[DetectiveSarah]

and that about sums it up...

...i have ordered the vogel's molkosan 500ml and I think it will arrive on monday - can't wait to try it.

[Angelhalo052010]

Oh, and i've been experimenting by only using it when I get symptoms just to see the difference because I knew detective sarah was doing it every time after sex, and it didn't come back after sex, I did not have to use it again until it came back right after my last period ended which was only 2 days ago so no sex yet since but i'll update again in a week! So so far it seems it is the best cure for all of us who have tried everything we can! Lactose!! Go figure, i'm lactose intolerant

Red Berry... Your story sounds just like mine... I have tried everything and have also had this for about 4 years, so not quite as long but I have spent so much money on trying to get rid of this. Have you been using this everyday or did you just use it once? I would like to find something that would get rid of it for more than a day without having to use it every day. I have also tried those probiotics you are using but they didn't help me. I have tried all different kinds of probiotics and none really seem to help. I just ordered this stuff called candaclear from rockwellnutrition... They are vaginal probiotic suppositories. I have tried them before and they didn't do anything but i just wanted to try again because I don't think i have any good bacteria in there from using boric acid for so long. I also got these suppositories called vag pack by wise woman herbals..also from rockwellnutrition. Im going to try those too. I think I am going to try your solution though because your problem sounds like mine and if it worked for you it has to work for me... Hopefully. I hate when people try to tell us that Flagyl will do the job when we have already taken antiobiotics a hundred times so we know it doesn't work. I wish it was that easy. I think they might have worked if I went to the doctor right when I got this but at the time I didn't know what was going on and thought maybe it would go away on its own. I had it for about a year before I started doing anything about it. Can you post the link of where you bought your whey product? I'm not sure where to get it from. Thanks for all the info. Please let me know how you feel after you have sex... I would like to know if there is a fishy odor during and after.

[Shannon1]

Hello everyone... I wanted to share this with you, since I too WAS a suffer of chronic bacterial infections. Mine started after the birth of my 2nd child. NO ONE could figure out why I kept getting these infections, but I got them EVERY SINGLE month for 2 years during my periods. The doctors all said it had NOTHING to do with my periods, and I knew that it had to be the only explaination. I tried all their advice, did EVERYTHING I could possibly do to avoid getting the infection, but nothing worked. Finally the doctors told me they could no longer keep writing prescriptions because it obviosly wasn't working and they "exahausted" all their efforts to try to fix the problem. I felt HOPELESS. I researched and researched for answers. Finally I took it upon myself to get on DEPO... which eliminated my periods, Therefore, eliminating the infections!! But as a consequence, I gained 40lbs!! I finally found a doctor that took me seriously, and he ruled out out the obvious reasons for the infections. He performed a partial DNC and cryotherapy " freezing the cervix" And let me tell you....I HAVE BEEN CURED! It has been almost two years now, and I am free of infections. We still don't understand "WHY" the infections occurred, but at least they are gone. So for anyone needing serious help, please talk to your doctor about this. It worked for me.

I am 24 years old and have been dealing with BV and yeast infections for the past 2 years. But as of December of 2007 I have been able to manage the symptoms and almost totally eliminate the problem. I want to share my story in hopes that this will help others stop this horrible cycle.

My symptoms: milky, thick and heavy discharge all the time, itching and a constant odor. All of this started off with an episode of BV and yeast infections followed.

I went to the doctors several times. I was prescribed antibiotics which only cured me for a couple of weeks. I took two STD tests and was completely clean. I saw a gyno and he gave me more antibiotics, after the symptoms returned he gave me the iodine treatment. (He put iodine in my vagina to clean out the yeast.This is what they give babies when they get yeast infections). This eliminated my symptoms the longest, I thought I was cured....but then the symptoms came back
After all this I got extremely frustrated and decided to do my own research and figure this out on my own.

I do not use protection when sleeping with my boyfriend. Despite my doctors telling me that I could not get BV from my boyfriend I thought that his sperm caused the BV and yeast infections. So I stopped having sex with him and still experienced the symptoms. I stopped taking my birth control and still had symptoms. Through the advice of my gyno I switched to cotton underwear (and stopped wearing g-strings), switched to perfume/dye free laundry detergent and body soap (Ivory perfume free). Although doing that didn't stop my symptoms completely it did help a little. After pretty much playing detective I figured out that it was my period that was causing the symptoms. My gyno said that the blood can throw off the pH balance in your vagina.

So now that I narrowed it down to that I have been able to control this problem. Through the advice that I found on this board I bought a bottle of Nature's Way Primadophilus Reuteri. This helped stop the discharge and eliminated the smell. A lot of women in this forum said that it cleared up the symptoms within hours but for me I took a couple days. I think these pills helped a lot. If your doctors keep giving you the run around I would definitely invest in these pills. They are designed for digestive and vaginal health. I began taking these pills everyday with a multivitamin. Now that I have gotten the problem under control I do not need to take the pills everyday.

However, still to this day about a week before my period I experience a very small amount discharge and slight smell. During this time I take the pills and use pantyliners. As soon as I am done with my period I use the RepHresh applicators to help balance my pH balance after my period.

So all in all, in my case I believe it was the blood of my period that caused the symptoms. I suggest purchasing the Nature's Way Primadophilus Reuteri RepHresh is a fairly new product and is the only one of its kind (as far as I know).

The triggers for BV and yeast infections are different for every woman. So it takes time to figure out what triggers it and what doesn't. I know that it is soooo frustrating and even more embarrassing to deal with this. But don't give up hope. I hope this helps!

*My doctor said that women with diabetes experience frequent yeast infections, so that may be the cause for some women

YOU ARE THE FIRST PERSON I HAVE EVER HEARD SAY IT WAS YOUR PERIODS CAUSING THE INFECTIONS!! No one would believe me! I also had the same problem, and it was my periods causing it. I finally had a DNC, and CRYOtherapy "freezing of the cervix" and it cured me. Thanks for the post! I am relieved to know I am not crazy.

Hello all, my next appointment with a gyno is 5th june...

i am planning on using a yoghurt inter-vaginally with Lactobacillus Acidophilus in it, it also has Strep Salivarius ssp. Thermophius and Bifidobacterium Longum - i am just wondering if this is a good idea and also, excuse my naive attitude, but do i just rub it in or should i use a tampon covered with the yoghurt?

Ive also ordered Natures Way Primodophilus Reuteri... lets hope there will be some relief from this....

Dear miffed23
I don't know if you'll get this or not, but I tried the inserting of yogurt "I used a medicine dropper" and it didn't do anything for me. But I definetely would not use a tampon!! Tampons can actually make bv worse.

[DetectiveSarah]

Being patronised by medical professionals...

It's off-putting to go to a Dr and get prescribed anti-biotic for BV when it doesn't work, and then it dawns on you that you know more about this singular health issue than them, and will continue to expand and educate ourselves regarding this, until we qualify for a Nobel prize.
Sounds feminist, but - if there was a mystery disease that affected men by making fishstink and dryness come from their penis there would be a lot bigger interest in this topic.

And if anyone tells me again how to wipe myself when I go to the toilet, I don't know - i kinda stop listening right at that second and think about something else, because it's belittling and patronising. I was potty trained at 2yrs old so that gives me 36 years experience of wiping my vag/bottom.

Still waiting for my molkosan delivery...

Does anyone think that this has anything to do with the ph level inside the whole body? I still want to get to the root of this BV thing, why it happens to some and not others etc.

[Shannon1]

I like how you put it, Detective Sarah!! And I agree, we are being patronized by the medical profession. I spent 2 years trying all their stupid ideas... changing underwear to cotton grannie panies, laundry detergents, no sex, sex with condoms, sex without condoms, different soaps, and putting up with the humiliating remarks about my wiping techniques. It was terrible. All I can say, is that I am very thankful now that I no longer get this aweful and embarrassing "disease"... I reccomend everyone get cryotherapy... It worked for me, when absolutely EVERYTHING else failed. This could be the answer for many, if not all chronic bacterial vaginosis suffers. I wish all of you the best of luck with this.

[Lara Croft]

Detective Sarah,

Yeah, I agree about the rampant patronizing from doctors, both male and female ones. I complained to a doctor at a sex clinic the other day, about how demoralizing it is having this smell during sex, and how it was really affecting my sex life with my BF (though he is very supportive). She seemed surprised by the fact that it could affect my sexual life. What gives?

Anyhoo, I had an experience recently that I'd like to pass on to the women here. But before I do here's a little background on my bv (I'll be as brief as possible on this):

-At age fifteen had a case of bv (garderella vaginosis back then). I had just become sexually active. Took a round of Flagyl and it was gone.
-Age 27 I had another round of it, but this time was distinctly more "foul" and obvious to me and my boyfriend at the time. Again, the flagyl rid me of it.
-Last November it appeared again (I'm 39). I let it "run its course" because I had heard bv sometimes just goes away. I had been working on a healthy lifestyle for some years and liked to avoid antibiotics. I always used condoms during sex except with one or two relationships that became long-term. Well, the symptoms DID seem to disappear for 2 or 3 weeks, but then came back.
I have been dealing with the bv recurrences ever since. I tried: Betadine douches, vaginal yogurt, Flagyl, flagyl, then flagyl again (to with the organic living - I can't stand smelling!) until I just gave up and decided to let it run its course again. I do not like going beyond a reasonable amount of remedying - I feel like I'm forcing things.

After stumbling upon this thread, I began to try to think more creatively and intuitively about possibly curing myself. I decided to put off thinking about the cause of my bv until a later time. I focused on reading all the wonderful womens' experiences and suggestions in this forum. I went to bed for about 3 days, sometimes reading the forum from my bed! Seriously. I took time off work. I seemed like I was obsessed, and I kinda was, but it was comforting and not so negative-feeling.

I decided I would find some Primadophilus or the Femdophilus and buy some hydrogen peroxide as a complement for treatment ASAP. Eventually I would also buy some PH strips (very good idea, I would have never known of these). I would no longer do flagyl unless I really really was backed into a corner.

While in bed, I thought "in the meantime, I'll just pop a vitamin C up there, because I have nothing to lose and it can't do any harm." I had read about 2 or 3 different women in this forum who it worked wonders for. So I just grabbed my normal daily 500mg vitamin C (Quest brand) tablet and inserted up the V and forgot about it. I watched a movie. A few hours later, I was in the kitchen getting a drink and suddenly felt a twinge of an orgasmic-y sensation inside my vagina! I stopped and waited. Then again there it was, faint but distinct. It is strange on its own, I know, but even more so for me because I only get orgasmic clitorally (sp.). So here I was in the kitchen feeling sexually really good from my vaginal walls from what could only be the C tablet I'd put in there.

Well, my bv is completely GONE. The morning after the C insert, a puffy orange discharge came out (the tablets are orange) with no smell. My normal discharge, whose quality I was beginning to forget, is back. I no longer feel the need to shop around for any products, at least not yet. BV may come back, I know, and I am mentally prepared for if it does. But when I felt that orgasmic tingling after popping the Vitamin C the other day, I "felt" that something was right, things were getting happier inside. Like maybe my vagina was saying thanks...?

Will keep you all posted on any developments. What a great forum this is - I am sending the link and my Vitamin C experience (in a shorter format :/) to the sex clinic.

Oh and p.s., I do think that bv has to do with the body's ph and other factors as well. Looks like my vagina needed some ascorbic acid, I guess...!

[DetectiveSarah]

hahaa

**Quickly gets a vit C and waits for something to happen**
hahahahahaaa!
that's awesome.

[Lara Croft]

Well I just read my earlier post and boy was it a long one! Well, I'm just really eager to impart as much as I can to this thread, about my own personal background with bv and my success in getting rid of it (even if only temporarily). Even repetitive info can be good so we can see patterns and maybe a light will go on for someone reading who suffers from this madness.

I actually forgot to mention something in that previous post: I had sex, no condom, with my bf yesterday and it was all clear. No symptoms. Things seem completely back to normal at this time. I almost forgot how to have sex without trying to finish it as quickly as possible! That may sound funny and if someone laughs, I'm glad. But in my earlier post I didn't really convey how my confidence was crumbling and how the depression was creeping in as a result of losing my sex life (I've struggled with lifelong depression, and BV is not exactly a cherry on the cake, as y'all can imagine). I feel it's important for doctors to get on this huge issue and listen to the damage and stress that BV causes. More docs need to stumble upon this thread, actually.

One last thing (for now!): my boyfriend told me recently that starting many months ago when my BV started to be almost constant, he would feel a "tingly", prickly, raw sensation on his penis after our sex. At first he attributed it to trimming/ shaving his area but soon started to wonder. He has always trimmed and shaved a bit down there and knew that couldn't be the issue on his entire shaft. So anyway, he reported that over the last month or two the sensation got less and then stopped altogether. Hmmm. I am thinking an alkaline vagina can cause this sensation for a man's penis.
Also, I have recently gone through a full month of vaginal bleeding, first time ever. I am going for an ultrasound next week to check for fibroids and such (a whole other basket of fries I won't get into here)....maybe my excessive bleeding "washed away" some of the bad bacteria? My bv symptoms did seem somewhat lighter after I finally stopped bleeding.

Just some more to think about. I'm happy to answer any question or comment in the thread or even private msg., by the way. Anything to help! Thanks

[Shannon1]

BV is very complicated... As we all have experienced, and have heard others testimonials from this site. I have no idea, nor do any of the dozen doctors I saw, what caused my BV, but I will say that in my particular experience, BV was brought on by my periods. They would clear up with antibiotics, but as soon as I started bleeding, it would start all over again. It wasn't even just "period blood" that would bring them on, it was any form of bleeding.. like when I would get a pap smear, and would spot slighty afterwords... I ALWAYS got another BV infection. No one would believe me. As I previously stated, it wasn't until I took matters into my own hands and got on DEPO to stop the periods from coming that my "symptoms" disapeared. But as soon as I got off DEPO- 1-2 years later, It came back FULL FORCE. At last, I found someone willing to try anything, and thats when the doc suggested trying cryotherapy.. which worked for me. Its so crazy to hear everyones testimonies... I had no idea so many people suffered from this. The Doctors all acted like this is such a rare problem, and thats why no one seemed to know anything about it. I wish this forum had been around when I was suffering from BV so bad... I remember how aweful it felt to have no one understand what I was going through. I feel terrible for all you ladies, and I hope all of you find a solution that works for you.

[pictures]

stoppin the yeast

take flagyl 250mg three times a day, for 5 days, then every other day for three weeks. please avoid any caffiene, dark colas and most of all allow the thing to breath. drink pleanty of orange juice, grape juice, cranberry juice.
prior to sex, was his thing first. avoid beer, wine, wine coolers and mixed drinks.