Help I need answers about BV (Bacterial Vaginosis)?
Question:
I do lead a very stressful life, however i do not have multiple partners.
Please give as much heplful information as possible.
Answers:
Help! The Infection Keeps Coming Back
Bacterial Vaginosis By Elizabeth Smoots, MD, FAAFP
Jan. 7, 2002 -- There are a few preventive measures you might try to help reduce the frequency of your infections. Though medical science has not discovered why some women suffer from recurrent bacterial vaginosis, we have a few clues.
Affecting as many as a quarter of all U.S. women, bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most common type of vaginal infection. Most women with the infection have no symptoms. When symptoms occur, they may consist of a thin, white or gray vaginal discharge, a fishy or foul-smelling odor, and, sometimes, a sensation of vaginal itching or burning. These symptoms often increase after a menstrual period or sexual intercourse.
Sex can cause symptoms to worsen because it may lead to changes in the amounts of various bacteria that normally live in the vagina. The primary bacteria in a healthy vagina are named Lactobacillus acidophilus. These bacteria produce lactic acid and hydrogen peroxide, substances that acidify the vagina and help keep it healthy. But if an overgrowth occurs of "bad bacteria" -- Gardnerella vaginalis, Mobiluncus species, Mycoplasma hominis, and others that are usually present only in small amounts -- then bacterial vaginosis may begin. The harmful bacteria thrive when there is an abnormally alkaline environment in the vagina.
Women at higher risk for bacterial vaginosis include those who have sex starting at an early age and those with multiple sexual partners. Though BV is not considered a sexually transmitted infection, contracting a urinary tract infection or another sexually transmitted disease -- such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, or syphilis -- increases a woman's risk. Other factors that may encourage a BV infection are pregnancy, frequent douching, or using an intrauterine device (IUD).
Bacterial vaginosis can be diagnosed from a vaginal sample using tests readily available in most medical offices. Upon diagnosis, oral or vaginal antibiotics may be given to kill off the problematic bacteria. Studies have consistently shown that antibiotic treatment of male partners of women with BV does not improve the cure rate.
The problem remains that -- in some women like yourself -- the infection keeps coming back. In these situations it appears that vaginal bacteria, acidity, or other factors have not returned to normal. For women with recurrent BV infections, two preventive measures may sometimes help. These are: (1) Consuming yogurt containing live cultures of Lactobacillus acidophilus, when eaten regularly and for extended periods of time, and (2) Using a prescription of metronidazole (Metrogel) vaginal cream twice weekly to suppress bad bacteria, if recommended by your personal physician.
Other Answers:
Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) is the name of a condition in women where the normal balance of bacteria in the vagina is disrupted and replaced by an overgrowth of certain bacteria. It is sometimes accompanied by discharge, odor, pain, itching, or burning.
Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) is the most common vaginal infection in women of childbearing age. In the United States, as many as 16 percent of pregnant women have BV.
The cause of BV is not fully understood. BV is associated with an imbalance in the bacteria that are normally found in a woman's vagina. The vagina normally contains mostly "good" bacteria, and fewer "harmful" bacteria. BV develops when there is an increase in harmful bacteria.
Not much is known about how women get BV. There are many unanswered questions about the role that harmful bacteria play in causing BV. Any woman can get BV. However, some activities or behaviors can upset the normal balance of bacteria in the vagina and put women at increased risk including:
Having a new sex partner or multiple sex partners,
Douching, and
Using an intrauterine device (IUD) for contraception.
It is not clear what role sexual activity plays in the development of BV. Women do not get BV from toilet seats, bedding, swimming pools, or from touching objects around them. Women that have never had sexual intercourse are rarely affected.
Women with BV may have an abnormal vaginal discharge with an unpleasant odor. Some women report a strong fish-like odor, especially after intercourse. Discharge, if present, is usually white or gray; it can be thin. Women with BV may also have burning during urination or itching around the outside of the vagina, or both. Some women with BV report no signs or symptoms at all.
In most cases, BV causes no complications. But there are some serious risks from BV including:
Having BV can increase a woman's susceptibility to HIV infection if she is exposed to the HIV virus.
Having BV increases the chances that an HIV-infected woman can pass HIV to her sex partner.
Having BV has been associated with an increase in the development of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) following surgical procedures such as a hysterectomy or an abortion.
Having BV while pregnant may put a woman at increased risk for some complications of pregnancy.
BV can increase a woman's susceptibility to other STDs, such as Chlamydia and gonorrhea.
Pregnant women with BV more often have babies who are born premature or with low birth weight (less than 5 pounds).
The bacteria that cause BV can sometimes infect the uterus (womb) and fallopian tubes (tubes that carry eggs from the ovaries to the uterus). This type of infection is called pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID can cause infertility or damage the fallopian tubes enough to increase the future risk of ectopic pregnancy and infertility. Ectopic pregnancy is a life-threatening condition in which a fertilized egg grows outside the uterus, usually in a fallopian tube which can rupture.
A health care provider must examine the vagina for signs of BV and perform laboratory tests on a sample of vaginal fluid to look for bacteria associated with BV.
Although BV will sometimes clear up without treatment, all women with symptoms of BV should be treated to avoid such complications as PID. Male partners generally do not need to be treated. However, BV may spread between female sex partners.
Treatment is especially important for pregnant women. All pregnant women who have ever had a premature delivery or low birth weight baby should be considered for a BV examination, regardless of symptoms, and should be treated if they have BV. All pregnant women who have symptoms of BV should be checked and treated.
Some physicians recommend that all women undergoing a hysterectomy or abortion be treated for BV prior to the procedure, regardless of symptoms, to reduce their risk of developing PID.
BV is treatable with antibiotics prescribed by a health care provider. Two different antibiotics are recommended as treatment for BV: metronidazole or clindamycin. Either can be used with non-pregnant or pregnant women, but the recommended dosages differ. Women with BV who are HIV-positive should receive the same treatment as those who are HIV-negative.
BV can recur after treatment.
BV is not completely understood by scientists, and the best ways to prevent it are unknown. However, it is known that BV is associated with having a new sex partner or having multiple sex partners. It is seldom found in women who have never had intercourse.
The following basic prevention steps can help reduce the risk of upsetting the natural balance of bacteria in the vagina and developing BV:
Be abstinent.
Limit the number of sex partners.
Do not douche.
Use all of the medicine prescribed for treatment of BV, even if the signs and symptoms go away.
Division of STD Prevention (DSTDP)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
www.cdc.gov/std
Order Publications Online at www.cdc.gov/std/pubs/
STD information and referrals to STD Clinics
CDC-INFO
1-800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636)
TTY: 1-888-232-6348
In English, en Español
CDC National Prevention Information Network (NPIN)
P.O. Box 6003
Rockville, MD 20849-6003
1-800-458-5231
1-888-282-7681 Fax
1-800-243-7012 TTY
E-mail: info@cdcnpin.org
www.cdcnpin.org
American Social Health Association (ASHA)
P. O. Box 13827
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-3827
1-800-783-9877
www.ashastd.org
Sources
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sexually transmitted diseases treatment guidelines 2002. MMWR 2002;51(no. RR-6
Go to the doctor. Let them know all that and they will eventually get you all cleared up.
The antibiotic "Tetracycline" works well. Does your doctor not seem concerned that the BV is recurring?
Your partners personal hygiene is the probable cause. Use of condom helps. Another could be going vaginal from anal without cleaning the penis thoroughly first.
eeewwww.go talk to your doctor. they'll probably make you take the antibiotics for a longer period of time.
well do you have a partner? I had that once twice three times..and it was because my partner was a carrier and he kept giving it back to me and when he finally was rid of it.well low and behold his girl on the side was not treated so he just kept it going on and on
Honey, talk to your doctor.they will have the best info.more accurate than anyone could give you here on this site. I know what it is like to have, shall we say, gynelogical issues and it is not fun. The last thing you probably want to do right now is go see your doc again, but they really are your best bet. Ask them if non-traditional meds (herbs, diet changes, etc.) would help in addition to what prescriptions you are getting..they may have some real answers. But if your doc is not helpful, you may want to find a new one..don't be afraid. This is your body and you need to make sure you have it under control. I wish you all the best.
look at that webpage.
if you dont have multiple partners and youre SURE your one partner doesnt either.. you should try a SECOND OPINION.
as much as going to the gyno stinks.even the smartest and best doctors overlook things and make mistakes.
(my sister was treated for HPV and they burned bumps off her labia..which then cause her alot of pain..turned out she is highly allergic to certain detergents.)
in fact.regardless of you and your sex partners sex life - you should seek a second opinion anyway. and a third.
always better to be careful in that area of the body
Only a doctor can help you. Tell him/her in details and dont allow them to give you a run around. Doctors are known to do that, as they think we worry too much. It might be serious, since the anitbiotics aren't helpful. Finally, this is STD and AIDS generation, please, please dont have mulitple partners, unless you have them all tested for the diseases. Why increase your risks? In the end you'll suffer the consequences and live with regret.
First thing: Go to the doctor, everything else can stay on hold. Good luck
Some women find that eating yogurt daily helps to prevent these infections. (especially if you take antibiotics often, thus killing the healthy bateria and allowing for an overgrowth of yeast.)
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