A common disorder that can affect any woman, bacterial vaginosis can be easily prevented. Learn about the different BV symptoms so that you can easily identify them and the different treatment methods for such.
What is Bacterial Vaginosis?
Bacterial Vaginosis or more commonly referred to as BV is a disease that affects the vagina caused by an overgrowth of a certain bacteria. When there is a disruption in the normal balance of bacteria in the vagina, it will result to bacterial vaginosis. According to statistics, it is most common in women who are of childbearing age and those who are pregnant. Contrary to what most people think, a woman cannot have BV from beddings, toilet seats, swimming pools or through touching various objects. Rather, there is an increased risk of having this disorder when a woman has multiple sex partners or she has a new sex partner, cigarette smoking, intrauterine devices used for contraception, recent use of antibiotics and through douching and personal hygiene.
Different BV Symptoms
Often, bacterial vaginosis goes unnoticed especially if a woman is unaware of what this disease is. There are also instances when these BV symptoms are ignored, with the affected person thinking that these are not at all significant. However, when these BV symptoms worsen because you are not treating them, it can lead to further discomfort. For bacterial vaginosis to be treated immediately, early recognition of the different signs and symptoms is necessary.
The most common BV symptom is vaginal discharge that is thin and grayish white in color with an unpleasant fishy odor. This can be worse and is more noticeable after sexual intercourse. The distinguishing sign that it is bacterial vaginosis is the fishy smell. A burning sensation during urination is also one of the BV symptoms. Another common manifestation is itching at the vaginal area. When these three BV symptoms are present, then it is most likely that you are suffering from this disease. As soon as you can, you should start treatment so that the infection will not worsen and for you to be relieved of the discomfort brought about by these BV symptoms.
What to Do When You Have BV Symptoms
When you notice that you have the aforementioned BV symptoms, it is recommended that you have yourself checked by a physician as soon as possible. Before going to the doctor however, you have to observe carefully the different BV symptoms that you have. If you want to be more accurate, there are home testing kits that you can use to determine if you have BV or not. These home test kits however are not accurate in determining if you have bacterial vaginosis but it will help your doctor come up with the proper diagnosis. Take note of how long you have been experiencing these manifestations and if there are instances or certain factors that worsen them. You have to tell the doctor all your observations such that a proper diagnosis can be made. The doctor will let you have some tests to determine the causative factor of the disorder so that the proper medications will be used.
What Happens When You Have Bacterial Vaginosis?
As mentioned earlier, bacterial vaginosis is often ignored and not treated properly because of certain reasons. However, doing so can lead to several problems especially if the disease worsens. For a pregnant woman who is suffering from BV, there is an increased risk for miscarriage, preterm delivery and infection of the uterus. For those who have undergone pelvic procedures such as abortion, C-section and other similar surgeries, there is a higher chance of you getting a pelvic infection. If you are suffering from bacterial vaginosis and you are exposed to sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV, there is a higher chance that you will catch the disease. There can be other complications but these are the most common, which are likely to happen if BV symptoms are not treated immediately and ignored for a long period of time.
Treating BV Symptoms
In the treatment of BV symptoms, antibiotics are the treatment of choice for most doctors. Some of the most commonly used antibiotics are clindamycin and metronidazole which can be used orally or vaginally depending on the severity of the disease and the doctor’s instructions. When using antibiotics, it is of utmost importance to use them according to the doctor’s instructions. Take the exact dosage and follow the number of days that you should take them. Even if you are feeling better, you still have to continue taking the medications because if you stop, you can make the problem worse. When the infection is not completely treated and you have stopped using the medicines, then the bacteria will become resistant to that medicine. When you need to use the medication again, it will not be effective anymore so you will need stronger ones which will definitely be more expensive.
Aside from antibiotics, there are also natural remedies for BV symptoms that are also effective. An effective home remedy is yogurt which contains good bacterial that will kill the bacteria causing bacterial vaginosis. You can eat two cups of yogurt daily or you can apply it on the affected area using a tampon. Another home remedy is apple cider vinegar. To use this, mix two cups of apple cider vinegar with your bath water and soak in it for about twenty minutes. Tea tree oil is another effective remedy for BV since it has antibacterial properties that will help get rid of BV symptoms. This can be used the same way with apple cider vinegar but it can also be applied directly on the vaginal area.
For any disease, prevention is always better than cure which also applies with bacterial vaginosis. It can easily be prevented by avoiding the risk factors that were mentioned above. However, when certain situations arise that it cannot be avoided, it would help if you were aware of the different BV symptoms and what you can do for them to be treated. By knowing these pieces of information, treatment will surely be successful and recurrence will be avoided.