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Hello Aunt Vadge,
I have a Gardnerella vaginalis infection. I have had one partner, for years. How did I get it? Should I worry that it is from my partner? Your website is one of the few that says it can be an STD.
Thanks,
Infected
Age 42, South Africa
Dear Infected,
The thing with Gardnerella vaginalis is that it lives quite happily in a lot of bodies. It has been found in the colons and vaginas of women, men and even children – not everyone, but plenty of us. So no, you should not assume it came from your partner, even though it is true that it can be passed sexually.
Sexual transmission simply isn’t the main reason women end up with a disruptive overgrowth of Gardnerella that tips over into bacterial vaginosis (BV). It is usually very hard to tell whether a woman with BV picked it up from a partner (who may also have been with another woman who has BV) or developed it on her own. The evidence we do have suggests that when Gardnerella is passed from a penis, it tends to be within a couple of weeks of contact with an affected vagina, and while a male partner can carry it too and sometimes feeds a recurrence, he usually isn’t the main driver.
All of which means there is a very good chance you developed this yourself, and it would be unfair to land the blame on your partner. Far more useful to look at your own body first.
Anyone can develop a Gardnerella overgrowth, for all sorts of reasons, but the common thread is a vagina that doesn’t have enough protective bacteria to hold the line. The timing is on your side: caught early, it is much easier to shift, because those biofilms are sticky little things that only grow bigger and more stubborn the longer they sit. So it is worth getting onto it now.
You don’t need to spend anything to start. Our free how to treat BV guide and the BV section of the site walk you through what BV is, what feeds it, and how to rebuild your protective bacteria – have a good read and figure out your next move from there. If you would like a structured plan that pulls all the research and our clinical experience into one place, the Killing BV program is there when and if you want it, but the free material is a solid start on its own.
One thing I see a lot in the clinic: the women who write to me convinced a partner gave them BV are, more often than not, dealing with their own recurring microbiome pattern rather than a fresh infection from him. Where it keeps coming back despite treatment, that is usually the sign to stop chasing single courses and rebuild the whole picture – and if you want to know exactly what is growing before you spend money on treatment, a comprehensive vaginal microbiome test will tell you.
This is general information, not a substitute for personalised medical advice.
If you need any more help, write anytime.
Warmest regards,
Aunt Vadge
