What is bacterial vaginosis (BV)?
The vagina normally has a balance of mostly “good” bacteria and fewer “harmful” bacteria. Bacterial vaginosis, known as BV, develops when the balance changes. With BV, there is an increase in harmful bacteria and a decrease in good bacteria. BV is the most common vaginal infection in women of childbearing age.
Discover How To Get Rid Of BV In Just 3 Days!
What causes BV?
Not much is known about how women get BV. Any woman can get BV. But there are certain things that can upset the normal balance of bacteria in the vagina, raising your risk of BV:
- Having a new sex partner or multiple sex partners
- Douching
- Using an intrauterine device (IUD) for birth control
- Not using a condom
BV is more common among women who are sexually active, but it is not clear how sex changes the balance of bacteria. You cannot get BV from:
- toilet seats
- bedding
- swimming pools
- touching objects around you
What are the signs of BV?
Women with BV may have an abnormal vaginal discharge with an unpleasant odor. Some women report a strong fish-like odor, especially after sex. The discharge can be white (milky) or gray. It may also be foamy or watery. Other symptoms may include burning when urinating, itching around the outside of the vagina, and irritation. These symptoms may also be caused by another type of infection, so it is important to see a doctor. Some women with BV have no symptoms at all.
How can I find out if I have BV?
There is a test to find out if you have BV. Your doctor takes a sample of fluid from your vagina and has it tested. Your doctor may also see signs of BV during an examination of the vagina. To help your doctor find the signs of BV or other infections:
- Schedule the exam when you do not have your period.
- Don’t douche for at least 24 hours before seeing your doctor. Experts suggest that women do not douche at all.
- Don’t use vaginal deodorant sprays. They might cover odors that are important for diagnosis. It may also lead to irritation.
- Don’t have sex or put objects, such as a tampon, in your vagina for at least 24 hours before going to the doctor.
How is BV treated?
BV is treated with antibiotic medicines prescribed by your doctor. Your doctor may give you either metronidazole (met-roh-NIH-duh-zohl) or clindamycin (klin-duh-MY-sin). Generally, male sex partners of women with BV don’t need to be treated. However, BV can be spread to female partners. If your current partner is female, talk to her about treatment. You can get BV again even after being treated.
Discover How To Get Rid Of BV In 3 Days… The Natural Way!
Is it safe to treat pregnant women who have BV?
All pregnant women with symptoms of BV should be tested and treated if they have it. This is especially important for pregnant women who have had a premature delivery or low birth weight baby in the past. There are treatments available at any stage of your pregnancy. Be sure to talk to your doctor about what is right for you.
Can BV cause health problems?
In most cases, BV doesn’t cause any problems. But some problems can arise if BV is untreated.
- Pregnancy problems. BV can cause premature delivery and low birth weight babies (less than five pounds).
- PID. Pelvic inflammatory disease or PID is an infection that can affect a woman’s uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes. Having BV increases the risk of getting PID after a surgical procedure, such as a hysterectomy or an abortion.
- Higher risk of getting HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Having BV can raise your risk of HIV, chlamydia, and gonorrhea. Women with HIV who get BV are also more likely to pass HIV to a sexual partner.
How can I lower my risk of BV?
Experts are still figuring out the best way to prevent BV. But there are steps you can take to lower your risk.
- Help keep your vaginal bacteria balanced. Wash your vagina and anus every day with mild soap. When you go to the bathroom, wipe from your vagina to your anus. Keep the area cool by wearing cotton or cotton-lined underpants. Avoid tight pants and skip the pantyhose in summer.
- Don’t douche. Douching removes some of the normal bacteria in the vagina that protects you from infection. This may raise your risk of BV. It may also make it easier to get BV again after treatment.
- Have regular pelvic exams. Talk with your doctor about how often you need exams, as well as STI tests.
- Finish your medicine. If you have BV, finish all the medicine your doctor gives you to treat it. Even if the symptoms go away, you still need to finish all of the medicine.
Practicing safe sex is also very important. Below are ways to help protect yourself.
- Don’t have sex. The best way to prevent any STI is to not have vaginal, oral, or anal sex.
- Be faithful. Having sex with just one partner can also lower your risk. Be faithful to each other. That means that you only have sex with each other and no one else.
- Use condoms. Protect yourself with a condom EVERY time you have vaginal, anal, or oral sex. Condoms should be used for any type of sex with every partner. For vaginal sex, use a latex male condom or a female polyurethane condom. For anal sex, use a latex male condom. For oral sex, use a condom or a dental dam. A dental dam is a rubbery material that can be placed over the anus or the vagina before sexual contact.
- Talk with your sex partner(s) about STIs and using condoms. It’s up to you to make sure you are protected. Remember, it’s YOUR body! For more information, call the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at (800) 232-4636.
- Talk frankly with your doctor or nurse and your sex partner(s) about any STIs you or your partner(s) have or had. Talk about any discharge in the genital area. Try not to be embarrassed.
For More Information
For more information on bacterial vaginosis (BV), please call womenshealth.gov at 1-800-994-9662 or contact the following organizations:
CDC National Prevention Information Network (NPIN), CDC, HHS
Phone number: (800) 458-5231
Internet address: http://www.cdcnpin.org
National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP), CDC, HHS
Phone number: (800) 232-4636
Internet address: http://www.cdc.gov/std
American Social Health Association
Phone number: (919) 361-8400
Internet address: http://www.ashastd.org
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Phone number: (800) 230-7526
National Women’s Health Resource Center
Phone number: 877-986-9472
Internet address: http://www.healthywomen.org/healthtopics/bacterialvaginosis
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
Phone number: 202-638-5577
Internet address: http://www.acog.org
Association of Reproductive Health Professionals
Phone number: 202-466-3825
Internet address: http://www.arhp.org/
For the past 2 days or so my vagina has had somewhat of a bread type smell. I know this can indicate a yeast infection but I have no other symptoms of that. It’s not really bad, it’s just.. different. I am bathing every day.
Also, this has happened before in the past.
This is probably irrelevant but I am also recovering from my first herpes outbreak.
You may have a yeast or a bacterial infection. Sometimes these can be asymptomatic, or only one or two symptoms will show. See your doctor to be sure.
Also, try using Summer’s Eve Feminine Wash. It has many great scents, and also helps wash away bacteria without worry of infection.
I have had my period for about 6 years. I have only had sex twice and i think i have bacterial vaginosis. My discharge is off white and sticky and it smells verry fishy ALL the time, and i have more discharge than normal, but my vagina is never itchy or red. Are these symptoms of bacterial vaginosis?
Is there a cure for bacterial vaginosis?
How did i get it, and will it go away by drinking alot of water?
Yes, that sounds like bacterial vaginosis. You will have to do more than just drink water to get rid of it.
You can either go to a doctor (they will give you anti biotics) or you can use home remedies. I found a blog that explained which home remedies work.
I’ll leave a link to the blog below.
hope this helps…
I think I may have my first yeast infection. I’m 19 and sexually active. Myself and my partner have been tested. It is not an STD. I have no medical insurance, so would really prefer not to go to the gyno because of the bill. If I use the OTC yeast infection treatments, will they work? What is the best one to use?
Thanks in advance!
First get your self an over the counter remedy for the immediate pain (like monostat.) You can also take a soothing bath and mix in some Hydrogen peroxide to help with the sting. Sounds weird but it works. If you can get a prescription ask for Diflucan; it starts working in one day.
To continue to make sure that you avoid further yeast infections you can take Acidophilus (found in the vitamin section of your pharmacy.) It is a healthy type of bacteria that will balance out Candida overgrowth (the reason why you have an infection in the first place.) Also (as blunt as this is) make sure to urinate RIGHT after sex (don’t wait); this is the best way to clean out your body of foreign bacteria.
Wait to have sex until the infection has cleared up.
I went to the doctor yesterday and she told me I had bacterial vaginosis and she gave me some cream for it (similar to treatment for yeast infections) The directions werent clear on how long to keep it in there, or how soon it would work. When do I know that its cleared up? For some reason I think I should be on antibiotics…will the cream cure it?
Vaginitis is an inflammation of the vagina that can result in discharge, itching and pain. The cause is usually a change in the normal balance of vaginal bacteria or an infection.
Bacterial vaginosis. This type of vaginitis results from overgrowth of one of several organisms normally present in your vagina, upsetting the natural balance of vaginal bacteria.
This type of bacterial vaginosis can be treated with Metronidazole (Flagyl, MetroGel) or Clindamycin (Cleocin) as tablets or vaginal gels or creams. You can ask your doctor or pharmacist to prescribe/supply this. It will be effective.
If the above medication is effective you should take the following precautions for prevention and recurrance of vaginosis.
Good hygiene may prevent some types of vaginitis from recurring and may relieve some symptoms:
-Avoid baths, hot tubs and whirlpool spas.
-Avoid irritants.
-Wipe from front to back after using the toilet.
-Don’t douche.
-Use a male latex condom. -
-Wear cotton underwear and pantyhose with a cotton crotch.
-Don’t wear underwear to bed.
-Eat yogurt that contains active lactobacillus cultures. -
Okay so what are your symptoms when you have a yeast infection. I mean I have this bad smell down there and a little itchy not bad, but the other night i was having sex and noticed cottage cheese discharge and this NORMAL please helppppp
The itch will get worse, you should go to your local drug store and get yeast infection stuff ASAP.. If you think it’s something else then go to the doctor, it will only get worse and you dont have the full blown symptoms yet, which is your vaginal area will swell up like a balloon and it hurts.. So, doctor or drug store NOW.. The sooner you get this done with, the sooner you will feel better.. I would also suggest going to the doctor anyways, to get a drug screen.. JUST in case..
I thought I had the symptoms but my doctor said she didn’t find it and couldn’t smell anything. Is it possible that she missed it or that the test was wrong? Should I ask for another test?
If your doctor performed the test and it came up negative, I would go with that. If you are still not sure, or want to try and rule out something else, I would suggest going to the drug store and picking up one of those home self tests from Vagisil.
http://www.vagisilkit.com/kit2/index.shtml
Hi, I have a yeast infection, is the second time in 4 months that i have it, my doctor gave me a pill the first time, but after a couple of months it came back, and I would like to know if someone knows anykind of treatment that kills the infection permanently? ^_^
sorry to say, but nothing will kill it for ever. I use to get them often and now it is not as frequent. Spoke with the doctor and he said no one knows why it happens, some women will never ever get one, but others get them. You can make sure to wear cotton underwear, loose clothing, you can try to take acidopholis pills. This is weird but I had a nurse tell me to do this before…she said to dry the area after showering and then use some crisco and apply like a cream. I was willing to try anything at that point.
I asked a question yesterday and they were all saying i had that so I want to know what it is how it is caused and some home remidies to cure it
Simple Answer…..you have a yeast infection! There are several ways to treat it….you can buy the Monistat 1, 3, or 7 day creams at Walmart. Or you can see the doctor and get a one day pill called Fluconazole. It is $5 at a Walmart Pharmacy with prescription.
Good Luck!
nd if u gave oral sex 2 a gurl…..nd she had yeast infection..could any symptoms in ur mouth happen?
Symptoms include severe itching, burning, and soreness, irritation of the vagina and/or vulva, and a whitish or whitish-gray discharge, often with a curd-like appearance.
In men, symptoms include red patchy sores near the head of the penis or on the foreskin, severe itching, and/or a burning sensation. Candidiasis of the penis can also have a white discharge, although uncommon. However, having no symptoms at all is common, and usually, a more severe form of the symptoms may emerge later.