Hey guys, just a mini-update from me... Well I've been odor free for almost 2 weeks and it feels so great!! I did the hydrogen peroxide wash for 3 days, just straight hydrogen peroxide in a 12mL syringe right before a shower. I stopped that after three days because it was giving me a different smell, I'm not sure if it was from just dissolving the built up junk inside me or what, but I didn't want to overdo it.

I got my probiotics in the mail Saturday and was completely stoked to start my regimen. I got the Jarrow Femdophilus and Jarrow-Dophilus; the Femdophilus is specifically for vaginal flora while the regular dophilus is for the GI tract. Because the vagina and anus are in close proximity, it is important to make sure your tummy has good bacteria too. I am also taking a multivitamin, Vitamin C, Zinc, and flaxseed oil. I think I want to add more folic acid as well; I've read it helps to acidify the body just a bit. Right now I am taking the probiotic pills, one of each twice a day, and a vaginal "suppository", a mix of Femdophilus and plain organic yogurt every other day for at least one month.

I am still waiting for the Aci Jel to be delivered. Apparently in the US you need a prescription for it, but I got it online from New Zealand. It is similar to the Biofilm (helps maintain low pH by adding a bit of acid to the vagina). I've also been reading about organic apple cider vinagar sitz baths. Sounds like a cheaper alternative and I may switch to that after my tubes of Aci Jel are gone.

I had odor free sex for the first time ever with my boyfriend and it felt amazing to not worry about my smell and just relax for a change. I will keep using condomns for awhile but I really hate condomns and I think eventually, after my flora is built up, we will be able to have sex without them as long as I rinse myself out with plain water (to get the "stuff" out) and use Aci Jel or a cider sitz bath.

Any ladies out there who are trying home remedies, make sure you add probiotics, no matter what else you try with it, if you don't have the good bacteria in you, I can almost guarantee the BV will be back. Good luck

I did not do the hydrogen peroxide douche, but look at the post above to see what Carebear says about it.

I am not using condoms anymore. When we were using them faithfully, I had no symptoms whatsoever. After we stopped, I started getting an occasional twinge here & there -- from my pH being about .5 off, not from an active infection, is my belief. I just use the Active Gel, & it's all good.

Biofem Active Gel is not a lubricant. It is a gel that adds acidity to the vagina. You can read about it & purchase it here from the manufacturer. This is where I bought it, & shipping is surprisingly fast.

I went to my gynocologist for another follow-up yesterday. My pH was 4.5 (.5 over optimal). I am about to start my period, so that's exactly what I expected. Plus, I could tell. She said my results & my research were no less than a miracle & that it has changed how she would be treating her other patients with chronic BV. So I've made a believer out of her.

GINGER ARK!!

WOW! you didn't do the h.p. douche? how did you get rid of the bacteria? just by the acidphilus vaginally? i thought you did cause i read your first post and you said that you will wash or douche? i forgot. i was just so excited that you did all that research and i was reading every word in all your post...i'm a dork, i know! how exactly are you doing the acidophilus vaginally.....like every other night? and when you have sex did you use a lube with the condoms too? how do you know when you can stop using condoms? sorry for so many questions but i need all the help i can get. my doc doesn't care about my health and i don't have insurance either. each office visit is so expensive and i'm also a single mom with 2 kids and their father doesn't give me money for child support either, but that 's a different story!

i'm so happy for you being bv free, i want to be like you!!! i hope i can. i just ordered the biofem.......thanks to you!!

sad21

You are correct Ginger Ark. I am currently taking 800 mcg of folic acid a day, 5 mill acidophilus, and 1 probiotic as well. Will this be a lifetime regimen? I'm still odor free though, and small discharge every now and then. But, still some lower back pain every now & then. No pain anymore from sex, I feel great. Thank you all again

Went to my Dr. yesterday. My pH was at 4.5 (which is about what I'd gotten the night before). About .5 high, & since I'm about to start my period, it's exactly what I expected. I am BV free for three solid months! I have my sex life back. I've lost 30 lbs since January. I didn't realize how depressed I'd been -- just how much this was affecting my life. I feel like I've gotten my life back.

I also gave her info about the Biofem Active Gel (available in the UK OTC) & the info on the Aci-Jel (available in the U.S. by Rx only). She was very excited about this product.

The Dr. is amazed at my turnaround, & she said that she will start using my treatments to help her patients with chronic BV. We're getting the word out! She actually thanked me for "helping possibly hundreds of other women with [my] research & determination." Not a common sentiment in the medical community. She's a fantastic woman.

My one concern is that I wish I could get the medical community looking closer at this newly discovered Atopobium Vaginae strain. I really feel like this is the key strain that causes chronic BV. Right now all antibiotics that target it also target the good bacteria (because they are both aerobic). If someone could develop a medicine that could target that one strain specifically, I really believe it would be an actual "cure." Maybe my research will trickle down to the right person, & someone will start researching it.

There is hope ladies.

sad21 - I used the refrigerated Primadophilus Reuteri orally (3x/day) and I bought a powdered variety of the same thing to insert vaginally with the unsweetened, unflavored, organic yogurt. Honestly, I only did it a few times because it was just really icky.

The condoms we used had a small amount of lubricant on them, but no spermicide. Spermicide is very mean to a vagina with BV. Ouch. After I'd been symptom free for about 2 months, we had sex without a condom once. I waited to see how it would go. Things seemed okay. So we just progressed cautiously. I now take the precaution of using a little Active Gel right after sex.

The good news for you is that you can buy all of these treatments without a prescription. You have the ability to cure yourself and track your progress (if you buy the pH strips) without having to see a doctor or use insurance at all. Certainly doing this under a caring doctor's supervision would be preferable, but the truth is that many of us have been seeing doctors for years, & that was no benefit.

I wonder if this will be a lifetime regimen for me too. But I figure that having to take a little pill every day &/or use the gel every once in a while is a good trade-off. It's far preferable to the way I was living before.

I'm so glad you're finally getting relief.

I am sooo pleased for you. Congratulations, i actually became a little emotional reading the above ... best of luck for the future and thank you for sharing all your worldly knowledge with us.