[Pharmastudent2016]

Hi. I have had the same problem as you and literally tried everything in the book. I am a pharmacy student and I know my medications, I took fluconazole and flagyl everytime I had bacterial vaginosis. It would take care of the problem temporarily but a few days after my treatment ended my symptoms would come back. I was suffering from this problem for 2 years now. Finally my gynecologist called a nearby compounding pharmacy and had them formulate vaginal capsules made up of boric acid, I took this treatment every night for 2 weeks. It really wiped out the problem. Now I'm on a maintanence therapy of consisting of inserting 1 capsule only twice a week. I will maintain this therapy for about 6 months. I also started taking probiotic capsules called primadophilus reuteri once a day and it is doing the trick! So far no problems. It's been 2 months now and no sign of infection.

[smbush007]

I have had recurring BV for roughly six years. At first I didn't know what it was and thought it was normal discharge from my poor diet. When I got into a relationship my boyfriend finally said something about the smell so when I got health insurance I went to the OB. They diagnosed me with BV and HPV. They put me on metronidozale and gave me a colposcopy. Of course, it got worse! My relationship was on the brink of destruction and I was suicidal, but after a lot of research and trial and error, I am now BV and yeast infection free! Here is what I do:
1. Severely cut back on sugars (including gluten), get your sugar from fruit. Vegan is truly the best way to go as dairy is a huge culprit.
2. Eliminate energy drinks and coffee, if you must have caffeine drink 1-2 cups of green tea. (My odor was always horrible after caffeine)
3. If you smoke, quit. It is worth it.
4. I take a 3 Alive Women's multivitamins, 2 Reuteri probiotic pearls (on Amazon), 1 billion Lactoballicus Acidiphilous taken throughout the day with meals, more if I 'feel' something is off, 1,000 mg Vitamin C, garlic, zinc, and an immune support called Graviola.
5. Graviola is essential if you have HPV, it helps stop the development of cancer cells.
6. 2 dropperfuls of collidial silver, one in the morning and one in the evening.
7. Two very important things are also; begin with 'First Cleanse', a two week cleanse avaliable at Walgreens. Then, begin the Hannah Kroeger Candida Cleanse. Expensive, but essential.

Other lifestyle changes include: NO Soap! Wash only with warm water or Vagisil PH Balance wash when you are on your period. NO harsh detergents (all natural is best), no synthetic fabric softener or dryer sheets (these can cause yeast infections). NO tampons, use a mooncup or pads (which should be changed every two hours). Please no douching. This is so tempting, but it will destroy your ecosystem.

I have only used the occasional Lactoballicus suppositories, usually after my period. I stay away from suppositores( like tea tree oil), and hydrogen peroxide douches because the vagina IS self cleaning, BV is an imbalance of bacteria. Introduce the good stuff back in and it will start healing itself. Introducing foreign substances is a bad idea. My way takes a while, a few months, but symptoms begin to get better and eventually go away. Monistat is okay for the yeast infection, it is proven. But, your yeast infections will go away with the sugar free, gluten free diet.

One more thing. If you are inserting a suppository, wash your hands with soap and make sure there is no residue. During intercourse, make sure your partner's hands and penis are also clean, dry and free of any soap residue. It is best to avoid intercourse, protected or unprotected, while you are cleaning out. If your partner won't wait for you, they are not worth the struggle.

Good luck and god bless.

[sf1073]

I'm 20 years old and have had BV for about 8 months now. It's ruling my life and I have now spent my entire junior year of college embarrassed, miserable, and still can't find a cure. For me, the symptoms are itching and constant light green or yellow discharge-no fish smell, thankfully. And yes, it is BV despite the unusual symptoms. I've been tested for trich and all the rest. Here's a list of remedies I have tried that either didn't work or only worked very short term (a few days, a week at most):

Metrogel
Boric Acid Suppositories
Vitamin C (vaginally and orally)
Acidophilus (vaginally and orally, have been on a constant oral regimen for months)
Reuteri/Rhamnosus (same as acidophilus)
Tea Tree Oil Suppositories
Apple Cider Vinegar (same as acidophilus)
Virgin Coconut Oil (vaginally)
Vitamin D3 Supplement
Folic Acid/Vitamin B-12/Vitamin B-6 Supplement
Bentonite Clay (orally)
Pro-B caps (same as acidophilus)
RePhresh Gel
VH Essentials Vaginal Inserts
VH Essentials Supplements
Hydrogen Peroxide Douche (NEVER NEVER NEVER TRY THIS. I don't care what people say it made my BV 1000x worse overnight-woke up a day later with dark VEGETABLE green discharge and needed an emergency doctors appointment/prescription)
Abstaining from sex for 2 months-didn't help but sex doesn't seem to affect it either way
All the stuff doctors recommend-changing detergents, wiping front to back, cotton underwear, gentle soaps, etc etc etc
Eating a healthy balanced diet and reducing my sugar/carb intake, regular exercise, I'm at a very healthy weight

As you can see I've tried it all. The only remedy I've heard of but haven't tried is colloidal silver because I haven't read very good things about it. HOWEVER, there was one thing that did work for me for about 2 months: Goldenseal liquid. If you have chronic BV and haven't tried goldenseal yet, run, don't walk to the nearest natural foods store and buy yourself a bottle. Take some orally and vaginally. To take it vaginally I mixed it with coconut oil, rolled a tampon applicator in the mixture and inserted it. It burns for a few seconds but was very effective. After a few days of this my symptoms disappeared and, miraculously, stayed away for two blissful months with no additional treatments. Then, at my gyn. appointment in January (where I tested negative for BV for the first time since July) I found out that my wonderful boyfriend at the time had cheated and given me chlamydia. Just as I'd feared the antibiotic for the chlamydia brought back the BV, and this time the goldenseal didn't work. I've been suffering from the infection ever since.

Tomorrow I have another appointment with my gyn. to switch birth controls. I switched from Yaz to Seasonique last year and just a few months later the BV began for the first time, and I'm beginning to wonder if the Seasonique is to blame (plus Seasonique causes frequent spotting and terrible breakouts if I get stressed). I'm hoping that changing BCs will solve the problem--it's the only thing I can imagine that could be causing the infection at this point. Prior to the switch I'd never had a day of unusual discharge, itching, or any sexual health problems whatsoever, and back then I had a serious boyfriend who I had sex with constantly, no condom, and still had no problems. Has anyone else noticed BV associated with a switch in birth control? I'm at my wit's end here and I just want to beat this infection for good.

[Krazymonkey]

Not sure if anyone reads this anymore, but I've been suffering from this since I was about 13 & I'm now 30 & I JUST got rid of it after trying EVERYTHING under the sun. So basically I've been dealing with this for 17 yrs by myself & never told anyone. Literally nothing worked for me. I took so many different things & even if something did help for a little bit; the BV quickly came back.

But I finally found the answer that worked in less than a week, no lie. And I didn't have to go through this long drawn out process or routine. I didn't have to douche or take a bunch of different pills or spend hundreds of dollars. The answer is VITAMIN D3. That's it. I did start it with a bottle of Fem-Dophilus just to try & get all the good bacteria back in there, but I really don't think it's the FD because I've taken it before & it didn't do too much. But don't cheap out with a cheap bottle. Get a nice brand. I got a bottle of 360 soft gels for $24 from iherb by Health Original. That's a deal. I got 10,000 IU. I will be shocked if you ladies try this without results. I had no idea what normal discharge was that I actually had to look it up & guess what? I have normal discharge & I have no smell whatsoever. And not only did it work, I actually got my period the next day after starting the vitamin D3 & it still worked while I was on my period. No extra yuckiness after my period like usual. I feel so happy to not have to deal with it anymore. I was so depressed & thought I was doomed for the rest of my life. Please try this ASAP!!!

VITAMIN D3!!!!! That's all.

[DAYLEEYAH]

MUSTARD OIL

Try using mustard oil. It gets rid of the smell quickly.

MSM

Taking MSM regularly will help with the PH problem.

[Care-SD]

There is hope

Hi ladies,
I suffered from recurrent bouts of BV for about a year and a half (approximately August 2011 to March 2013). It was a total nightmare and it took a huge toll on my emotional well-being, not to mention my sex life. I have been free from BV for almost a year and in remembering when I used to scour the internet for a solution, I wanted to reach out to you all and share what I learned and what worked for me.
A few months before the BV FINALLY cleared up, I was so fed up that I went to an OB-GYN who told me, contrary to most recommendations, that I should consider using vinegar & water douches to "wash out" the overabundance of this nasty bacteria. So, I began douching with "Summer's Eve Douche, Extra Cleansing Vinegar & Water" (remember it is important that you ONLY use vinegar & water douches). You can also purchase the cheaper store brand, such as the CVS vinegar & water douche. I started douching once every two to three days for a couple weeks, then tapered down to once or twice a week for a few more weeks. Now, I douche once a month or so if I notice myself not being as fresh as I'd like to be. In addition, sometimes after using the vinegar & water solution, I unscrewed the top of the douche and filled it up with filtered water from a 1 gallon filtered water jug that I bought at the grocery store. Then I would douche one or two more times with the filtered water. The best way to douche, in my experience, is to stand over the toilet and bend forward so that your back and legs form an L shape (or 90 degree angle). This allows you to insert the tip all the way and fill up your entire vaginal tract with the solution. Then, remove the douche and sit down on the toilet and the solution will expel quickly from your vagina.
At the same time that I stated douching, I abstained from all sexual activity except for clitoral masturbation (no vaginal penetration of any kind) for about 1.5 months. I am convinced that the vinegar & water douches cured my BV.
Before resorting to douching, I had taken many rounds of Flagyl (both oral and vaginal) medication. The vaginal medication seemed to work better than the oral but after a few days the BV ALWAYS came back. I used to feel so uncomfortable and was always worried that other people could smell it, as I would get whiffs of it all the time. It was a very difficult time in my life and I hope this information will be helpful to those of you who haven't tried vinegar & water douching.
Other things to consider: make sure you and your partner(s) wash your hands before engaging in sexual activity. Also, if you use pads or panty liners during your BV infections make sure you use unscented ones and change them every couple hours. And finally, although there isn't a lot of medical literature about women being "allergic" to their partners, I do think I may have been particularly sensitive to my boyfriend at the time. Although the BV didn't clear up immediately after we broke up (we broke up three months before the BV cleared up), I do think my bacteria for some reason didn't mix well with his.
Best of luck to all of you!

[remember_me923]

There are no proven health benefits of silver. Also, BE CAREFUL. It can turn you blue if you overdo it and the compounds that enter your body from taking it will never leave!

[remember_me923]

Ummm, hello? I don't think you have enough experience to tell every single women what she needs for bacterial vaginosis. You make it sound as though you've only had it once, which is hardly enough to qualify you as having it chronically. Some people have autoimmune disorders and it is very easy to get reoccuring BV. Also, I DID get Metro. Many times. Guess what? It doesn't work. It's called "the bacteria build an immunity". I was prescribed another wide-scope antibiotic. Cipro, at the same time. It did not help. Then, I was prescribed ANOTHER different antibiotic named Clindamycin; I have a digestive disorder, so not only did it make me more nauseous than I already was, it did_not_work. So don't be so full of yourself and stop acting like a doctor.

[remember_me923]

Ummm, hello? I don't think you have enough experience to tell every single woman what she needs for bacterial vaginosis. You make it sound as though you've only had it once, which is hardly enough to qualify you as having it chronically. Some people have autoimmune disorders and it is very easy to get reoccuring BV. Also, I DID get Metro. Many times. Guess what? It doesn't work. It's called "the bacteria build an immunity". I was prescribed another wide-scope antibiotic. Cipro, at the same time. It did not help. Then, I was prescribed ANOTHER different antibiotic named Clindamycin; I have a digestive disorder, so not only did it make me more nauseous than I already was, it did_not_work. So don't be so full of yourself and stop acting like a doctor. Most studies done on BV are noteworthy at best! The medical field is not even sure why or how exactly women get BV, as it is NOT an STD!

[GirlProblems]

My Experience, And What I Believe To Be The Cure

FOLIC ACID!!!!! Went to the store and bought the most potent ones and started taking two a day, also I've found out of all the probiotics on the market the Pearl brand really does a great job in keeping yeast infections from starting and also helps with the natural good bacteria. These two in combination every morning and drinking plenty of water do wonders for your system and not only that Folic Acid is great for your hair growth, nails, skin. its just an amazing vitamin.

I don't know how many woman experience the type of symptoms I do from bv, it blows my Drs out of the water, because my skin gets so irritated itll actually tear like lesions. Typically mine ends up yeast and bv infection. which is an incredibly horrible experience, ive had two in the past 4 years that got that bad. Ive looked over many sites where woman are told they have herpes, end up on medicine, then their results come back negative and their stuck trying to figure out wth is causing sores. I've been through heck and back with this for 4 years now, same bf, clean properly, dress properly, and apparently some woman are just predisposed to getting this infection and it goes untreated for so long bcuz they dont realize your vagina should never smell or have any type of discharge that smells and use douches which are so bad for your vagina, it doesnt take care of the main problem completely and also some woman don't have symptoms at all.

Anyway: if anyone reads this and have chronic and severe bv infections with or without yeast infection, start off first by seeing your doctor, no way around it, you have to get rid of the main infection, otherwise ultimately it can ruin your ability to have children(so Ive Heard On MULTIPLE occasions FROM DOCTORS) and the discomfort is just going to keep haunting you.

Have your doctor prescribe you FLAGYL 500 MG 2 times daily and also a Flucanozole for the yeast infection the antibiotics will cause. ALSO if you already have yeast infection get 2 SCRIPTS of the Flucanozole 1 for day on with your Flagyl, Finish Flagyl, Take Your second Flucanozole. Flagyl makes your tummy hurt, it has crappy side effects but trust me, take them all, eat before you take them, and don't lay down after taking them the acid reflux is nastyyy.

Then after your all done, trust me you'll feel great, I've had the worst of the worst. then start on the regimen of two folic acid, highest dose you can find i believe its 500 mcg you can buy it online along with the Pearl brand probiotics, amazon is really cheap, and take it every day. if you stop, the demon will come back. another prevention method is making sure you and your partner are clean before intercourse. mens sperm can throw your PH way off and most men shake and tuck so half the time that thing isn't clean.

Thanks for your post and I hope this thread helps woman, too many woman suffer from this and its ridiculous there isnt a proven reason or cause for why we get it. And don't believe the bs not all woman get it because they sleep around or arent clean. I'm proof.