Single hydrogen peroxide vaginal douching versus single-dose oral metronidazole for the treatment of bacterial vaginosis

Abstract

To compare the effectiveness of hydrogen peroxide single vaginal douching and single-dose oral metronidazole for the treatment of bacterial vaginosis. Design : A randomized double-blind controlled trial. Setting : Outpatient gynecologic clinic, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital. Subjects : 142 female patients aged between 15 to 45 years who were diagnosed as having bacterial vaginosis. Intervention : The eligible patients were randomly allocated into either hydrogen peroxide or metronidazole group. The hydrogen peroxide group were douched with 20 milliliters of 3% hydrogen peroxide and received oral placebo. The metronidazole group received oral metronidazole 2 grams and were douched with placebo. Main outcome measurement : Cure rate in each group was assessed by using Amsel's criteria. Results : Cure rate in hydrogen peroxide group is lower than in metronidazole group (62.5% versus 78.6%, p value = 0.036). Rate of gastro-intestinal side effects in metronidazole group is higher than in hydrogen peroxide group (48.6% versus 13.9%, p value <0.001). Conclusion : Hydrogen peroxide single vaginal douching has less effectiveness than single-dose oral metronidazole in treatment of bacterial vaginosis.