The Role of Probiotics in the Treatment of Vulvovaginal Candidiasis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background: Vulvovaginal candidiasis is one of the most common vaginal infections worldwide. We conducted this systematic review  and meta-analysis to determine the effect of probiotics in the treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis. Methods: A comprehensive search  of databases including PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, Scientific Information Database (SID), IranMedex, and Google Scholar search engine  was performed. The search was conducted from inception to 1 October 2022, to identify published English or Persian language randomized control trials (RCTs) of women with vulvovaginal candidiasis who received probiotics as medical treatment. The quality of the  included studies was assessed using the Oxford Center for Evidence Based Medicine checklist. All statistical analyses were performed  using Comprehensive Meta-analysis (CMA) version 2. Results: Six RCTs were included in this review. The results showed that treatment  with probiotic was not different from placebo regarding the rate of positive culture (OR: 1.12; 95% CI: 0.390 to 3.26, P=0.825); treatment  with probiotic was more effective compared to placebo regarding the rate of recurrence. (OR: 0.14; P= 0.01; 95 % CI: 0.028–0.7).   Conclusion: Probiotics have a beneficial effect in the treatment of women with vulvovaginal candidiasis. Our results provide evidence for  an alternative treatment modality for vaginal candidiasis using probiotics.