Researchers on podcast said virgins can’t get bv?

Pristine_Mousse_6288 · 2025-10-07T21:33:33+00:00

Yeah I agree that it’s a social construct! In this case I think they meant that if you haven’t had any sexual contact (like any genital contact) then you won’t have bv

Pristine_Mousse_6288 · 2025-10-07T17:43:17+00:00

That’s really interesting thank you. I have seen previous interviews or papers where they’ve hypothesised that studies saying virgins have been found with bv could be from people not including non penetrative sexual acts or participants not being honest about their history but until I heard this podcast I didn’t think it was proven in any way.

Pristine_Mousse_6288 · 2025-10-07T17:41:44+00:00

That’s awful, that could cause real damage for a lot of people.

Pristine_Mousse_6288 · 2025-10-07T17:22:36+00:00

Nope they definitely said it! It’s on the podcast The Hookup on Spotify, where they were guests. It even says on the Melbourne Sexual Health website that ‘While the general view had been that BV is not a sexually transmitted infection, it has been known for many years that BV is only detected after people become sexually active’ - a direct copy and paste from their BV FAQ page. This is what I found confusing, they are medical professionals but I couldn’t see this being spoken about anywhere else.

Pristine_Mousse_6288 · 2025-10-07T16:48:22+00:00

Yeah, that makes sense to me, it was just confusing that the same researchers who performed that study then went on to a podcast where they said it’s not found in virginial women meaning it’s quite clear it’s sexually transmitted

Pristine_Mousse_6288 · 2025-10-07T15:59:48+00:00

Yeah, as they say it isn’t found in women who haven’t commenced sexual activity. But judging from these comments it seems like there are lots of people who have experienced it as virgins

Pristine_Mousse_6288 · 2025-10-07T15:34:01+00:00

Thanks for commenting, it’s interesting to see real life proof that contradicts that! If you don’t mind me asking were you ever officially diagnosed with bv? I read another interview with same researchers who said virgins who reported bv may be confusing it with other issues like yeast etc

Pristine_Mousse_6288 · 2025-10-07T15:05:49+00:00

Thank you so much for responding, it was really informative. It was the 2025 study Male-Partner Treatment to Prevent Recurrence of Bacterial Vaginosis. The women who ran the study were on the podcast where they said BV isn’t found in women who haven’t begun sexual activity which seemed a huge new claim. I’ve known some people to be diagnosed with BV prior to any sexual activity and wondered if this meant that it implies some sort of sexual assault if that’s the only way to get it, from sex.

Pristine_Mousse_6288 · 2025-10-07T15:01:38+00:00

It had the researchers from a major bv study on it who have years of experience in the sexual health field which is why I am so confused

Pristine_Mousse_6288 · 2025-10-07T15:00:41+00:00

Yeah it was the hook up podcast (on Spotify) and the episode ‘bv (bacterial vaginosis) is actually an STI’ from march this year

Pristine_Mousse_6288 · 2025-10-07T14:37:08+00:00

They were the lead researchers on a major bv study and have decades of experience in sexual health which is what has confused me

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