ABSTRACT
To paraphrase the title of Shakespeare’s play, Much Ado about Nothing, the current overemphasis in obstetrical and gynecological literature upon bacterial vaginosis (BV) as the cause of so many female maladies could be titled, Much Ado about Something That Is Poorly Understood. The “much ado” is highlighted by repeated reiterations that this is the number one cause of vaginitis in the United States and Western Europe, with the more concerning emphasis about its alleged role in the causation of premature labor, preterm premature rupture of membranes, pelvic inflammatory disease, Chlamydia trachomatis infection, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, cervical cancer, postoperative pelvic infection after hysterectomy, postoperative pelvic infection after pregnancy termination, and postpartum endomyometritis. Women reading lay publications have been bombarded with the theme that BV is “public health enemy number one.”
