Care Reviews and Perspectives segment, "Paper Chase #4: Male-Partner Treatment to Prevent Recurrence of Bacterial Vaginosis."