Vaginal microbiota & sexual activity study

This study looked at the influence of sexual activity on the vaginal microbiota. Vaginal bacteria remained remarkably the same over time.

Vaginal bacteria in women having unprotected penile-vaginal sex were more likely to be Lactobacilli iners or Gardnerella vaginalis. Women who reported penile-vaginal sex or who developed bacterial vaginosis (BV) were more likely to have more than one type of Gardnerella vaginalis compared to a single type. The presence of Gardnerella vaginalis type 4 was found more often in women with developing or having BV.

The study showed that while penile-vaginal sex did not appear to result in a persistent change in the vaginal bacteria over time, it was associated with an increased in Gardnerella vaginalis types in young women with and without BV, supporting sexual transmission of Gardnerella vaginalis types and those types found in bacterial vaginosis.