Efficacy of Probiotics in the Treatment of Adult Female Bacterial Vaginosis: A Meta-Analysis

Background: The purpose of this meta-analysis was to assess the value of probiotics in the treatment of adult female bacterial vaginosis (BV). Methods: We looked for published randomized controlled trials in PubMed, Embase and The Cochrane Library from the inception dates of the database to January...

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Main Authors: Yuping Shan, Zicheng Cui, Zhaoxia Ding, Yushuang Yao, Aiping Chen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IMR Press 2023-03-01
Series:Clinical and Experimental Obstetrics & Gynecology
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Online Access:https://www.imrpress.com/journal/CEOG/50/3/10.31083/j.ceog5003050
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author Yuping Shan
Zicheng Cui
Zhaoxia Ding
Yushuang Yao
Aiping Chen
author_facet Yuping Shan
Zicheng Cui
Zhaoxia Ding
Yushuang Yao
Aiping Chen
author_sort Yuping Shan
collection DOAJ
description Background: The purpose of this meta-analysis was to assess the value of probiotics in the treatment of adult female bacterial vaginosis (BV). Methods: We looked for published randomized controlled trials in PubMed, Embase and The Cochrane Library from the inception dates of the database to January 3rd, 2022. We conducted the search focusing on the treatment of adult female BV with probiotics. Two independent researchers screened the literature, evaluated the trial quality and extracted the data according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The primary outcome was the ratio of patients with BV with recurrence according to Nugent score 7–10 for recurrence after treatment. After heterogeneity was assessed using Review Manager 5.4 software, meta-analysis and bias assessment were performed using Stata 17.0 software. Results: A total of 5 articles representing 425 patients were included in this meta-analysis. Compared with antibiotics alone or antibiotics combined with a placebo, probiotics or probiotics combined with antibiotics significantly reduced the rate of recurrence at around the 30th day (risk ratio (RR) 0.11; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.03–0.33). However, in the analysis of heterogeneity, we found that after 30 days, the therapeutic effect of probiotics decreased with the extension of follow-up time (RR 0.50; 95% CI 0.24–1.03), (RR 1.24; 95% CI 0.88–1.76). Conclusions: The short-term efficacy of probiotics in the treatment of BV in adult female patients may be satisfactory, but the long-term efficacy of probiotic therapy may be suboptimal and still requires validation by further clinical trials.
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spelling doaj-art-1a75e082fee34afbb66ac6e697161b5b2025-08-20T03:17:43ZengIMR PressClinical and Experimental Obstetrics & Gynecology0390-66632023-03-015035010.31083/j.ceog5003050S0390-6663(22)02000-0Efficacy of Probiotics in the Treatment of Adult Female Bacterial Vaginosis: A Meta-AnalysisYuping Shan0Zicheng Cui1Zhaoxia Ding2Yushuang Yao3Aiping Chen4Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, 266000 Qingdao, Shandong, ChinaDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, 266000 Qingdao, Shandong, ChinaDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, 266000 Qingdao, Shandong, ChinaDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, 266000 Qingdao, Shandong, ChinaDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, 266000 Qingdao, Shandong, ChinaBackground: The purpose of this meta-analysis was to assess the value of probiotics in the treatment of adult female bacterial vaginosis (BV). Methods: We looked for published randomized controlled trials in PubMed, Embase and The Cochrane Library from the inception dates of the database to January 3rd, 2022. We conducted the search focusing on the treatment of adult female BV with probiotics. Two independent researchers screened the literature, evaluated the trial quality and extracted the data according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The primary outcome was the ratio of patients with BV with recurrence according to Nugent score 7–10 for recurrence after treatment. After heterogeneity was assessed using Review Manager 5.4 software, meta-analysis and bias assessment were performed using Stata 17.0 software. Results: A total of 5 articles representing 425 patients were included in this meta-analysis. Compared with antibiotics alone or antibiotics combined with a placebo, probiotics or probiotics combined with antibiotics significantly reduced the rate of recurrence at around the 30th day (risk ratio (RR) 0.11; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.03–0.33). However, in the analysis of heterogeneity, we found that after 30 days, the therapeutic effect of probiotics decreased with the extension of follow-up time (RR 0.50; 95% CI 0.24–1.03), (RR 1.24; 95% CI 0.88–1.76). Conclusions: The short-term efficacy of probiotics in the treatment of BV in adult female patients may be satisfactory, but the long-term efficacy of probiotic therapy may be suboptimal and still requires validation by further clinical trials.https://www.imrpress.com/journal/CEOG/50/3/10.31083/j.ceog5003050meta-analysisprobiotictherapeuticsvaginosisbacterial
spellingShingle Yuping Shan
Zicheng Cui
Zhaoxia Ding
Yushuang Yao
Aiping Chen
Efficacy of Probiotics in the Treatment of Adult Female Bacterial Vaginosis: A Meta-Analysis
Clinical and Experimental Obstetrics & Gynecology
meta-analysis
probiotic
therapeutics
vaginosis
bacterial
title Efficacy of Probiotics in the Treatment of Adult Female Bacterial Vaginosis: A Meta-Analysis
title_full Efficacy of Probiotics in the Treatment of Adult Female Bacterial Vaginosis: A Meta-Analysis
title_fullStr Efficacy of Probiotics in the Treatment of Adult Female Bacterial Vaginosis: A Meta-Analysis
title_full_unstemmed Efficacy of Probiotics in the Treatment of Adult Female Bacterial Vaginosis: A Meta-Analysis
title_short Efficacy of Probiotics in the Treatment of Adult Female Bacterial Vaginosis: A Meta-Analysis
title_sort efficacy of probiotics in the treatment of adult female bacterial vaginosis a meta analysis
topic meta-analysis
probiotic
therapeutics
vaginosis
bacterial
url https://www.imrpress.com/journal/CEOG/50/3/10.31083/j.ceog5003050
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