chronic bacterial vaginosis

[Lara Croft]

Er, I meant "it's safe for me to say." (last post)

Okay, enough thread hijacking for me today!

[DetectiveSarah]

hey Lara Croft,
your words ring true for me too.
My boyfriend said his penis stung during sex, (he's a post-sex penis washer from way before my time)
and said i had an acid vagina. But it was alkaline, not acid. and that made the sting.
but he hasn't said that for over a year.
*he said it b4 I started getting bv over 1.5 yrs ago.

I got the molkosan today and pt some up my vag. fine. I also tried drinking some in water according to the directions - since i am looking to sort out my intestinal flora. Shizzzz that stuff tastes BAD! even with holding my nose. I will persevere though.

Personally I think my body is out of balance from years of living it up. Booze, rich food, copius amounts of sugar. I feel it is payback time.

[Un-perfecto ! :(]

this is a question for "lara croft"

i am 15 years old and i have had bv for around 2 and a half years, and i am sick of the smelly embarassment, i want to have sex with my boyfriend but i am quite scared at the fact of the sight & smell. i was reading your comment about inserting a vitamin c tablet up there? but im wondering is that safe ? and i am willing to try it because i have spents months on the internet looking for ways to cure it without seeing a doctor and i have read peoples stories saying how the anti-biotics dont really work which i am aware of. i dont want to see a doctor because i dont want my mom to know i am sexually active.

i have been looking at cure bv on a different webpage and it says there are two ingredients in your home kitchen that you can use to get rid of bv but you have to pay for the information they give you .. and if anybody knows the ingredients and would like to help please tell me !!! i really want to get rid of this.

[Lara Croft]

this is a question for "lara croft"

i am 15 years old and i have had bv for around 2 and a half years, and i am sick of the smelly embarassment, i want to have sex with my boyfriend but i am quite scared at the fact of the sight & smell. i was reading your comment about inserting a vitamin c tablet up there? but im wondering is that safe ? and i am willing to try it because i have spents months on the internet looking for ways to cure it without seeing a doctor and i have read peoples stories saying how the anti-biotics dont really work which i am aware of. i dont want to see a doctor because i dont want my mom to know i am sexually active.

i have been looking at cure bv on a different webpage and it says there are two ingredients in your home kitchen that you can use to get rid of bv but you have to pay for the information they give you .. and if anybody knows the ingredients and would like to help please tell me !!! i really want to get rid of this.

Hi Un-perfecto,

You must, MUST see a doctor. Not only because you are sexually active and need annual paps, but also because you may have bv.

There is another infection, an STD, that has similar symptoms of BV. It is called trichomoniasis and is non-threatening if caught early on. It has the same type of smell and a particular discharge, and is treated with medication quite easily. But it MUST be treated.

Have you read some more of the posts in this thread? It is worth the time, as there are so many stories and experiences you can learn from. "Ginger Ark" "Detective Sarah" and "red berry" are some names that stick out in my head right now, just click on their names for all their posts.

But please keep in mind Un-perfecto, 99.9% of the women here did the most sensible thing when they first noticed their BV: they saw a doctor. Also, this particular thread is for chronic BV sufferers and you may not ever get to that point if you are treated Now.

I don't know where you are geographically, but there are usually a few clinics in cities where you are welcomed and treated with confidence and respect at any age. At least, in Canada anyway...I am thinking if you are located in the US, there are Planned Parenthood clinics? Again, you must get in to see a doctor or gynecologist as you are now sexually active and need to get your symptoms checked.

The first time I got BV symptoms I was 15 and I went to a doctor who prescribed me Flagyl. As a one- or two-time treatment, it can work great. I did not get symptoms again until many many years later, as you may have read in my post. It's anybody's guess why my BV returned.

As for the vitamin C, I don't want to come off like some wacko. The C worked for me (for now anyway!) this time. There is no indication of any harm done.

I am glad you found this forum Un-perfecto. Way to get informed! Please read some more posts, there are actually some success stories with doctors and I'm sure you can find one where you live.

I'll post back with some more info

p.s. pleeease use condoms. I'm just sayin'...

[Lara Croft]

this is a question for "lara croft"

i am 15 years old and i have had bv for around 2 and a half years, and i am sick of the smelly embarassment, i want to have sex with my boyfriend but i am quite scared at the fact of the sight & smell. i was reading your comment about inserting a vitamin c tablet up there? but im wondering is that safe ? and i am willing to try it because i have spents months on the internet looking for ways to cure it without seeing a doctor and i have read peoples stories saying how the anti-biotics dont really work which i am aware of. i dont want to see a doctor because i dont want my mom to know i am sexually active.

i have been looking at cure bv on a different webpage and it says there are two ingredients in your home kitchen that you can use to get rid of bv but you have to pay for the information they give you .. and if anybody knows the ingredients and would like to help please tell me !!! i really want to get rid of this.

Hm, I just noticed that you say your symptoms have been around for more than two years. At this point, you are chronic only because you have not been tested and/or treated yet.

I googled "teen clinics US birth control" and up came a lot of links. I randomly checked one out that is in Oregon, just to see the FAQ's. Well in Oregon you don't need parents' permission to be a patient, and everything is confidential: exam results, pregnancy tests, STD tests, counselling, etc. Very similar to Canada. Hopefully similar to where you are located.

Search around and keep us updated on how that goes!

In the meantime, it looks like certain types of acidophilus and yogurts can be used without harm, and possibly hydrogen peroxide (diluted) for very temporary lessening of symptoms, but they will not replace an exam and treatment. again, remember that trichomoniasis ("trich" in medical slang)is very similar to BV and needs to be treated ASAP if it is found.

[Angelhalo052010]

What exactly do they do for cryotherapy? Can you just ask your doctor to do that for you and does insurance cover it?

Also, for those who have used the liquid lactose stuff, is it still working? Are you still BV free?

[Shannon1]

Cryotherapy is "freezing the cervix"... A Virtually painless procedure. Its not something they do right in the docs office... Unless its an office located right in a hospital. The physician that performed mine was a OBGYN. If you have insurance, it will be covered. I unfortunetley did not have insurance at the time, and was billed about $1000 for it. But to me, even so, it was definetely worth it! I haven't had BV since. Its been about 2 years. For anyone suferring this terrible problem, I would absolutely recommend discussing this procedure with your doctor... For me, I wish I had known about it when I first started having problems with bv... I would've never went through all the bs I went through trying to "figure it out" and doing all the ridiculous things they kept telling me to try.

[Angelhalo052010]

Cryotherapy is "freezing the cervix"... A Virtually painless procedure. Its not something they do right in the docs office... Unless its an office located right in a hospital. The physician that performed mine was a OBGYN. If you have insurance, it will be covered. I unfortunetley did not have insurance at the time, and was billed about $1000 for it. But to me, even so, it was definetely worth it! I haven't had BV since. Its been about 2 years. For anyone suferring this terrible problem, I would absolutely recommend discussing this procedure with your doctor... For me, I wish I had known about it when I first started having problems with bv... I would've never went through all the bs I went through trying to "figure it out" and doing all the ridiculous things they kept telling me to try.

WHy is it not something that can be done in the office? Do they have to give you anesthesia or something? Are you released right after? Sorry for all the questions but I have never heard of this being done for BV before... My doctor has never mentioned it. I do not get BV just when I have my period though like you...Mine is constant.

[Angelhalo052010]

I was doing some research this morning and I came across the new rephresh pro-b probiotics...I have tried many probiotics already and have not had any relief with them but this one says it contains Lactobacillus rhamnosus and reuteri and that those are the 2 bacterias necessary for healthy vaginal flora. I don't think the probiotics I have taken has contained these 2 bacterias together, including the ULTIMATE VAGINAL SUPPORT probiotics, which says contains 50 billion CFU. I looked them up again, as I had already thrown the bottle away, and it did contain the Lactobacillus rhamnosus but not the reuteri. I was just wondering if anyone has tried these probiotics already before I order them, as they are quite expensive and I have already spent SO MUCH money trying to cure this horrible problem!! Please let me know if you have tried these and if they help or not. I know the RePhresh gel does not help me and neither does the Replens gel, which my gyno recomended for me (I do not know why because this is a vaginal lubricant and I already have too much discharge as it is).

I was also still wondering if the liquid lactose stuff is working for those of you who are using it and if so how long has it made you BV free?? I am curious for answers, as I cannot stand this anymore. I am a very clean person and I hate that even right after I get out of the shower I already smell. I can't even just jump up and go to the grocery store in the middle of the day without first taking ANOTHER shower because I feel so gross and dirty all the time. This is really taking a toll on my life and I feel depressed and tired all the time from worrying so much about it.

I read that someone said they were having problems with constipation and were wondering if it is because of the BV and if anyone had that problem. I too have problems with constipation now and a horrible hemorrhoid that won't go away. I had never had that problem before and was thinking maybe all these problems are from BV. I also feel sleepy ALL THE TIME, even when I get enough sleep. I just think that BV causes more symptoms other than vaginal problems. It's driving me nuts. I know you all know how I feel.

I have been reading on the internet for over 2-1/2 hours already today on different reasons for BV just trying to find something new. I found that someone said they used nitricum acidum and that they have have also tried EVERYTHING there is to try and that this cured their problem. I'm not too sure what this medicine is but I am willing to try anything as long as it doesn't kill me to get rid of this. I do not want to take antibiotics anymore because I know they are just harming my body and I have already tried around 8 courses of antibiotics, flagyl, metro-gel, cleocin, clindamycin, tindamax. None of those have gotten rid of my BV, not even for 1 day. I have had BV chronically and nonstop.

I just wish that someone could do research on this infection and find a cure and know that it is not just a nuisance like some doctors tell us but it is mentally and physically draining, as it is constatly on our minds that we have this problem and can do nothing about it. And I wish that they will realize that their antibiotics, that they say work, do not work for this infection and not look at us like we are dirty or sleep around when that is far from the truth. If this was a problem with the penis that there would already be a cure because they wouldn't want to be walking around with a fishdick/cheesedick. God, I wish I could just go get a new vagina.

Okay, sorry for the venting but I feel better now after typing out all my feelings on this forum, as I know you all know what I am going through.

[Sienna2008]

I am caucasian and in my early 20's. I can't believe so many other people suffer from this problem from every race, i've heard its especially prevelent in black female.. something ridiculous like 1 in 4 suffer at some point in their lives, and equally 10% of caucasions do.. best race to be to not have bv seems to be indian! I have been suffering from it on and off for the past year, but it wasn't very noticeable until the last two or three months when it suddenly got awful! I was under alot of stress, and i could no longer ignore it. Luckily my relationship ended just before it got bad.. I dont know how people cope with BV when they are in a relationship. I get worried around people, and change my underwear twice a day.. I have always worn cotton underwear so I know this was not the problem. I shower, but try not to wash around there too much as i've been told it can make it worse. I have been on metronidazole the antibiotics twice, they made me so ill both times. I went back and told the doctor i was sick of it, and he has now put me on clindamycin antibiotics and the metrosa gel.. i am also drinking probiotic yogurt drinks every day and having a yogurt for breakfast! I am trying to eat more fruit and veg, but its hard when i am so busy.. so far it has gone away, but i dont know for how long. I advise anyone to try these three things at once (antibiotics, gel and eating yogurts)
As my doctor said - sometimes you need to just blast it away, and then keep up with the gel, and it hopefully wont come back.. good luck!