Discussion Taken as a whole, the risk factors for BV generally share similarities with those of
STDs, eg higher rates in: sexually active vs. virginal women, those with higher vs. lower
numbers of partners, women in STD clinics vs. women in other settings. But these
associations are weak and many women without such risk factors have BV. While some
authors conclude that these associations indicate BV is an STD, the data seem
unpersuasive. They suggest, rather, that BV is in some way associated with