Who Is Most Likely To Get BV?

Any woman can get bacterial vaginosis (BV), and it isn't a sign of poor hygiene or anything to feel embarrassed about; the measured risk factors are a new or additional male partner (1.6-fold), a female partner (2.0-fold), the copper coil (1.28-fold), douching, smoking and not using condoms, while hormonal contraception was linked to lower recurrence in a 139-woman cohort.^{1, 2, 3, 8} Some groups and circumstances carry a higher chance, and the research has moved on recently around the partner's role; the condition itself is explained in what is the main cause of BV.

Sources checked on 29 October 2026.

How common is bacterial vaginosis?

The NHS calls BV a common cause of unusual vaginal discharge, a 2022 systematic review describes it as the most common cause of vaginal discharge in women of reproductive age, and antibiotics clear it.^{1, 5} A 2019 meta-analysis of prevalence studies put it at about 23% of women in Europe and Central Asia at any one time, and between 23% and 29% across world regions.⁴ It's also worth knowing that prevalence doesn't fall off a cliff after menopause: a meta-analysis of 13 studies found BV rates among post-menopausal women ranging anywhere from 2% to 57% depending on the population studied, averaging out at around 17%.⁵ So while BV is most talked about in younger, sexually active women, it's not something that only affects one age group.

Who's more likely to get it?

BV happens when the lactobacilli that normally dominate the vagina lose ground, and certain things make that more likely. According to the NHS and the research, you're at higher risk if you:

• Are sexually active, particularly with a new partner or multiple partners (1.6-fold across 43 studies)²
• Have a female partner (2.0-fold)²
• Use a copper IUD (coil) for contraception (1.28-fold, 1.52-fold in the first six months)³
• Douche or use perfumed washes, sprays or wipes in and around the vagina¹
• Don't use condoms (condom use lowers the risk, relative risk 0.8)²
• Smoke, which the NHS lists among the things not to do with BV¹
• Are pregnant: not a higher chance of BV on the NHS list, but higher stakes, since untreated BV in pregnancy carries a small chance of premature birth or miscarriage¹

The full trigger table, including washing and stress, is in What Is The Main Cause Of BV?, linked above.

Can you get BV without ever having sex?

Yes. It's less common, but the NHS is explicit that women who have never had sex can still develop bacterial vaginosis.¹ BV is the vagina's own bacterial balance tipping over, and douching, scented products or periods can trigger that shift with no sexual contact. Never having been sexually active does not rule out BV, and it isn't something you did wrong.

Can a partner give you BV, or make it keep coming back?

This is where the science has shifted. For years, standard guidance was that male partners of women with BV didn't need treatment, since men can't develop BV themselves, and trials that gave men oral antibiotics alone found no benefit.⁶ But a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2025 tested a different approach. Researchers followed 164 heterosexual couples where the female partner had BV: in one group only she had antibiotics, in the other her male partner also took a week of oral antibiotics plus an antibiotic cream on the penis. Over 12 weeks, BV returned in 35% of women whose partner had both, against 63% of those whose partner had not.⁷

The theory isn't that men "carry" BV in the way an STI works. It's that bacteria exchanged during sex, potentially including species like Gardnerella, can disturb the vagina's bacterial balance again after a course, effectively resetting the cycle. If BV keeps returning and you have a regular partner, this research is worth raising with a GP or sexual health clinic, since combined partner treatment is an emerging option. For more on how BV differs from an STI and whether it can be passed on at all, see Can BV mean STD?

Can men get BV themselves?

No. Bacterial vaginosis is specific to the vaginal microbiome. The penis and urethra have their own bacterial environment, which can exchange bacteria with a partner's vagina during sex, but it does not produce BV symptoms or an infection in a man. This is also why BV isn't classed as a sexually transmitted infection, even though sex plays a role for many women.

Can BV be caused by dirty fingers, or spread that way?

Hands and fingers can transfer bacteria into the vagina, so poor hygiene before touching the area, or moving from anal to vaginal contact without washing, can in theory contribute to the bacterial disruption that leads to BV. It's a minor factor compared with the bigger drivers like douching, IUDs and sexual activity, but it's a simple thing to rule out. Washing hands beforehand, and avoiding sharing unwashed sex toys, are both sensible precautions.

Why do some women keep getting BV?

Recurrence is common: in a cohort of 139 women followed for a year after a standard course, BV returned in 58%.⁸ A few things make someone more prone to repeat episodes:

• A previous episode not being fully cleared before the course stopped
• Ongoing exposure to the same triggers, such as douching, periods or a particular contraceptive method
• Naturally lower levels of protective lactobacilli bacteria in the vagina
• Smoking: in a pilot study, a low-lactobacillus vaginal state was far more likely in smokers, though the estimate was imprecise⁹
• Sex with the same regular partner, per the partner-treatment research above

The recurrence plan with the numbers is Why do I keep getting BV?; what untreated BV can lead to, and how long it lingers, are in What does untreated BV lead to? and What Happens If You Leave BV Too Long?

Does age make a difference?

BV is most frequently diagnosed in women of reproductive age, but it isn't confined to that window. As above, post-menopausal women still get it at meaningful rates.⁵ Pregnant women are flagged separately not because pregnancy is a measured cause of BV, but because untreated BV during pregnancy carries a small but real risk of complications.¹

What this means if you keep getting BV

Being in one of these groups isn't a diagnosis and isn't a reason to feel you've done something wrong. BV is common and antibiotic tablets, gels or creams clear it. Where live cultures fit is afterwards: in ten trials of 1,234 women, those who took live cultures after a course of antibiotics had a recurrence rate of 14.8% against 25.5% without, evidence we go into in what ten trials of live cultures found.¹⁰ If you're getting BV repeatedly, have a proper conversation with a GP or sexual health clinic rather than treating each episode in isolation; recurrence often has a pattern once someone looks for it.

Does BV ever go away for good? Each course of antibiotics usually clears the episode, but recurrence is common: 58% within a year in the 139-woman cohort above.⁸ Identifying your own pattern, whether that's a particular contraceptive, product, or partner, is usually more effective than repeating the same course each time and hoping it sticks.

What we don't know

Why the same triggers give BV to one woman and not another: the starting flora is part of it, and most risk studies did not measure it. Whether partner-linked recurrence comes from particular bacteria passed back and forth or from the disruption of sex itself; the 2025 trial shows treating him helps, not why.⁷ How common BV is after the menopause: the 13 studies ranged from 2% to 57% and varied in quality, so 17% is a rough summary.⁵ Whether hands or shared sex toys trigger BV: no study we found has measured it, so the advice above is precaution, not evidence.

Frequently asked questions

Is my coil causing my BV?

Possibly, if it is a copper coil: in a prospective cohort, copper IUD users had a 1.28-fold higher risk of BV overall and 1.52-fold in the first six months after fitting.³ Hormonal contraception, by contrast, was linked to lower recurrence in a 139-woman cohort.⁸ If your episodes began with a copper coil, raise it with your contraception clinic rather than removing it yourself; thrush is a separate question and the coil is not an established cause of it.

Why did I get BV if I'm not sexually active?

Because BV is a shift in the vagina's own bacteria, not something caught. Periods, douching, perfumed products, smoking and simple variation in which lactobacilli you carry can all tip it, and the NHS is clear that women who have never had sex can get it.¹

Can BV be caused by dirty fingers?

In theory, by transferring bacteria into the vagina, especially from anal to vaginal contact without washing, but it is a minor factor next to douching, the coil and sex. Washing hands first and not sharing unwashed sex toys are sensible precautions.

Sources

1. NHS. Bacterial vaginosis. Page last reviewed 19 June 2026. nhs.uk/conditions/bacterial-vaginosis.
2. Fethers KA, et al. Sexual risk factors and bacterial vaginosis. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2008. Systematic review and meta-analysis, 43 studies. PubMed 18947329.
3. Peebles K, et al. Elevated risk of bacterial vaginosis among users of the copper intrauterine device. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2021. Prospective cohort, 2,585 women. PubMed 32505132.
4. Peebles K, et al. High global burden and costs of bacterial vaginosis. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 2019. Meta-analysis of prevalence studies. PubMed 30624309.
5. Stewart LL, et al. Prevalence of bacterial vaginosis in postmenopausal women. Sexual Health, 2022. Systematic review and meta-analysis, 13 studies. PubMed 35192453.
6. Amaya-Guio J, et al. Antibiotic treatment for the sexual partners of women with bacterial vaginosis. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2016. Cochrane review, seven randomised trials, 1,026 participants; four trials industry-funded. PubMed 27696372.
7. Vodstrcil LA, et al. Male-partner treatment and recurrence of bacterial vaginosis. New England Journal of Medicine, 2025. Open-label randomised trial, 164 couples; publicly funded. PubMed 40043236.
8. Bradshaw CS, et al. High recurrence rates of bacterial vaginosis 12 months after oral metronidazole therapy. Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2006. Prospective cohort, 139 women, 12 months. PubMed 16652274.
9. Brotman RM, et al. Association between cigarette smoking and the vaginal microbiota. BMC Infectious Diseases, 2014. Pilot cross-sectional study, 40 women. PubMed 25169082.
10. Chieng WK, et al. Probiotics to reduce the recurrence of bacterial vaginosis in women. Frontiers in Nutrition, 2022. Systematic review and meta-analysis, ten randomised trials, 1,234 women. PubMed 36204368.

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