Bacterial Vaginosis?

K., you should really go to your ob/gyn. He or she will probably give you a prescription for Metronidazole if its BV. You should also drink plenty of water, try to wear cotton panties, don't bathe using bubble bath or if you do bathe, try not to stay in the bathtub too long. You should also refrain from douching, using tampons, vaginal powders and sprays. The vagina was made to cleanse itself. Some find this hard to believe but it is the truth. The best way to clean your vagina is with water and/or mild soap. The use of tampons, vaginal powders, and douching can actually make infections worse. Douching can cause your vagina to become more prone to infections. It throws off the balance in our bodies. Our vagina contain certain bacteria which helps keep infections down. Douching can wash the bacteria and organisms away which causes the imbalance, then infection.

Hope this help
-joy

I agree with supplementing your diet with Lactobacillus Acidophillus along with eating a very healthy diet. Sugar and anything with a high glycemic index (white flour, rice, potatoes, processed foods, which are generally loaded with some form of sugar) are very problematic. In addition to helping with this problem, the acidophilus will do wonders for your digestion.

K. -

I used to deal with BV quite frequently. It seems like you can NEVER get rid of it. I would go to the doctor and antibiotics don't do anything. I have never douched, used tampons or anything like that so I wondered what could be causing it. I had to do research on my own because it seemed like no one knew how to tell me to get rid of it and keep it gone!! What I found out was that you can purchase the dietary supplement called Lactobacillus Acidophillus (same bacteria culture that is in yogurt) in a pill form. I added this pill to my daily diet and have been BV FREE for going on 3 years ! I finally found a doctor that told me that this was the right thing to do. Most doctors just want to throw you on an antibiotic, which by the way, can cause a yeast infection after it kills all of the bacteria in your body (good and bad). So you're on this constant cycle of having BV and Yeast Infections. Definitely drink more water (this is all I drink) and cleanse with a non-soap product like Summer's Eve Feminine Wash.

Try the Acidophillus for a while and see how it works for you. I have recommended it to several friends and has worked wonders. I'm not sure if you like yogurt, but eating it helps keep a healthy balance of good bacteria in your system.

Another thing to be weary of is to make sure that after intercourse you immediately get up and wash off. This also helps to keep unhealthy bacteria at a minimum.

Bacterial Vaginosis is SO common that over half the female population has it! Antibiotics will not do a thing for it, but there are other remedies out there. If it's severe, then consult your OB/GYN, but most times it can be cleared up in a week. Avoid overly citric foods and drinks, lots and lots of water, no cheese/wine/cured meats/refined sugars, and 6 days of medicated douche followed by 2 treatments of RePhresh. The medicated douche will restore your Ph while flushing out the thick discharge. The RePhresh gel coats the inside of your vaginal walls and also keeps Ph normal - all of which allows your body to restore itself. This isn't a contagious infection - it's a Ph balance issue. Good luck!

I recommend what I use which Loalsan by TPCS its a natural douche concentrate. If helps with most infections except yeast infec. I think you have to buy it online which is where I usally order it, its about $18 and last forever. You put a cap full in the big douche bag filled with water, you get the bag at the pharmacy (empty hot water bottle type with the vaginal applicator too) and lay down in tub. Message me if you have any questions about the use.

I have had bacterial vaginosis more times than I can count. There are meds your Dr. can give you that quickly brings it undercontrol. When I asked my Dr. after the 4th or 5th time being diagnosed why I keep getting this she informed me that some women are just prone to be more succeptible to it than others. She told me hopefully I would grow out of it and the outbreaks have been fewer over the last year. My best suggestion is go see your Dr. get the meds, try not to stress about it because that always seemed to make it worse in my case, or it could have just seemed worse because I was focused on it. Keep the area clean, dry and wear white cotton undies that breathe easily. Thats the only real advise I can share. I hope it gets better soon because trust me I know what you are going through and how frustrating it can be.

You will probably need to go to your doctor. I had this off and on for a while. I had to have antibiotics to clear it up.

K. I understand. Almost after every other period I too would get BV. I had to watch my diet. I had to eat healthier overall. I eat lots of yogurt now to prevent yeast infections but it's not proven to help BV. I used to get it more when I stressed and ate sweets alot. Don't douche if possible, let your body cleanse itself after periods. Stay as cool as possible in that area (try cotton panties). Those are just some things that helped me besides the medication the doctor gave. I hope I helped you out a little.

I'm sorry you're going through this. BV isn't much fun. I was diagnosed with it October 2006. The dr gave me antibiotics, but it was back in a month. It seemed connected to my period. My symptoms weren't excessive discharge, but intense itching and pain and inflammation of the whole genital area.

I agree that you should go to the gynecologist to find out just what is wrong, but if it's BV I suggest you do NOT take the antibiotics. They'll give you a yeast infection and do not cure it. BV is an overgrowth of another type of bacteria normally found in the genital area, just like yeast.

What worked for me is getting off all processed foods and sugar. No exceptions. If I eat more than a little sugar now, I start itching. I'm also on a low-carb diet, eating no bread, or only a bit of flour on breading. I'm also diabetic now...have that checked out by doing a fasting blood workup. Once I realized my blood sugar was out of control and began working to regulate it, my nether regions stopped hurting and itching and feel normal again.

Good luck! You can do this. The first 2 weeks are rough, but after that, you don't crave the sugars and carbs very much. It's a process.

E.

Have you been checked for diabetes? Prior to my diabetes diagnosis I also had a lot of infections and my doctor finally put two and two together and had me tested.

Just an idea,

good luck.

See a doctor right away. Women can have infections in which the symptoms seem to disappear on their own, but continue to be in their system, causing many more problems later on.

K.,
My advice is to get in to see your gyn asap. Have you had a pap smear recently? It could be an infection, but don't wait as it could be something else going on.

K.,
I too have had BV. You do need to go see your Dr., there are meds. that will help. I could not take the antibiotic pill because it would come back after a month or two. It turned out I was just taking the wrong medicine. There is a cream that you use, just like you would for a yeast infection only the cream is specificly for a certain type of BV. There are two types of BV, one is eay to get rid of with the pill, the other is harder and you have to use the cream. They will probably start you off on the antibiotic pill, but if it comes back, ask for the cream. It has been 8 or 9 years since I used the cream and I have not had BV since.