A type of fatty acid found in olive oil might be the answer to helping relieve bacterial vaginosis (BV), which affects around 10 million women in the UK. 

The infection can cause burning and itching, and is the most common reason for abnormal discharge.

It can also increase the risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections like chlamydia and gonorrhea due to its effect on womens' ability to fight off other pathogens.

Although it is treatable with antibiotics, BV, which is caused by an imbalance of naturally occurring microbes, often comes back.

Now, researchers at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard have discovered that oleic acid, a long-chain fatty acid found in abundance in olive oil, could help fight the infection. 

The findings, published in the journal Cell, show oleic acid and several other long-chain fatty acids can have antimicrobial properties. 

The fatty acids can hinder the growth of harmful vaginal microbes and promote other species that are associated with a healthier genital tract. 

Researchers say treatments that promote this balance of microbes could be used to help prevent repeat infections in women.  

Unusual discharge with a strong fishy smell and a change to the colour and consistency, such as becoming greyish-white and thin and watery, are common tell-tale signs of BV, according to the NHS. 

The infection, which affects about 29 per cent of women globally, is not considered to be a sexually transmitted infection, but it can be triggered by sex.

It is usually treated with antibiotic tablets, gels or creams.

But this send a type of vaginal bacteria called Lactobacillus iners into overdrive, creating an environment that is more susceptible to BV recurrence.

'Current treatment methods work as well as a coinflip, and that hasn't changed in more than 40 years of medical practice, so new methods are needed to help patients,' said author Professor Meilin Zhu, an infectious disease physician at the Massachusetts General Hospital.

For her study, Prof Zhu cultured different strains of vaginal bacteria with oleic acid and found the fatty acid inhibited growth of detrimental Lactobacillus iners, while simultaneously promoting the growth of other, healthier strains.

Oleic acid was also found to effectively inhibit other BV-associated bacteria, including some strains resistant to standard antibiotic treatment. 

This indicates oleic acid may be an effective way to restore a stable, healthy microbiome in the female genital tract after BV. 

At the Ragon Institute, Doug Kwon, who is an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and co-senior author on the paper, is working to move this research toward a human clinical trial.

'We believe there is exciting potential to translate these findings to durably alter the vaginal microbiome to improve BV treatment and reduce adverse health outcomes for women globally,' Kwon said.