Vitamin C is pitted head-to-head against antibiotics for bacterial vaginal infections.
Treating Bacterial Vaginosis with Vaginal Vitamin C
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Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video.
A study published in 1999 raised the exciting possibility that “cheap, simple, innocuous, and ubiquitous vitamin C supplements could prevent [a condition known as] pre-eclampsia.” But, a decade of research later, we realized that was merely a false hope, and that vitamin C supplements appear to play little role in women’s health.
But, they’re talking about oral vitamin C, not vaginal vitamin C, which has been found to be an effective treatment for bacterial vaginosis—an all-too-common gynecological disorder characterized by a fishy-smelling, watery-gray discharge.
Bacterial vaginosis “can best be described as an ‘ecological disaster’ of the vaginal microflora.” The normal lactobacillus-type good bacteria get displaced by an army of bad bacteria. Probiotics may help, repopulating with good bacteria, but the reason the bad bacteria took over in the first place was that the pH was off.
I’ve talked about the role diet may play in the development of this condition. For example, “saturated fat [intake] may increase vaginal pH,” allowing for the growth of undesirables. So, why not try to re-acidify the vagina with ascorbic acid, otherwise known as vitamin C? Now, this isn’t just plain vitamin C tablets, but specially formulated “silicon-coated” supplements that release vitamin C slowly, so as to not to be irritating. How well do they work? 100 women suffering from the condition split into two groups, and the vaginal vitamin C beat out placebo.
But how does vitamin C compare to the conventional therapy, an antibiotic gel? This is an important question. “Although perceived as a mild medical problem,” bacterial vaginosis may increase the risk of several gynecological complications, including problems during pregnancy, where you want to avoid taking drugs whenever possible.
The vitamin C appeared to work as effectively as the antibiotic. And so, especially like in the first trimester when you really don’t want to be putting drugs up there, vitamin C can really help. And, for women with recurrent episodes, using the vitamin C for six days after each cycle appears to cut “the risk of recurrence” in half.
Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.
- Talaulikar VS, Manyonda IT. Vitamin C as an antioxidant supplement in women's health: a myth in need of urgent burial. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2011 Jul;157(1):10-3.
- Petersen EE, Magnani P. Efficacy and safety of vitamin C vaginal tablets in the treatment of non-specific vaginitis. A randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled study. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2004 Nov 10;117(1):70-5.
- Donders GG, Zodzika J, Rezeberga D. Treatment of bacterial vaginosis: what we have and what we miss. Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2014 Apr;15(5):645-57.
- Polatti F, Rampino M, Magnani P, Mascarucci P. Vaginal pH-lowering effect of locally applied vitamin C in subjects with high vaginal pH. Gynecol Endocrinol. 2006 Apr;22(4):230-4.
- Zahra A, Fateme G, MohamadReza, A. Comparison of the effectiveness of vitamin C vaginal tablet with metronidazole vaginal gel in the treatment of bacterial vaginosis. African Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology Vol. 4(7), pp. 484-489, July 2010.
- Krasnopolsky VN, Prilepskaya VN, Polatti F, Zarochentseva NV, Bayramova GR, Caserini M, Palmieri R. Efficacy of vitamin C vaginal tablets as prophylaxis for recurrent bacterial vaginosis: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. J Clin Med Res. 2013 Aug;5(4):309-15.
- S Holt, School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand; M Genet, Scientific Department, Polichem SA, Pazzallo, Switzerland. VITAMINS, MINERALS AND DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS. Vaginal vitamin C tablets ... Efficacy of vitamin C vaginal tablets in the treatment of bacterial vaginosis: a randomised, double blind, placebo controlled clinical trial.
- Huang H, Song L, Zhao W. Effects of probiotics for the treatment of bacterial vaginosis in adult women: a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. Arch Gynecol Obstet. 2014 Jun;289(6):1225-34.
- Ahluwalia N, Grandjean H. Nutrition, an under-recognized factor in bacterial vaginosis. J Nutr. 2007 Sep;137(9):1997-8.
- Neggers YH, Nansel TR, Andrews WW, Schwebke JR, Yu KF, Goldenberg RL, Klebanoff MA. Dietary intake of selected nutrients affects bacterial vaginosis in women. J Nutr. 2007 Sep;137(9):2128-33.
- Chappell LC, Seed PT, Briley AL, Kelly FJ, Lee R, Hunt BJ, Parmar K, Bewley SJ, Shennan AH, Steer PJ, Poston L. Effect of antioxidants on the occurrence of pre-eclampsia in women at increased risk: a randomised trial. Lancet. 1999 Sep 4;354(9181):810-6.
Image credit: Kristina DeMuth. Image has been modified.
Video credit: Daniel Black.
Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video.
A study published in 1999 raised the exciting possibility that “cheap, simple, innocuous, and ubiquitous vitamin C supplements could prevent [a condition known as] pre-eclampsia.” But, a decade of research later, we realized that was merely a false hope, and that vitamin C supplements appear to play little role in women’s health.
But, they’re talking about oral vitamin C, not vaginal vitamin C, which has been found to be an effective treatment for bacterial vaginosis—an all-too-common gynecological disorder characterized by a fishy-smelling, watery-gray discharge.
Bacterial vaginosis “can best be described as an ‘ecological disaster’ of the vaginal microflora.” The normal lactobacillus-type good bacteria get displaced by an army of bad bacteria. Probiotics may help, repopulating with good bacteria, but the reason the bad bacteria took over in the first place was that the pH was off.
I’ve talked about the role diet may play in the development of this condition. For example, “saturated fat [intake] may increase vaginal pH,” allowing for the growth of undesirables. So, why not try to re-acidify the vagina with ascorbic acid, otherwise known as vitamin C? Now, this isn’t just plain vitamin C tablets, but specially formulated “silicon-coated” supplements that release vitamin C slowly, so as to not to be irritating. How well do they work? 100 women suffering from the condition split into two groups, and the vaginal vitamin C beat out placebo.
But how does vitamin C compare to the conventional therapy, an antibiotic gel? This is an important question. “Although perceived as a mild medical problem,” bacterial vaginosis may increase the risk of several gynecological complications, including problems during pregnancy, where you want to avoid taking drugs whenever possible.
The vitamin C appeared to work as effectively as the antibiotic. And so, especially like in the first trimester when you really don’t want to be putting drugs up there, vitamin C can really help. And, for women with recurrent episodes, using the vitamin C for six days after each cycle appears to cut “the risk of recurrence” in half.
Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.
- Talaulikar VS, Manyonda IT. Vitamin C as an antioxidant supplement in women's health: a myth in need of urgent burial. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2011 Jul;157(1):10-3.
- Petersen EE, Magnani P. Efficacy and safety of vitamin C vaginal tablets in the treatment of non-specific vaginitis. A randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled study. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2004 Nov 10;117(1):70-5.
- Donders GG, Zodzika J, Rezeberga D. Treatment of bacterial vaginosis: what we have and what we miss. Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2014 Apr;15(5):645-57.
- Polatti F, Rampino M, Magnani P, Mascarucci P. Vaginal pH-lowering effect of locally applied vitamin C in subjects with high vaginal pH. Gynecol Endocrinol. 2006 Apr;22(4):230-4.
- Zahra A, Fateme G, MohamadReza, A. Comparison of the effectiveness of vitamin C vaginal tablet with metronidazole vaginal gel in the treatment of bacterial vaginosis. African Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology Vol. 4(7), pp. 484-489, July 2010.
- Krasnopolsky VN, Prilepskaya VN, Polatti F, Zarochentseva NV, Bayramova GR, Caserini M, Palmieri R. Efficacy of vitamin C vaginal tablets as prophylaxis for recurrent bacterial vaginosis: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. J Clin Med Res. 2013 Aug;5(4):309-15.
- S Holt, School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand; M Genet, Scientific Department, Polichem SA, Pazzallo, Switzerland. VITAMINS, MINERALS AND DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS. Vaginal vitamin C tablets ... Efficacy of vitamin C vaginal tablets in the treatment of bacterial vaginosis: a randomised, double blind, placebo controlled clinical trial.
- Huang H, Song L, Zhao W. Effects of probiotics for the treatment of bacterial vaginosis in adult women: a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. Arch Gynecol Obstet. 2014 Jun;289(6):1225-34.
- Ahluwalia N, Grandjean H. Nutrition, an under-recognized factor in bacterial vaginosis. J Nutr. 2007 Sep;137(9):1997-8.
- Neggers YH, Nansel TR, Andrews WW, Schwebke JR, Yu KF, Goldenberg RL, Klebanoff MA. Dietary intake of selected nutrients affects bacterial vaginosis in women. J Nutr. 2007 Sep;137(9):2128-33.
- Chappell LC, Seed PT, Briley AL, Kelly FJ, Lee R, Hunt BJ, Parmar K, Bewley SJ, Shennan AH, Steer PJ, Poston L. Effect of antioxidants on the occurrence of pre-eclampsia in women at increased risk: a randomised trial. Lancet. 1999 Sep 4;354(9181):810-6.
Image credit: Kristina DeMuth. Image has been modified.
Video credit: Daniel Black.
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Title
Treating Bacterial Vaginosis with Vaginal Vitamin C
LicenseCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Content URLDoctor's Note
The saturated fat video I mentioned is Bacterial Vaginosis and Diet.
Another way to get vitamin C into the body is by dripping it directly into the vein. Does that actually do anything? See:
- Intravenous Vitamin C for Terminal Cancer Patients
- Vitamin C Supplements for Terminal Cancer Patients
- The Role of Vitamin C in the Treatment of Terminal Cancer
For those of us who prefer to get vitamin C the old-fashioned way, through the mouth and in foods rather than supplements, the question becomes What Is the Optimal Vitamin C Intake?
If you’re considering taking oral vitamin C in supplements instead, make sure to watch this video first: Do Vitamin C Supplements Prevent Colds But Cause Kidney Stones?.
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