I'm sorry if this has been asked/posted
before. (My googlefu has failed today).
I had a case of Bacterial Vaginosis two
months ago. I noticed after my period that
I had more of a discharge than normal and
it smelled horribly. I went to my Doctor
after about a week when it had not gone
away. (I know every once in awhile I'd
have a heavier discharge and it would
smell for a day after a period but would
go away). My doctor put me on antibiotics
for the week. I completed the course, and
lo and behold, I didn't smell and the
discharge was back to normal.
Cue right after my next period. Same
discharge, same fishy smell. Didn't go
away after a day or two, so I called the
doctor and she prescribed me more
antibiotics. After the seven days of
treatment, I was good to go.
Now, I was doing good for three weeks,
then I had my period again, and it's been
a day or two after my period has stopped
and I've had more of a discharge again,
and it absolutely reeks again.
My periods are normal. I'm on the birth
control pill called Portia, been on it
since September. I have only one partner.
(My fiance).
So has anyone else had this happen? Why
does it keep coming back right after my
period? I'm going to be calling up my
doctor again, but unfortunately the office
isn't open until Monday.
Thanks in advance
|
antigone
Supporter
Joined: 27 Jan 2008 Posts: 922 Location: IL
Thanks: 46
Thanked:17
Posted: 03-01-08 23:05pm
Your fiance could be transmitting the
bacteria to you. This is not an STD. Have
him shower prior to intercourse and pay
particular attention to the genitalia when
washing. You should shower or bathe too.
Be careful of transferring bacteria from
the anal area to the vaginal area. We have
bacteria in our mouths. Brush and use
mouth wash before sexual contact, him too.
Perhaps this will minimize transmission of
bacteria. Hope this helps.
|
Ginger_Ark
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 21 Apr 2008 Posts: 3
Thanks: 0
Thanked:1
Posted: 04-21-08 20:58pm
As many of you here, I have suffered from
chronic BV for years, four years actually.
It's amazing to me how I can go to a
doctor, who will tell me first that it’s
just a “nuisance” problem, and when I
go back he’ll tell me he's never had
anyone who didn't respond to this ____
treatment. Yet if you do a search for
chronic BV on line you come up with
thousands of hits like this forum of women
saying the same thing & having had
doctors who said this same thing. How can
both be true? If men had pain, itch, and a
smelly discharge from their penis for
years, it would be a national health
emergency. I’ll try to stay off my
soapbox though.
What I want! I don't just want to be
symptom free. I want to be able to live
like a normal woman, who is in love with
her husband, & who would like to
express that love sexually! For the last
four years the cycle has pretty much been
this: 1. Can't have sex with my husband
because of my symptoms or paranoia about
smell or symptoms returning. 2. Can't have
sex with my husband because I have a
vagina full of goop. This is not living.
Here are my symptoms:
· pain & itching, especially around
the vulva & urethra
· discharge, sometimes foul but not
always
· increased pain & itching after
orgasm - whether or not from intercourse
· sharp shooting pains in my vagina,
especially the vulva & urethra, like
being stuck with needles, especially when
the infection has gotten really bad.
(I’ve read that some other women have
this, & people act like they’ve
never heard of it. It does exist in some
women, just like some women can have BV
& be asymptomatic.)
· I do not know if this is related, but I
have one spot quite a ways into my vagina
that is extremely tender at times. It can
be quite painful during intercourse, and
when that is the case, it hurts for hours
afterwards.
· I frequently just feel sick – like I
am running a fever, though I’m not. I
feel like I have a cold/flu virus, but
without the respiratory symptoms. No
doctor has been able to find a cause using
blood tests or throat swabs. I think
it’s the BV.
First of all, if you are here, you already
know to "wipe front to back" & "keep
yourself clean." If I hear one more person
tell me that, I'm going to choke him/her.
Secondly, I, just like the rest of you,
have been through the regular & some
not so regular attempts at a cure:
· Metrogel (no relief at all & gave
me big time cheesy discharge, as the gel
adheres to the epithelial cells &
causes them to coagulate)
· Flagyl (minimal results), including
treating my husband
· Cleocin (gave me the best results at
the time, but of course it came back)
· Long term oral Levaquin. Helped while I
was on it.
· A Cleocin/hydrocortizone compound for
28 days. Relief for 2 months after I
finished.
I have also used:
· betadine douches (mixed 1/2 & 1/2).
It gave me the longest lasting relief
without having to constantly have some
kind of medicine in me, but I started
worrying about douching so much, &
after a while its seemed to start making
my insides tender
· rePHresh gave me some relief, but it
didn't help once symptoms were very
pronounced. It also started being much
less effective over time. It also gives me
the discharge from the gel adhering to the
epithelial cells.
I have done much MUCH research trying to
solve my problem, & I want to put it
all in one place so that it might help
someone else.
· Normal pH is <4.6. You can buy a
vaginal screening kit from Vagisil now to
test. Also, this site has them for sale,
plus an additional screening tool, &
it's cheaper than what Vagisil sells. http://www.vaginosis.com/
· When the pH is normal, there is an
abundance of the Lactobacillus bacteria.
When it gets higher (or more alkaline) the
bad bacteria (and the yeast) can
proliferate.
· Now, it's the chicken or the egg. Does
the pH getting imbalanced cause the
bacteria upset, or visa versa? I don’t
know. Will introducing Lactobacillus solve
the problem, or will high pH kill them
off? Or will changing the pH cause the
Lactobacillus to thrive? I think this is a
key question. One thing I read said that
the Lactobacillus produce lactic acid,
causing the lower pH, but I wonder if you
could treat this by artificially raising
the acidity level.
· “The anaerobic bacteria which have
previously been linked to bacterial
vaginosis include Gardnerella vaginalis,
Prevotella species, Mobiluncas species,
Peptostreptococcus species, and Mycoplasma
hominis. Important new research has
identified a previously unrecognized
bacterial species, Atopobium vaginalis,
which when present in combination with
Gardnerella vaginalis appears to explain
why many women are plagued by rapid
post-treatment relapses and frequent
recurrences.” (http://www.vaginosis.com)
· Clyndamycin, used to the anaerobic
bacteria, also kill Lactobacillus. So it
creates a cycle. According to Dr. James
Christian http://www.vaginosis.com,
theoretically the metronidazole does not
destroy the Lactobacillus.
· “For women patients who cannot take
or cannot tolerate oral metronidazole, a
small study has suggested that cefadroxil
(brand name of Duricef) might have a
equivalent killing power for vaginal
anaerobic bacteria, as does
metronidazole.”
· Atopobium vaginae is completely
resistant to metronidazole, but
susceptible to several other antibiotics,
including clindamycin (but that kills the
Lactobacillus).
· Lactobacillus is an aerobic bacteria
(needs oxygen). Gardnerella & the
others listed above are anaerobic (no
oxygen). That’s one reason that wearing
cotton underwear & keeping yourself
aerated is important. It also seems that
this would be key in figuring out how to
kill one &/or encourage the other.
· The Lactobacillus put out hydrogen
peroxide.
Here are some suggestions for alternative
remedies that I have gathered, & my
response to them based on what I’ve
figured out:
· Soaps & laundry detergent with no
perfumes or dyes. I’ve just recently
switched to this kind of laundry
detergent, so I don’t know, but it makes
sense.
· Tea tree suppositories/oil – this
kills bacteria, so it seems that it would
cause the same problem as the antibiotics
· Garlic pill/clove used vaginally -- see
above. Additionally, it seems that the
pills taken orally would have the same
effect.
· Colloidal silver – see above.
· Peroxide douche or wash – since it
mimics the Lactobacillus, this would seem
to help the situation. Does the hydrogen
peroxide keep anaerobes at bay? I don’t
know. I’d like to find that out.
Probiotics – this deserves bullet points
all on its own.
· There are probiotics that occur
naturally in the vaginal & urinary
tract. Originally it was identified as
Lactobacillus fermentum. Eventually, this
was broken down as two different strains:
Lactobacillus Rhamnosus and Lactobacillus
Reuteri.
· Lactobacillus Acidophilus appears to
have positive results when used topically
& inter-vaginally. This probiotic
occurs in certain yogurts. Very limited to
no success has been found when it is taken
orally.
· Lactobacillus Rhamnosus and
Lactobacillus Reuteri are the only
probiotics that have shown the ability to
cross the intestinal tract to the
vaginal/urinary tract. There is some
evidence that these probiotics are helpful
when used orally.
· Dannon Activia drink has verified
amounts of Lactobacillus Acidophilus.
There is an unflavored version that could
be used as a douche, but it is not
available locally. Kefir seems to be an
older organic version of the same thing.
I have found flavored varieties locally
& may be able to get it in plain form
through special order at Drug Emporium.
· The only commericial probiotics I’ve
found that contain the Lactobacillus
Rhamnosus and Lactobacillus Reuteri
strains are:
o Nature’s Way Primodophilus Reuteri
o Jarrow’s Femdophilus
o And now, and I find this the most
exciting because it is mainstream,
RepHresh Pro-B. See the article just
published 4/15 http://www.f
inancialpost.com/markets/news_releases/ story.html?id=447433.
o I've found this Naure's Way
Primodophilus Reuteri Powder http://www.herba
lremedies.com/probiotics1.html. I'm
wondering if this could be mixed up as a
douche & used vaginally. It would
seem like this would work to directly
introduce Lactobacillus Reuteri to the
vaginal tract.
I was already scheduled for a follow-up
appointment with my gyn tomorrow. I did
the screening kit yesterday, & I was
at 5.5, having significant but not severe
symptoms. Yesterday afternoon, I began
taking the Nature’s Way Primodophilus
Reuteri. I took three yesterday & will
take three today. I also drank about a
gallon (actually a full quart) of Kefir
organic active culture yogurt drink. I
also ate some Dannon activia yogurt. I do
not want to use anything vaginally until
after I see my doctor tomorrow. I will be
curious what my pH is when I go.
Articles I have used to gather my
information. I leaned toward the
scientific studies because I plan to take
these to my doctor tomorrow. Some of them
were only available in abstracts, but I
plan to give them to my gyn because I’m
sure she can access the full version of
the study/article.
This guy has a good chart for suggested
treatments. http://www.vaginosis.com/ Also, if
anyone having this problem is living in
the Maryland area, it sounds like this
would be the guy to see.
My plan when I visit my doctor tomorrow:
· Find out how much she knows about
probiotics & how open she is to the
ideas presented &/or learning more
about them. That answer will determine
much.
· Ask her if there is a more regulated
form of Lactobacilli Reuteri &
Rhamnosus, as well as Lactobacillus
Acidophilus that she has access to as a
doctor. I have read some things that
indicate that homeopathic doctors can get
stronger/more reliable homeopathic drugs
than what we can get OTC at the health
store.
· I am supposed to be going to
China/Japan for the month of June. I do
not want this to ruin my trip. I need to
discuss with her what I can take with me
in case of an unbearable outbreak.
As of right now, this is my plan:
· Take three of the Primodophilus Reuteri
pills orally a day.
· Use one pill with yogurt vaginally
every other day.
· Or start douching with the
Primodophilus Reuteri Powder douche.
· Do a hydrogen peroxide douche or wash
on days in between.
· Take zinc to boost my immune system
& set up healthy environment for
friendly bacteria.
· Wash all of my underwear in hot hot
water with perfume/dye free detergent.
Same with sheets and towels.
· Switch from Ivory soap to Nutragena
fragrance free soap.
· Use condoms on those rare occasions I
actually feel well enough to have
intercourse.
UPDATE
I went to see my Dr. today, & I
couldn't have asked for a better visit.
After having been on oral probiotics L.
Rhumnosus & Reuteri since Saturday, my
pH level had dropped from 5.5 to 4.5 --
near normal!
I told the Dr. about the Atobium vaginae.
She hadn't heard of this before but was
extremely interested. She took the medical
study/article that I had brought with me.
I told her what all I had learned about
probiotics specific to the vaginal tract
& discussed the probiotic treatments
with her. She was extremely open to this.
So here is the plan that my doctor & I
have come up with:
She will do some research on her own to
find out if there is an identified
antibiotic that targets this Atobium
vaginae without killing Lactobacillus. If
she finds one, she will order the PCR test
for me (this is the more complicated test
than the gram stain).
I will continue taking the NW Prodophilus
Reuteri three times a day.
I will mix the NW P. Reuteri powder with
plain yogurt & insert it vaginally
every other day.
She is going to talk to her compounding
pharmacist & see if there is a more
convenient delivery mechanism for the
probiotics, though we both doubt it, since
it's necessary for the cultures to be
live.
I am going to periodically do my own pH
screen as I am doing the treatment.
If all goes well, after a couple of months
I will drop down to 1 oral probiotic/day
& increase it for the week before my
period.
I fell better already! I am so thrilled to
have found a doctor that takes me
seriously & treats me like I have a
brain. She took all my research, plus my 4
pages that I had written about my findings
(basically a version of what I've typed
here), & was very impressed. She said
that if this works she may be able to
start helping all her other patients with
chronic BV.
Good luck to everyone else. I hope my
information has been helpful. I will give
updates on my progress.
|
FRUSTRATED123
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 25 Apr 2008 Posts: 3
recurring bv Posted: 04-25-08 19:04pm
hey ladies. i to have been dealing wtih BV
for YEARS.and I am at my wits end also.
i dont douche, i have the same boyfriend
for 6.5 years and we havent had sex in
almost 7 months. so we arent going back n
forth. i have been battling UTI's and
yeast infections-all 3 together for over a
year. I havent had a UTi in about 4
months. We havent had sex because one, i
am ashamed of the smell-which he can smell
10 feet away and hes NOT impressed by it
at all..we use to have sex once a
month-but he finally told me as gently as
possible that he couldnt bear the smell
and it turned him off. (but he would
sometimes to make me happy)
I switched doctors because my last one
said to leave it alone and to tell him to
get over it that all women have their own
odor...yeah..so i went to another doctor
last year and she seemed inteeested in
helping and was blown away at the fact
that i was in the office atleast once a
month. she set up a game plan...
but recently she TOLD me that she didnt
WANT to see me for 2-3 motnhs. i was
devastated. because she had given me the
boric acid pills to insert for 2
weeks..and the metro gel to use once a
week to keep the bacteria in line....it
seemed to work but before the treatment
was over ..the odor came back, the
discharge too. now what do i do go back in
3 months and say uh hi ive had the problem
all along but you made me feel like
crap...
i just want to scream. i cant bear it
anymore. i get paranoid if anyone wants to
use the restroom after me. in one of my
aerobic classes i can sometimes smell me
while i am sweating and i just wonder who
else can.
i am on this puter night and day and last
night i started reading just about every
website i could and taking notes of ways
to change what i do products i use. the
antibiotics i use are useless.
it was an endless cycle last year. my
period one week, then a uti, antibiotics,
yeast infection, yeast treatment, then BV,
then BV treatment..one week for each
problem ..total kill to my sex
life.....what the heck am i to do??? i
cant take this anymore. its killing me
psycologically......
i just started taking acidophilus,
drinking green tea..cut down sugar,
eliminated dryer sheets while drying my
undies. washed my panties in hot
water...bought the hypoallergenic soap.
should i wash my pants and sheets too with
this? i am going to do my towels without
dryer sheets from now on...anyone have any
other suggestions.
|
Ginger_Ark
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 21 Apr 2008 Posts: 3
Thanks: 0
Thanked:1
Posted: 04-25-08 22:32pm
Frustrated, did you read the post right
above yours?
|
FRUSTRATED123
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 25 Apr 2008 Posts: 3
Posted: 04-25-08 22:38pm
i did i was overwhelmed though. is the
process working for you?
|
FRUSTRATED123
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 25 Apr 2008 Posts: 3
Posted: 04-25-08 22:48pm
how was the hydrogen douche? is it the
'solution of hydrogen peroxide' or
something else? i was just going to run
out to get a bottle but i need a clearer
idea of what exactly i am doing and
getting
|
Big Challenge
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 30 Apr 2008 Posts: 1
Chronic yeast and BV infections Posted: 04-30-08 21:19pm
I was hesitant to post a comment, but
after reading all these stories and
knowing I am not the only one going
through this I realized I should share my
story and maybe it will help others. I am
26 yrs old and I have been having frequent
yeast infections for about 3 years now.
When I say frequent I mean almost every
month right after my periods. The GYN
doctor's that I have gone too, all just
medicate the hell out of me, but then the
cycle repeats itself and I get it again.
I'm sure everyone in the GYN office knows
me not by my name but my the yeasty girl.
It's so embarrassing. Any how it's
something that I have been struggling for
a while, it's affected my sex life with my
husband which is the worse. I can have sex
it just hurts like hell. Which really
sucks.
When I do have a yeast infection or a BV
my symptoms are not bad unless I wait a
week or two to go to the doctors. I
immediatley know if i'm starting to get an
infection, if sex is painful and what of
course the discharge. Even though it seems
that I discharge all the time.
About 6 months ago my GYN dr. had put me
on a low estrogen birth control pill which
I take continuous for 4 months just to
avoid getting my period so I wont get a
yeast or BV infection. I have to say that
worked for several months. It wasn't until
recently in the last couple of months that
got a BV was treated for it with flagyl,
then what of course I got a yeast
infection after, also treated for it, but
then the cycle continued and has not
stopped since. It's been awful,
depressing, and shameful to be going
through this with out knowing the real
cause. One of my other symptoms which I
would have never associated it with these
infections was a lot of stomach problems
including, gallbladder removal, diarrhea,
constipation, bloating, gas, and once I
ate i would get this pain in the middle of
my stomach above my navel. It felt as if
the food just got stuck there and didn't
want to pass or as if I swallowed a rock.
My stomach symptoms also have gotten worse
in the last couple of months since I had
gotten a horrible stomach flew, which made
me go the a GI doctor. My GI doctor did a
Celiac Sprue Disease screening through
simple blood work, that came back
positive, so she scheduled a endoscopy and
colonoscopy for biopsy samples. I just got
the results recently and it confirms I
have this disease called Celiac Sprue
disease of the small intestine, it's
actually a severe allergic reaction to
wheat, flour, barley, and some other
things that are in food. I'm just learning
about this I have to see a nutritionist
and rearrange my whole life according to
this new diet, plus it's hereditary so I
need to get my kids and family tested. But
what's interesting about this as I was
doing reserach online as well as with my
GI doctor I found that this celiace
disease swells up your small intestine and
inhibits vitamin absorption and medication
absorption like antibiotics etc. I was
told that the reason why I have had so
many yeast infections is because my small
intestine has been damaged/irriatated and
is unbalancing the bacteria in your
intestines, also the medication that I
have been given to cure the yeast
infections and BV are just going through
my body and not being absorbed, which
explains why the infections reoccur. There
is alot more details about this disease
that I can continue to right about but it
will be too long. I just hope that from
this little information will help others
find the reason why they continue to have
these infections. So if you never got
tested for celiac you might want to call
your doctor and have that checked. A lot
of people go with out being diagnosed for
years which can give you life-long
complications and malnurished. Hope this
helps. I'll keep you updated as this is
just the beginning for me hopefully I can
get ride of this reoccuring infections
with the gluten-free diet that I will be
starting this week. Good luck!
|
excel
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 09 Nov 2006 Posts: 19 Location: UAE
Posted: 06-17-08 06:17am
Reading your post guys made me share my
same experience. I have been experiencing
itching or yeast infection more than one
year ago which recurrs after 6-8 months
and 3 months ago i went to my doctor (not
because of itchiness but because of foul
odor) and her diagnostic showed that i
have BV. Before for my yeast infection i
was only buying over the counter medicine
(canesten sup.) but when it recurrs i
consulted my OB and she gave me medicine
(which unfortunately i forgot the name)
for BV she recommed metronidazole and also
one vaginal sup. (that i also forgot the
name). and after i used this med the foul
smell was gone and luckily it still didnt
come back. Also, as advised my OB its
better to stop taking birth control pills
because maybe it was the cause of my
recurring infection. Recently, I had a
slight itchiness again in my vagina and i
did some research in the net and found out
that probiotics are good for yeast
infection and I am currently taking
acidophilus and its working fine with me,
the itchiness stops after my period and i
also stopped taking pills.
Some tips i can give (was also give by
others:)
1. yoghurt - though it doesnt have much
live good bacteria, it is good for healthy
diet
2. probiotic acidophilus - so far
effective for me; within one week i feel
the difference (or maybe its psychological
3. less sugar diet (including sugar from
natural fruits but you can reintroduce
this on your diet when you feel that you
are ok)
4. dont take antibiotic when not needed
(the doctor told me its killing the good
bacteria)
5. use other birth control method aside
from birth control pills
6. research the net, some medicine may not
work for you but theres lot of supplements
available now that can help eliminate or
lessen your burden
|
ChrisC
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 25 Mar 2007 Posts: 21 Location: North Texas, United States
Thanks: 0
Thanked:1
Posted: 06-23-08 13:09pm
My question -- why isn't the medical
community studying chronic vaginitis more
closely??? It's irritating to know that
no one cares enough about it to find out
more answers (no pun intended).
I have had frequent UTIs, BV infections,
and yeast infections since I was 18 (I'm
almost 30 now). Last year, my gyno
diagnosed me with vulvodynia (not that
this provided any additional answers).
Right now, I am using boric acid vaginally
and it appears to really be helping (my
latest yeast infection is gone) and is a
cheaper solution than going to the
doctor's again. I've also taken to using
those wonderful UTI tests made by AZO and
Uristat that prevent me having to go to
the doctor's office every other month.
While I am not happy that so many of you
suffer like I do, it's nice to know that
there are women out there willing to speak
out about possible solutions, their
feelings, and their doctors' treatments.
THANKS -- I don't feel so frustrated and
alone.
I don't think the cause of this recurring
condition has anything to do with our
reproductive system, but could damage it.
This condition that we keep getting lies
far deeper. I was watching Mystery
Diagnosis on Discovery Health channel and
came across a story rather interesting.
This woman was diagnosed with
Polyglandular Autoimmune Syndrome Type I
and after hearing her story and actually
reading up on this disease, I think I may
have found something here. So I'm going to
a Thyroid & Endocrine System
specialist and getting tested for this
disease also diabetes and Celiac disease.
I will let you guys know what the outcome
is...
|
momtothree08
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 23 Jul 2008 Posts: 1
recurring bv Posted: 07-23-08 18:52pm
Ladies have you ever had your doctors
test you for HSV recurring Bacterial
Vaginosis is a symptom of HSV. I had the
same problem for years then when I was
tested for HSV it was positive and now I
am taking medicine and havent had BV for a
long time.
I have been a suffering from BV for the
past 5 years. I have tryed antibiotics
serveral times for 7 - 14 day durations
and it still came back. My boyfriend even
took the medication. I finally resulted
to something a doctor prescribed many
years ago. A Betidine douche. Use it
twice a week for 2 months, then down to 1
a week, then twice a month. It really
worked.
|
specialkincali
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 29 Jul 2008 Posts: 2
Betidine Douche Posted: 07-29-08 16:05pm
Sorry, forgot to tell you, Betidine douche
is a liquid of deep blood red color and
can be bought in any local drug store.
Large bottle for around $7.00. Good luck,
I know how horrible and embarrassing this
problem can be. Makes intimacy a little
uncomfortable.
|
stormy85
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 30 Jul 2008 Posts: 1
betadine Posted: 07-30-08 03:48am
kincali-
did u mix the betadine with water or just
use it straight? Im worried that it will
sting! I wash with 3% peroxide to try
and relieve the itching and odor, I havent
had the nerve to try douching i heard it
can kill the bv but help yeast grow.. how
long as this method kept you symptom free?
and what were your symptoms like? I think
i will go get some of that stuff this
afternoon!
thanks!
**Sarah G.
|
Ginger_Ark
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 21 Apr 2008 Posts: 3
Thanks: 0
Thanked:1
betadine not a fix Posted: 07-30-08 07:50am
I used the betadine solution douche.
While it does help with the symptoms it is
not a cure, and after a while it begins to
cause discomfort. Iodine is not healthy
for longterm use on healthy skin.
I tried to post the address of my personal
website, but it was removed because it
violates the rules here. Understandable,
but I'm disappointed that I can't just put
all the information I've gathered in one
place.
I have CURED my BV with a few simple
measures. Primadophilus Reuteri orally
three times a day and BioFem's Active Gel
(available from the UK) once a day
vaginally. You will never cure BV or
yeast until you establish a healthy colony
of good bacteria.
