Is Gardnerella sexually transmitted?
Like ‘thrush’, gardnerella organisms prefer to live in the moist environment of the vagina. They are not necessarily sexually transmitted, however, it is possible to acquire or pass on such an infection by sexual contact. Why me? Gardnerella is often present in the vagina without causing any problems. If the other bacteria (‘lactobacilli’) which normally live in the vagina and keep the vagina acidic (pH between 3.5 and 4.5), are disturbed, the vagina becomes alkaline. This tends to favour the overgrowth of gardnerella organisms. What causes the vagina to become alkaline? • Antibiotics may kill off the lactobacilli. This can also lead to overgrowth of yeast organisms causing ‘thrush’ (also called ‘monilia’ or ‘candida’). • Lack of oestrogen (eg around the time of menopause) or a change in the oestrogen/progesterone balance (eg: sometimes relating to the oral contraceptive pill). Oestrogen stimulates the cells of the vagina to produce sugars – if this isn’t happening the lactobacilli hav
