A comparison of the efficacy of metronidazole vaginal gel and Myrtus () extract combination and metronidazole vaginal gel alone in the treatment of recurrent bacterial vaginosis.

OBJECTIVE

Due to the high incidence of bacterial vaginosis (BV) and its resistance to chemical medications and considering the anti-bacterial and anti-fungal effects of the present study aimed to compare the therapeutic effects of the vaginal gel of 2% (in metronidazole base) with metronidazole vaginal gel 0.75% alone on BV.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This research was a randomized controlled clinical trial conducted on 80 women of 18-40 years old with BV. Patients were divided into two groups of 40 women. Diagnostic criteria were Amsel's criteria and Gram staining. The first group received vaginal gel of metronidazole plus 2% and the second group received metronidazole vaginal gel alone for five consecutive nights. Therapeutic effects and Amsel's criteria were assessed after one week. Finally, the data were analyzed by SPSS 16 using and Chi square tests.

RESULTS

There was a significant difference in the therapeutic response between the two groups. The results demonstrated that the combination of metronidazole and had a higher efficiency (p<0.05). The patients receiving in metronidazole gel base did not experience any recurrent BV, but 30% of patients taking metronidazole alone faced recurrent BV after three weeks of follow up.

CONCLUSION

Findings of the study suggested that adding extract to metronidazole increases the efficiency of BV treatment.