Bacterial vaginosis reduced 10 times by 2,000 IU of vitamin D – RCT

Treatment of vitamin D deficiency is an effective method in the elimination of asymptomatic bacterial vaginosis: A placebo- controlled randomized clinical trial

Indian J Med Res 141, June 2015, pp 799-806 DOI:10.4103/0971-5916.160707

Mahshid Taheri1, Azam Baheiraei2, Abbas Rahimi Foroushani3, Bahram Nikmanesh4 & Maryam Modarres1

1Department of Midwifery, School of Nursing & Midwifery,

2Reproductive Health Department, Tehran University of Medical Sciences,

3Departments of Epidemiology & Biostatistics & Medical Parasitology & Mycology,

School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Background & objectives: Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most prevalent vaginal infection in women of reproductive age group which has been found to be associated with vitamin D deficiency. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the administration of 2000 IU/day edible vitamin D for 15 wk to eliminate asymptomatic BV among reproductive age women with vitamin D deficiency.

Methods: A total of 208 women with asymptomatic BV, who were found to be eligible after interviews and laboratory tests, were randomly assigned to a control group (n=106) or an intervention group (n=105). They used vitamin D drops daily for 105 days. Vaginal and blood samples were taken before and after the second intervention using identical methods (Nugent score for BV diagnosis, serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D for vitamin D determination).

Results: The cure rate of asymptomatic BV was

  • 63.5 per cent in the intervention and

  • 19.2 per cent in the control group (P <0.001).

The results showed that being unmarried (P=0.02), being passive smoker (P<0.001), and being in the luteal phase of a menstrual cycle during sampling (P=0.01) were significantly associated with post-intervention BV positive results.

After these elements were controlled, the odds of BV positive results in the control group was 10.8 times more than in the intervention group (P<0.001).

Interpretation & conclusions: Among women in reproductive age group with vitamin D deficiency, the administration of 2000 IU/day edible vitamin D was effective in eliminating asymptomatic BV. This treatment could be useful in preventing the symptoms and side effects of BV.

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