chronic bacterial vaginosis

[sarahg]

week 5 and i am feeling ok after falgyll, no odor though a little discharge but i am assuming this is normal. after taking flagyll i made sure i took up after-care and have been doing this for last 5 weeks now and it seems to be helping by the grace of God, so i want to share with you guys:

daily
* vits A, B6, B12, C, E, ZINC, SELENIUM
*4 billion cfu L acidophilus and bifidiobacterium x2 capsules
*2 high potency garlic capsules
*glass of crannberry juice (reason below)
*fem-dophilus (reason below)
*wash once daily with lactacyd feminine wash - helps replace acidity at least on oustside and contains lactobacilli
*no underwear at night - to airate
*daily change of underwear - 100% white cotton
*only wash afterwards with water when need to empty my bowels, then dry with tissue. Never ever leave bowel area unwashed after going to the toilet (reason below)

After doing a bit of collective research here and there i came up with the above regime.

Im taking fem-dophilus from today (im not jarrows spokesperson) to see if it helps. Its well known that an unbalanced intestinal flora in women can mean they are more at risk of getting urogenital infections. So taking L acidphilus seems logical to help balance the intestinal flora. However it cannot colonise the vaginal tract when taken orally. there are certain strains of the lactobacilli species that inhabit the human vagina, of which L rhamnosus and L reuteri. Femdophilus contains these 2 andin 37% have shown to effectively colonise the vaginal tract. I feel i could be lucky enough to be just like those women to benefit there is no harm in trying.

My GP also said most cases of BV coccur when bad bacteria get in to the vaginal area from the bowel area. So i feel rectifying my intestinal flora will reduce that chance bytaking acidophilus, and helping colonize my vagina with the other Lactobacilli strains will help balance the vaginal flora.

I take cranberry just because i read that it leaves the urinary tract more acidic and has properties that stop bad bacteria from adhering to the walls. The urinary tract is very close to the vaginal, it can only help if nothing else and worth a try.

I have never douched, or put things inside me as i have read it benefits many but not others, i am skeptical about sticking things there in high doses only because i am unsure exactly what other things it effects inside the vaginal environment. For example some women have found relief by using live yogurt and there are studies showing benefits, however sometimes it is the actual medium of the yogurt which might end up acting as the source for the growth of bad bacteria over time.

im taking garlic capsules but not at same time as probiotics. Garlic has many anti-bacterial properties. Any positive factor that contributes towards keeping bad bacteria at bay helps.

These are only my views and opinions, i will keep you all updated, we are in this together.

[LadyTammy]

I am sooo happy to hear I'm not alone. I was beginning to feel like a freak. I have been suffering with bv for the past 6 years. There is nothing worst than being talked about when you know your a clean person. I work with a imature man and when he would walk past my desk they would make rude commits. There was plenty times I just wanted to walk out of work and just go home and crawl in bed and stay there. I didn't know what was wrong with me...I didn't understand why I wasn't able to be cured. But now that I've found this site I am very happy because I can finally talk about this to someone.
I am 40 years old. I've been married for 6 years. When I first started seeing signs it was the worst ordor I have ever smelled. I was treated with everything they can treat me with but nothing worked, and my doctor told me I just have to live with it. So for three years I lived with it without any medical treatment. I have been taking a tampon and putting it in my $&^()*_ and pulling it out to get rid of the ordor it works for the most part for a couple of hours. I have to do that at least 4 to 5 times a day I go through a box of tampons every week and a half. I experience the foul ordor during my period. But after my period is what takes the cake! that smell is out of this world. I've been reading the posts and I tried the Hydrogen peroxide and the vitamin C. I will keep you all posted with the out come.

[LadyTammy]

I am so happy to hear I'm not alone. I was beginning to feel like a freak. I have been suffering with bv for the past 6 years. There is nothing worst than being talked about when you know your a clean person. I work with a imature man and when he would walk past my desk they would make rude commits. There was plenty times I just wanted to walk out of work and just go home and crawl in bed and stay there. I didn't know what was wrong with me...I didn't understand why I wasn't able to be cured. But now that I've found this site I am very happy because I can finally talk about this to someone.
I am 40 years old. I've been married for 6 years. When I first started seeing signs it was the worst ordor I have ever smelled. I was treated with everything they can treat me with but nothing worked, and my doctor told me I just have to live with it. So for three years I lived with it without any medical treatment. I have been taking a tampon and putting it in my $&^()*_ and pulling it out to get rid of the ordor it works for the most part for a couple of hours. I have to do that at least 4 to 5 times a day I go through a box of tampons every week and a half. I experience the foul ordor during my period. But after my period is what takes the cake! that smell is out of this world. I've been reading the posts and I tried the Hydrogen peroxide and the vitamin C. I will keep you all posted with the out come.

[suffered4years]

Hi ladies, I'm glad we have this forum to vent, and realize this problem of chronic BV affects many people...

My history is, started getting BV in 2002 or so, after I became sexually active and whew, that does open up a can of worms. i went to the doctors and spent thousands of dollars on visits, tests, and looking back, it was an educational process. But, in the end, the doctors helped me LEARN about the problem, but not CURE it. They rx'd metro-gel, clindamyacin, clindesse, everything. Funny thing is, you keep going back to them, and they never "fix" it, they just temporarily treat it and it comes back.

My vaginal enemies are the same: Group B Strep and Gardnerella. Always the same.

I tried the natural route as well - inserting garlic, eating yogurt, and so on.

But here it's 8 years later and I've come to the conclusion, it will never go away. Have to resign ourselves to this, I'm afraid.

But it doesn't mean we can't control it....For me, that happens through douching. About one-two times a week to control the pH of my vagina and to control the level of bacteria in there. I use Hydrogen Peroxide and distilled water.

Douche after sex and after the period bc that's somehow when it flares up.

It's a pain the butt, but it becomes part of the hygiene maintenance routine...like brushing teeth, showering, flossing and in my case douching.

I make sure to get Paps twice a year too. To make sure it's not "spreading" up the reproductive tract/organs. If it goes to the cervix, I need to know about it. My paps have been normal for about two years, though, while i still have the chronic BV problem.

I used to be afraid of having sex...it definitely limits sexual freedom but even then, it's something I'm learning to control. I try to make sure i have douched a day before having sex because I worry the movement during intercourse spreads the bacteria upwards inside my body.

I take a little prescription Metro-Gel, and spread it on my husband's parts, so that (I hope) it acts as a killer of the bacteria in case they move upwards during intercourse.

I spread a little around the vaginal opening too for the same purpose. (it sort of lubricates too)

So yes, it's a hassle, no question, but learning to live with it is almost required for sanity reasons. I can't go for a whole month without douching or else the problem gets way too strong and out of control.

I know the GB Strep and Gardnerella are in there, and I've got to do regular maintenance to stop them from overgrowing which is what causes the odor and discharge. I do my part to make sure this happens.

I also place a lactobaccilus capsule "Upstairs" to help the good bacteria grow inside there too...

It's all a maintence routine. I have to time intercourse around it all, but it's better than never having it. My poor husband complains we dont have it as often but it's something he must accept to be with me.

Oh yes, and now I get vag'l cultures done with my Paps, and I love it when the pathologist's report comes back "NORMAL VAGL FLORA PRESENT"

Those words make me feel good about myself and proud.

Blessings to all,
xoxo

[shelly420]

I only seem to get BV after unprotected intercourse. I found that it helps to use certain lubes such as Astroglide during intercourse. I also have found that douching after intercourse(immediatley)helps too. If I catch a new infection right away, I can use my metro gel once and my infection is gone. I hope this helps.

[sarahg]

i promised to update you all

its been 9 weeks or so since anti-biotics and the after-care regime that i mentioned. Thank God, so far so good. Im going to stick to taking the supplements, as you often need at least 2 months for them to see any positive effect but i believe femdophilus has really helped too. I still get the odd itch and i think if its coming back or if its a yeast infection fighting its way through, or if its normal to have an itch now and then. its been so long since my vagina felt 'normal' ive forgotten whether i used to have the odd itch when i was 'normal'!

[deb magnotta]

For those of you with chronic BV that are searching for a more natural alternative- you might want to try a homeopathic remedy called Sanicula- it is characterized by the fishy odor. If not familiar with homeopathy you can visit the National Center for Homeopathy's webpage: infonationalcenterforhomeopathy Sanicula is just one of several remedies that can help BV. For any chronic problem, it is always best to work with a professional homeopathy but if that is not possible, this is an option.

[pickynic]

Hi,

i'm delighted to say i can finally post something positive on this forum after months of torture with recurring BV. I've had BV on and off for the past 6 months and because i didnt know a lot about it i had just followed doctors orders and had 2 courses of metrodizanole. Obviously this didnt work so i started searching for further information and tried a combination of things. I'm now BV free and have been for the past 3 weeks!!
I'll let you know what i tried and hopefully it will help some of you too.

1. the first thing I did was asked my partner to go to his doc and get checked out. Frankly, despite what they say about it not being passed on by male partners, i never had this until we met so it had to be worth a shot! his doctor initially said there was no point in testing or treating him for the usual reasons - female only condition - not an STD - but when he explained the situation she took some swabs. On recieving his results she said there was some bacteria there which may actually be contributing to my BV so this time we BOTH got treated with metrodizanole.

2. We also decided to abstain from sex for 4 weeks. No fun i know, but he was as stressed as me by this and convinced he was the cause. The idea was to give my body time to heal.

3. During this period, i tried a combination of 2 products. firstly i used biofem gel which replaced what used to be called aci-gel. i used it morning and night for 2 weeks solid. i then had my period, so because that had been a trigger point for me in the past I made sure i used some of the gel on my tampons as well, I then used one course of Rehresh gel when my period finished.

The upshot of all this is that i'm now clear of BV and while i dont know if it was a combination of the above that worked or just one thing, i do know that something worked! I would definitely advise you ladies to get your partner treated too as i honestly think this was the biggest factor for us. I've read some other postings where guys have been pushy with their docs, got treated with their girlfriend and its worked. theres gotta be something in that surely?

I'm now hoping it never comes back, but at least if it did i'd know what to try again. I really hope some of what i've written helps because i know how utterly miserable i was until a few weeks ago. good luck ladies xx

[rae_eng]

I havent read very much on CBV, but what I do understand is that it is 'bacteria', not yeast. therefore the yogurt and acidopholis isnt going to work, because those are actually putting a form of bacteria into your system. (you grow too much yeast when there isnt enough 'normal' bacteria to 'eat' the yeast causing overgrowth, we all have a certain amount of both naturally). am I right here? this is what I was explained by my dr. , and have read online.
also, I have to say, since my partial hysterectomy, I have had a horrid odor but it isnt fishy (which seems to be undectable until sexual - foreplay- intercourse), with white pastey substance deep inside my vagina. I never ever had odor before that. I have also had paps show some bacteria. antibiotics havent helped the symptoms. or is it just reoccuring? I wasnt called back for retest. my nurse practitioner said to soak a tampon with peroxide, and insert, hold there for 5-10 mins to rid of bacteria. i find myself having to douche often, and I understand that is dangerous also.

[marsh11]

Here's a brief overview of my situation:

-Recurrent infections since Nov. 2007
(Infections started when I first started taking BCP's and had
unprotected sex)
-I'm always cured for 1-2 weeks after taking Flagyl, but then infection returns
-Main complaint is vaginal irritation and burning, but no smell most of the time

Lifestyle changes:

-No sex (at all) since January 2008
-Don't wear underwear to bed
-Eat yogurt/take acidophilus supplements
-No baths/unscented soap/wiping correctly/etc (all the common things)

Do you ladies have other suggestions? I've heard a lot about acidophilus supplements (vaginally and orally) being very beneficial, but this seems like an old wive's tale. Lactobaccillus acidopilus is not the specific strand of bacteria that inhabits the vagina, and often just colonizes in the digestive system, so I'm very skeptical about this. I really want to go back to being a normal college student (I'm not even sexually permiscuous, compared to every other girl in my dorm!)

Also, as a side note, I have not had a period since Jan. 2008. I am definitely not pregnant, so I'm wondering if this could have to do with the recurrent vaginosis?