Probiotics for the treatment of bacterial vaginosis

This is the protocol for a review and there is no abstract. The objectives are as follows: (1) This review aims to summarize currently available data to determine the efficacy (or lack thereof ) of probiotics in the treatment of bacterial vaginosis. To achieve this, we propose to test the following hypotheses (if there are a sufficient number of studies for evaluation): (a) Probiotics are no more effective than placebo. (b) Probiotics are no more effective than antibiotic regimen. (c) Standalone probiotic regimen is no more effective than use in conjunction with antibiotic regimen. (d) Single strain probiotic preparations are no more effective than a mixture "cocktail" of strains. (e) Oral route of administration is no more effective than intravaginal. (2) This review aims to conduct a critical appraisal of the quality of available randomised controlled trials. (3) Finally, this review aims to identify strategic areas for future research.