Bacterial Vaginosis | Vaginitis Treatment

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Bacterial Vaginosis Treatment | Home Remedies

Before you even think about what type of treatment you should choose to cure your symptoms, it is important that you have your symptoms properly diagnosed as bacterial vaginosis. There are other types of yeast infections such as a candida infection that can have symptoms that are similar. The type of medical treatment will vary according to what kind of infection you really have. It may be comforting to know that BV treatments are usually very simple and most have been proven to be highly effective.

Even the intensity of symptoms that you have will help you determine what kind of treatment you should get. For example, if you are suffering from chronic or recurrent bacterial vaginosis, most often antibiotics are not the answer. Most women that suffer from chronic BV report that using antibiotics helps for a short time but the condition usually returns. This is because antibiotics kill both the good and bad bacteria, and if the bad bacteria regrow faster than the good (which is very common), the condition will return. The best treatment for chronic bacterial vaginosis may be with items you have around the house. There are a number of home remedies, and for less than the price of 1 doctor visit you will find proven instructions to soothe and ultimately cure BV. Click here for the most popular home remedy instructional book.

Unfortunately there aren’t very many effective over-the-counter products to treat BV. Femanol, which is a natural dietary supplement is popular because of it’s ability to reduce BV’s foul odor and provide other feminine health benefits. As stated before antibiotics can help for a time but it is reported that over a third of women will get bacterial vaginosis again within three to six months.

What Types of Antibiotics are Available?

Your doctor may prescribe to you oral antibiotics or vaginal antibiotics. Obviously, oral antibiotics just involve pills taken by mouth. Vaginal antibiotics include using a gel or cream that is inserted using an application. This is to make sure you get the right dosage amount. The antibiotics are designed to help destroy the bacteria that cause BV and bring your bacteria levels back to normal.

Metronidazole is a popular antibiotic, but others include Clindamycin, Ampicillin, Ceftriaxone, and Tertracycline. There is also another type of antibiotic that is currently being tested known as Tinidazole. It has been said to be effective in European countries to treat bacterial vaginosis. Tinidazole actually is similar to Metronidazole and is part of the same antimicrobial family. Because of some adverse side effects in women who have taken Metronidazole, the study of Tinidazole was undertaken. Many have reported that the side effects of Tinidazole are less than Metronidazole. Clindamycyin should be avoided if possible, because it has been linked to be the cause a severe intestinal condition even weeks after taking it.

What are Possible Home Remedies?

Natural treatments for BV are growing more popular and have worked for a number of women. For about the price of a doctor visit or less, you can find downloadable instructions for natural home remedies. To name just a few, some women have tried using tea tree oil, goldenseal and olive leaf extract, yogurt, and garlic.

Other home remedies include changes in diet and activity. For example, the intake of vitamin supplements may help reduce symptoms as well as abstinence from sexual activities. Lactobacillus supplements may be used, as they claim to help maintain vaginal bacteria levels.

Final Note:

Because many women mistakenly diagnose bacterial vaginosis as a yeast infection, it is important that you get a doctor’s diagnosis to confirm if you have BV to get the right treatment. Read the Bacterial Vaginosis Symptoms post to help you understand whether you have a yeast infection or BV. Do not delay proper treatment, as it can lead to more complicated conditions. There is an entire e-book available for purchase that will can teach you everything from how to properly diagnose BV, what the best antibiotics are, and teach you steps you can take to prevent, reduce, and get rid of your symptoms for good. Access the Book.

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Bacterial Vaginosis During Pregnancy

If you are pregnant and have been diagnosed with bacterial vaginosis, don’t panic, but do seek treatment. Many women who have had BV during their pregnancy never experience any detrimental effects. However, there has been research reported that it can cause certain unwanted problems such as an increased risk for miscarriages, PPROM (preterm premature rupture of amniotic membranes), and even complications after delivery such as a uterine infection.

As to why some women infected with BV experience these problems during pregnancy and others do not is very poorly understood. There are differing opinions, but some studies suggest that bacterial vaginosis may just act as a sign to other infections and/or problems that often cause premature birth. Statistically, it is certain that those women who are diagnosed early on during pregnancy are at a much higher risk of developing problems than those that are develop the infection farther along in the pregnancy. Therefore, if you already know that you have BV and are pregnant, it is important that you take the necessary steps to prevent other infections by treating the condition.

Although it hasn’t been “statistically” proven that actually treating the condition will reduce the risk of preterm delivery and other problems, experts still suggest that treatment be done because of the fact that women with bacterial vaginosis are at a greater risk for a preterm delivery.

Many doctors highly recommend that women who are pregnant and have had previous preterm deliveries be tested for BV, and consequently, receive the proper treatment. Other “experts” disagree based on some research that treating pregnant women makes no difference. Therefore, if you are wondering why you weren’t screened during your initial prenatal appointment, it was probably because there is conflicting evidence regarding the effectiveness at reducing the risk of preterm delivery through treatment. In fact, most often you will not be screened, unless you are at a high risk for early delivery.

There is still a considerable amount of study and testing to be done to determine if treatment during pregnancy will lower harmful risks. Some doctors feel that in the studies previously done, treatment came too late (after the first trimester) when the bad bacteria had already advanced to the amniotic membranes. However, many doctors are still skeptical about treating BV during the first trimester because it is not wise for the mother to be taking any medication that could be harmful to the baby during that critical time. Normally, pregnant women aren’t treated during this time, even though recent evidence seems to indicate that using Metronidazole should be safe. It will be interesting to see if it can be proven that treatment of BV during pregnancy really does reduce the risk of a preterm birth, and if so, if treatment will be extended to the first trimester as well.

How many women are infected with BV during pregnancy? The statistics are rough, but the percentage is around 20%.

How will you be treated for BV while you’re pregnant? Your doctor will most likely prescribe to you antibiotics. BV is caused by an imbalance of good and bad bacteria. Unfortunately, antibiotics have no way of distinguishing between them and will kill them both off. Therefore, if the good bacteria is outgrown again by the bad bacteria, you’re symptoms and the condition will return. This is a common problem with using antibiotics to treat BV, but they will clear up your symptoms for a short time. Hopefully, you will not have recurrent BV, but statistically at least 1/3 of all women treated with antibiotics suffer from vaginosis again within 3 months. Other sources report as high 3/4 of women have recurrent BV after being treated with BV.

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Symptoms of Bacterial Vaginosis

There are a number of symptoms related to Bacterial Vaginosis but the most obvious and common symptom is the very unpleasant, fishy, and usually very strong odor. The smell can be very repulsive and often hurts the self-esteem of the person affected. The person infected has to remember that it is not their natural smell and is a result of the infection. Many times a person is so embarrassed by it that they often show signs of depression and stay away from any public event.

If you are suffering from bacterial infection, you must remember that it is not something rare and millions of women suffer from the condition every year. In other words, you are not alone in your battle with BV. Sometimes women experience itching and burning. However, if you are experiencing itching and/or burning it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have BV. Also, itching and burning may not be present if you do have BV.

Bacterial vaginosis can go unnoticed. For example, a large number of women don’t even realize that they have it until a normal, routine trip to the OBGYN where they receive a pelvic exam. In fact, a considerable amount of women may have it and have no symptoms at all! Rest assured that if you are diagnosed ith BV, it is not considered to be a hazardous infection. In most cases it is not a threat to a woman’s overall health and doesn’t cause problems with fertility. Sometimes it can go away by itself, but if you know you are having symptoms, then it is better to get it checked because most recently it has been shown to be a factor in causing PID (Pelvic Inflammatory Disease), which is a very serious condition and can lead to more serious problems associated with pregnancy and childbirth. If you do decide to visit a doctor, it is not recommended that you use vaginal douches before you go in to your appointment. Doing so can worsen the condition, but even worse, it can hide any signs that you are infected from your doctor.

Other symptoms associated with BV include vaginal discharge that is usually colored white or grayish with a yellow tint. Often, it is confused with a yeast infection because yeast infections are also very common in women, however BV’s symptoms are somewhat different. The look, smell and texture of the discharge is different for yeast infections. Discharge associated with bacterial vaginosis is usually runny and diluted. Many women have reported tenderness around the vaginal area as well as pain during sexual intercourse. Also, BV usually intensifies after sexual intercourse or a period.

In summary, these are the following symptoms that are most commonly associated with BV and if all three of these are present, you most likely have bacterial vaginosis:

  • Vaginal discharge with an unpleasant “fishy” odor.
  • When urinating, a burning sensation.
  • Vaginal itching.

Remember that some women with BV don’t show any of these symptoms, and many only experience 1 or 2 with the most common being the foul odor.

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What is Bacterial Vaginosis?

Bacterial vaginosis, also known as BV, is the name of a medical condition that is most common in women of childbearing age. It is caused by an imbalance of bacteria in the vagina. In the vaginal area, there are both good and bad bacteria. Simply speaking, it is when the bad bacteria grow in excess that a problem develops.

Before it was called BV, it was previously known as Gardnerella Vaginitis. It was given this name because it was that bacteria that was suspected to be the sole cause of the condition. The name of this condition was changed to bacterial vaginosis because there is not one sole bacteria that is responsible for the problem, but multiple species of bacteria.

As started earlier, there are a number of strains of germs that are responsible for BV yeast infections. Bacterial vaginosis is the most common of all vaginal infections, which is contrary to the popular belief that yeast infections are more common. In fact, at any one time it can affect up to two-thirds of women.

Perhaps the most uncomfortable symptom that women who have BV experience is the foul, fishy odor that usually is accompanied with vaginal discharge. Vaginal discharge is most often caused by BV. It can also be the cause of much itching, burning, and pain. Not only does this condition affect the vagina, but it also can cause infection in the bladder, urethra and skin in and around the genital area.

There are also other more serious problems that may stem from BV if it is left unchecked and untreated. Normally, treatment can quickly cure the problem but if it is left unchecked, it can raise the risk of getting PID (Pelvic Inflamatory Disease), and other medical conditions such as cervicitis, and endometritis. Pregnant women should be especially careful as it has also been associated with undesirable pregnancy outcomes.

In summary, BV is an infection caused by an abnormal increase in bad bacteria, known as anaerobes. Even though it is still debated why the increase in bad bacteria happens, treatment is available that can quickly cure the problem. Even though it has been reported that the condition can reoccur and become chronic, those suffering from this condition should not give up hope. Women who have suffered from chronic bacterial vaginosis have been able to significantly reduce their symptoms or even get rid of the conditon altogether.

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