Why don’t antibiotics work for vaginal dysbiosis?

Antibiotics indiscriminately kill bacteria, including both pathogenic and beneficial strains. Although this may eliminate dysbiosis-associated bacteria in the vaginal microbiota, it can also reduce the protective Lactobacilli spp. Therefore, antibiotics may further damage the already-disrupted and imbalanced vaginal microbiome, leaving it vulnerable to re-infection. That’s why there is a greater than 50% chance of BV recurrence after antibiotic treatment. Additionally, the overuse of antibiotics contributes to rising rates of antibiotic resistance.

Antibiotics fail to address the root cause of vaginal dysbiosis, unlike vaginal microbiota transplants, which restore a healthy, stable, and balanced microbiota to prevent recurrence.