The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Vitamin D
Posted by Nicola (Raleigh) on 02/15/2013
★★★★★
To all the ladies who have tried evrything for bacterial vaginosis. You may want to have your Vit D serum level checked. My vitamin d was extremely low... I was given 50,000 iu of vit d for 12 weeks and after taking the first capsule there was a calming, soothing sensation in my vagina. Vitamin D plays a big part in overall immunity. So definitely ask for that next time u visit the doctor. I think it will help in the fight against reoccurring bv
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Bill (San Fernando, Philippines) on 02/14/2013
Hi Barbara... You are not alone in your frustrations concerning a cure for BV. I have read many similar posts like yours on other blogs. It's also well known that BV is just one of the diseases that is strongly linked to candida as a co-infection -- which is really the problem you have. So if you don't attempt to cure your internal candida problem -- you will have great difficulty curing your longstanding BV problem.
I'm writing a book on candida at the moment where I will try to empty my head -- put down all I know -- about candida. I've just completed a section in the book called "Nothing I do ever Cures My Candida!! ". The purpose of this section is to both dispel certain prevalent myths about candida and also to highlight necessary key points for a successful treatment strategy for this disease. Here is the short sectionv whch I hope will be enlightening for candida sufferers who are unable to cure there candida problem:
* Use of Antibiotics against candida or any disease will only ever tend to cause dysbiosis and aid the rapid spread of candida to make your problem much worse. See The Antibiotic Syndrome. Antibiotics use is one of the top causative reasons for candida infection, spread, persistence and virulence. Don't use antibiotics!!
*"Candida is just a yeast."Well, not strictly true -- it is a half truth at best. Candida is well known to be dimorphic -- it can exist in two different states as two different organisms with completely differing structural, locational, functional and behavioural characteristics. The yeast form is a saprophyte that only feeds off dead organic matter so, consequently, this form resides mainly in intestines of the host. The fungal or mycelial form is a true parasite that feeds more directly off the host itself, with completely differing feeding habits where it also can live and grow in any internal region of the body -- including the blood, tissues and organs(including the brain) of the body.
*"No matter what I try topically to cure my own localized uterine candida problem -- it always comes back again".I have read this so many times in health blogs!! This again is completely bad thinking and a bad cure strategy that completely forgets or ignores the fact that candida is a dimorphic organism. So if topical remedies for uterine candida or fungal skin problems or fungal sinus problems or localized ENMT candida problems dont work, thenisn't it reasonable to conclude that the localized candida problems(that keep returning) may more realistically be caused by the disseminated or fungal form inside your body and that these localized expressions of candida are merely direct symptoms of a deeper, internal and body-wide candida infection? So the topical, localized cure strategy will never work.
* "All I have to do is just cure my candida, right?". This is also a bad strategy and bad thinking . There are two entirely different dimorphic forms of candida -- the yeast and fungal form -- that happily coexist which have completely different locational, structural and behavioural characteristics. It's relatively easy to get rid of just the yeast form(for a while) in the intestines -- but very difficult indeed to get rid of the fungal or systemic form because this form infects everywhere in the body -- blood, organs and tissues.
* Relatively new research has also revealed that mixed-species pathogens -- including bacteria, viruses, mycoplasma etc -- also have the abilty to reside, share and hide in candida biofilms. This surprising but important fact therefore greatly increases the ability of both candida and the other involved pathogens to resist and survive anti-fungals and anti-microbials, which greatly inhibits their riddance and any eventual cure.
* A Long Term Bad Diet. Like it or not, when people ask the inevitable question on why or how they got candida in the first place -- and they can't get rid of it -- the answer and one of the greatest and most relevant reasons has to be because of the poor food and diet which that person has been eating for the last few decades.
________
Hopefully, the above will help candida sufferers to understand why topical remedies (using suppositories etc) for your BV aren't working -- the reason is because you probably have an internal fungal candida problem where the BV is perhaps just a systemic symptom of your internal candida problem. So to cure this problem you must therefore take steps to cure your candida as well as the BV (without antibiotics!! ). The anti-candida protocol shown here (lower down in the post stream) is designed to get rid of candida and many of the bacterial and viral associations of this disease.
To further check and confirm whether you have candida there are three things you can do:
* Candida Spit Test (Google it)
* Check If you have a white tongue -- this shows the presence of candida in your gut.
* Take William Crooks Candida Questionnaire on-line. This is fairly accurate at determining whether you have candida or not.
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Barbara (Waco, Texas) on 02/14/2013
★☆☆☆☆
BV is like a curse that will not go away, I'm really tired of it, I'm mad all the time at this terrble devil, I have tried so many things I do not know what to do, I was once considered sexy, now? what man would want a woman who smells like a damn sardine?? I never heard of bv at all and I'm over 45, I see slime and goo come out of me all the time and discharge:((( I'm so down I want to scream, my vagina at times can smell up a room, I do not want to be around anyone, I have no confidence and no self esteem, no more doctors for me, they know NOTHING!!! I stink down here and Im sure all of you do too, I do not mean to bring anyone down, But I'm just mad and frustrated, who is really cured here? I have spent over a thousand of this terrible thing, my son always says, why does it smell like fish in here? what a shame:((( I just hate myself for getting this, I douched, that is how I got BV, and yes I tried all the remedies, what can I do next? jump in the sea and be with the fish? because I sure as hell can't be around people, I can't have a relationship:((( what man is gonna accept this? I have to always lotion myself up with bath and body works products and FDS sprays, I have had BV nine years, has it ever went away? NO, I feel like a failure:(((( this is not a way to live your life, I can only pray God will heal me, I'm tired and sick and depressed with this nasty nasty stuff.
Povidone Iodine
Posted by Linda (Salt Lake City, Utah) on 02/03/2013
★★★★★
Beatadine is fabulous and YES, I too will have this for life.
Research taking beta carotene supplements. You can take up to 75,000 IUS everyday. Some women claim to have gotten a cure that way. I do that along with probiotics, EVERYDAY, and a table spoon atleast of coconut oil everyday with orange juice.
Povidone Iodine
Posted by Veronica (New York) on 02/01/2013
★★★★★
Hey, I have problems with seriously CHRONIC yeast and BV, and Betadine douches work great! I use them alongside my essential oil suppositories, but betadine is so healing, its just Iodine, which is extremely healing itself. I fine the betadine douches more effective and gentler on the tissues than peroxide douching, as I have made things worse, dry and inflamed using the peroxode douches. You can buy a large bottle of Betadine for $20 at the drug store.
You can use a Betadine douche twice daily for up to 14 days, (Ive done it myself and extensively researched on the internet the safety of this). Once in the morning for 1 to 2 weeks should be enough for most people though.
Also I make the solution pretty dark (like a dark red). I add quite a few drops in a little bit (maybe a half cup of water) and hold it in for a bit. Its wonderful. I read it stimulates the vagina to produce more lactobacilli, its very healing and very gentle. Ive nipped beginning yeast infections in the bud before.
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Alice (Green Bay, Wi) on 01/29/2013
★★★★★
Hi ladies, I discovered I had BV after my Femring started turning brown and had a horrible sour odor... I called the company and they told me I had a defective ring and replaced it. The new ring started doing the same thing and I thought, this has to be me and not the ring.
My BV infection was mild, but I'll share what worked for me..
Empty and rinse a disposible douche. Add 1 drop of Tea Tree oil, 1/2 of the contents of a garlic capsule, and 1 TBSP. Of 3% hydrogen peroxide - found in the first aid section of the store. Fill with warm water and douche in the morning.
At night take the contents of 1 probiotic capsule and add 1-2 drops of water to make a paste. Instert the paste with your finger before bed. It is not necessary to get it all in there.
Repeat these steps for 5 -7 days depending on how severe the infection is.
The Tea Tree oil and garlic kill the bad bacteria, the hydrogen peroxide balances your ph levels, and the probiotic feeds the good bacteria.
The douche can be used as a maintenance measure and I do it once every 3 months when I change my femring. If you are still getting your periods you may want to do it after your cycle ends.
BV free for over a year! Good Luck to all.
Personal Care Products
Posted by Did Ya Know (Savannah, Ga) on 01/26/2013
★★★★★
Hello, everyone! I too suffered from BV [bacterial vaginosis] and tried a few things. I kind of had to narrow things down, after it became more frequent. I had to step back and ask myself what was I doing differently. Well.... I was having sex! One day I put two and two together-- you're allergic to latex, silly! LoL I began buying the non-latex condoms (a tad bit on the expensive side) and the BV went away. No issues here.... Especially, since I could never get into the whole douching scene. I hope this helps someone else out there.
Probiotics Plus
Posted by Steph Suffering For 13 Years (Sacramento, Ca) on 01/23/2013
★★★★☆
Hi ladies I almost cried last week coming across this website. I've had the horrible BV since I was 17 years old and I'm turning 30 in a few months. I woke up one day with the horrible smell out of no where with no idea what it was. I went to my gyno and did the anti biotics with the outer cream & thought it would be gone. I was saddened to find out the smell was not leaving. I went through years & years of embarrassment and humiliation. I thought I was going to be a single mom forever as I had my daughter at 23 by myself. I'm now married with 4 children & my husbands great. I tried talking to him about it as I've never discussed it with anyone God forbid that humiliation right. His response was what smell you talking bout babe. Gotta love him. It bothered me so bad to wake up & have my entire bedroom reek of raw fish & BO. I decided to look online again since I haven't in years. 13 years ago there were no helpful remedies or forums. I read every post on here & was in tears knowing there were other people who could relate.
Here's where my mission starts. I have done the peroxide water mix & inserted it for 5 minutes a day first thing in the morning for the past 4 days. I have been on the probiotics with rueteri for the last 3 days & started one alkaline water a day. Reading everything on here made me realize this is def. harbored in my gut. This makes sense because I had my gallbladder removed at 19 & the doctor said I'd been suffering from it not knowing for a couple years. It got much worse after it was removed & I suffer from horrible acid reflux. I'm not a doctor but it makes sence all of a sudden there's this horrible bacteria in my gut causing the bv to flare up daily & the acid almost daily.
Today is the first day without the peroxide in the morning. I drank the alkaline water as well as taking the probiotic. The other suggestion on here was coconut oil. I was gonna try to eat it then chickened out seeing what it looks like. So I put a table spoon in a pan and made 2 eggs vtastes fine. It's about an hour past the normal time I do the peroxide and no over whelming smell. Yet. Hopefully this works because this has ruined my self esteem & emotionally caused seriouse insecurities and depression. Thank you everyone for there input. It's a support system so neede that only another woman suffering would understand. Good luck ladies & I will give feedback if it continues to work
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Tara (Memphis, Tn, Usa) on 12/07/2012
This is an excellant article on natural remedies for BV and Step B Vaginal
Infections...http://www.agapedoula.com/GBS.pdf
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Omg This Sucks (Minneapolis, Minnesota) on 11/12/2012
★★★★★
Douche five nights in a row with 30ml of 3% hydrogen peroxide
Take 400-800 mg of Folic Acid a day in two doses
Use orally for the active ingredients Fhamnosus GR-1 and Reuteri RC -14.
It also advises the usual things like getting plenty of sleep, reducing stress, eating whole foods and omega 3s, exercising, and taking vitamins A, B, C, D, and E. It says to avoid Iron supplements, alcohol, caffeine, smoking, sugar, processed foods, and saturated fats. Good luck!!
Honey
Posted by C (Boston, Ma) on 11/11/2012
★★★★★
I have been struggling with BV for a few months now. I have been trying everything. I used the recommended honey solution and have been feeling great and fresh for a couple days now. I will be doing it again tomorrow to make sure but I this has been the best I solution I have tried so far. I used Manuka Honey too which is supposed to have more antimicrobial/antibacterial properties.
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Das (Washington, Dc, US) on 11/01/2012
Hello Everyone, I am a pretty healthy 26 year old female who used to suffer from BV for quite some time and tried just about everything recommended on this forum. I used to have an Mirena IUD for a year before I started having BV. After trying several over the counter and prescription treatments and having returning systems, I decided to have my IUD removed after another 8 months. After the removal I was still having persistent BV and it was really affecting my sex life and emotional state with my husband. I was blaming him for cheating and started to become paranoid about my hygiene; washing more than necessary and the stress I was putting myself through would make the symptoms worse.
Then 4 months after my IUD removal I found out I had not only BV but also HSV-2 (genital herpes); my husband doesn't have it; I had contracted it from one of my past partners which I beat myself up about for some time. We are both faithful to each other and him seeing me like this made him start researching with me supplements and home remedies I could start using that would help me with outbreaks because the prescriptions were not working at all. He also started to wash himself with hypoallergenic soap before we would have sex and got a prescription of Tinidazole just in case he had BV and was re-infecting me.
Another of my solutions was holistic counseling; for me and my husband but it was more for me because my level of stress and it really helped me in taking back control over my life. I also workout more, at least 2 times a week but aim for 3.
As for supplements, which have been just as beneficial as counseling and exercise, I found on several forums for herpes that people were using Super Lysine for their outbreaks and it was working better than the prescription pills. I started taking Super Lysine, the ___ Women's Energy Multivitamin, and an extra 1000mg of B-12 every day and have not suffered from BV or another Herpes outbreak for the past 8 months. This has been a major improvement for me because I was having outbreaks sometimes twice a month and it would always be before my menstrual cycle. You can buy Super Lysine online or I have found it in Whole Foods and Wegmans, but if you can't find it buy 1000 mg L-Lysine separate with Echinacea-Golden Seal Complex; this mix works just the same as the Super Lysine. When I first started taking Super Lysine I would take the recommended dose of 1500mg (3pill/day) and add in another 2000mg of L-Lysine a day; the extra Lysine was for the herpes.
Recently my sister was suffering from an intense BV outbreak and I had her take 1000 mg of L-Lysine once that morning and then for lunch and by the afternoon she was feeling back to her normal self except for it making her go to the bathroom. She doesn't have more than one bowel movent a day if that, so she felt like the Lysine gave her the runs but it was really cleaning the toxins out of her body. Please go research Lysine for yourself you will be happy with what you find out about it!
I have tried almost every remedy on this website, food grade H2O2 with liquid Acidophilus works for a while but when I would run out my BV would come back immediately, so I now only drink liquid Acidophilus for helping me with digestion issues and when I have acid reflux. I had been trying so many different supplements and remedies for s few months that I ended up throwing away several products that I did not see results with after a month of using them. I also stopped eating meat; I consume fish and daily.
Lastly if my solutions do not help you or if you have found something else that provides you some relief, keep searching and trying to find what works the best for you. There is a solution to here just like with all our problems; and please stop stressing it will not only cause you to keep having BV but it will cause you to lose control of what's most important, and that is yourself!
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Love (Raleigh, Nc) on 10/28/2012
★★★★★
I have stoped using tampons & started using pads!!!!! I drink plenty of water and I don't eat as much white bread, which is hard not to eat bagels with cream cheese but I do eat in it moderation. I watch my sugars & fried foods. I used to get them monthly for no reason, I was even told I was too clean during a visit to my GYN?? I stopped getting the (Metro/Flagyl) medication from the health department & went to a different facility to filled my Rx. My last and final time the pills were newer & fresher if that makes any sense.
Tea Tree Oil
Posted by Isis (Toronto, Ontario) on 10/17/2012
★★★★★
Tea Tree oil saved my life. I had a bad case of BV for over a year and all the medication in the world wasn't helping. I developed a severe anxiety problem from the constant embarassment of the wretched smell that followed me everywhere. One day in my desperation for a cure I read about T. T. O and took a 100 organic cotton tampon and dipped it in a small portion of water mixed with drops of T. T. O. I kid you not, within two hours the smell was gone! After paying $35 I don't know how many times to buy these random different types of medication that the doctor was giving me that didn't even work, the T. T. O that was sitting in my medicine cabinet for half a year did the trick. Before spending money you don't have try T. T. O. and if by the end of the day it's not working, then perhaps you should think about getting medication.
Yogurt
Posted by Ana (Stockton, Ca/usa) on 10/11/2012
but her question was, can she use it during her menstrual cycle? I like to know too :)
Yogurt
Posted by Amber (Los Angelos, California) on 09/17/2012
★☆☆☆☆
Hi my name is carol and I have had this BV crap for 12 years, I just do not know what to do anymore, I really do not, I have been to the gyn many times and tried just about evrything and Nothing has worked:(( my vagina smell was so bad it smelled up a whole room, that is beyond embarassing that is like sucide depresion for me, I wish I had known about bv , because the last thing a woman wants is a smell from down there, I never knew about ph balance down there, mine is 5.1 so that is bad, suppose to be lower, my diet is excellent and Im not a junk food person, no soda, just water and pure cranberry juice, Im so very sad and lonely, my friends have no idea what Im talking about, not even my mother, where did this bv come from? and start attacking all of us??? this thing is on the rise and soon it will be some sort of epidemic because it seems to have NO CURE!!! Im another person now, I do not even reconize me anymore, even at work I know they can smell me, u can not hide that fish smell, Im not gonna swallow a bunch of pills that do not work, the yogurt does not work because that is not the strain of lactobacillus u need :(( acv, tt oil cc oil did nothing, HP douche, no, I do not see anyone here who have really cured themselves:((( the gyn's need to do something, r we all suppose to live with discharge and fish odor till the day we die? frightning thought... Damn
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Shomabe (Sheffield, Uk) on 09/12/2012
★★★★★
I too suffered with this for nearly a year and a half. I had various treatments including antibiotics for 5 days and also one dose of 5 tablets at once I also tried the internal creams but nothing cleared it completely. However, each treatment seemed to make it a little better each time. I did the common mistake of washing like mad with soap and this made the discharge worse. I finally got rid of it by going to my gp and asking for the 5 day course of metronidazole antibiotics and metronidazole gel as this worked better than the cream. I had aqueous cream to wash my vaginal area in the shower. I just put loads of this onto a flannel the same as I would shower gel as it is not perfumed. I also took 3 dried capsules of acidophilus in the morning with a yoghurt, 1 folic acid tablet and one of the dissolvable vitamin c tablets. I recently needed to have a smear done and while I was there I got the nurse to swab me for bv and the result came back clear..... Finally! :-). I hope this remedy helps anyone else unlucky enough to suffer with this as I know it's sooooo difficult to get rid of. Please let me know if it works for you.
Povidone Iodine
Posted by Sarah (USA) on 09/07/2012
In lieu of povidine-iodine swabsticks, you can make your own povidine-iodine douches or purchase betadine(povidine iodine) feminine washes premade. It's an easy search online to find the studies showing this simple solution cured a majority of BV cases. The iodine is supposed to encourage the regrowth of lactobilli.
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Kate22 (Toronto, Ontario) on 09/07/2012
I have suffered from BV for almost 3 years. It is affecting my sexual relationship with my boyfriend and making me a nervous wreck, always wondering if other people can smell me. This past week I came across this amazing website and offered trial and error solutions.
I am now on day 3 of the H202 and water douche combo, alongside taking Acidophilus, Folic Acid, Vitamins B6/12, and Vitamin D3. Things seem to be working. For the first time of not having to take the embarrassing prescription from my GP, the smell is gone. But I'm having one question...
Im currently on Nuvaring. I have not taken it out when doing the douches. Does anyone know if the Hydrogen Peroxide will damage the Nuvaring. And will it lesson the Pregnance protection (less effective)? Has anyone ever had this question or shares in the same experience with the Nuvaring?
Thank you for saving my sanity! Kate
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Sotiredoffeelingthisway (Shreveport, La) on 09/03/2012
Thanks so much for posting this comment. I have had some success with the Hydro douche. But over time it just did not work, and actually just made the situation worse. I came to this site everyday for about 6 months trying to get a cure. I cry almost every other day about my Bv making me a outcast, a joke at my job. Strangers in public looking at you like you are disgusting, like I can change whats wrong with me. Went to multiple doctors, raked up lots of medical bills, and of course, no one had a cure. I have a little daughter that is 3 years old. She has told me at times when she gets close to me to read a book, or even to give me a hug, she backs away and says "ewww Mommy! You stink down there! " Wow, I laughed first, then cried later on like crazy. I tried the lemon and apple cider not only because you said it worked for you, but you have reasons why it would work. That was very helpful. For the first time in a long time(since I tried the Hydro) The smell was drasticly gone. It has only been a few days, but the reason I am posting this so early is because my daugter gave me a hug coming home from work, she smelled me and smelled me again and said, "Mommy, you dont smell! " I Laughed, but of course cried again, but this time a good cry. I will try to post again soon to give a update. Also I am taking A very well know probiotic for women. I also believe you need to try multiple remedy's to attack this problem. Thanks to all the wonderful ladies that post there stories. Helps me get thru the day to know there are alot of us constantly searching for a true cure for this horrible issue.
Vitamin D
Posted by Iamnotsam (Soca, Ca, Usa) on 08/29/2012
I've used vitamin D3 50,000 IU capsules 3x a week orally with great benefit, but no relief from BV. As such, I found a study that showed benefit for using the capsules as a suppository for dysplasia, HPV, and BV. I've begun doing this and after one dose, I am 50% better. I mixed in a 00 capsule the powder from a 50,000 IU Vitamin D3 and from a Lactobacillus
acidophilus capsule and used coconut oil on the outside for inserting. For resistant BV, dysplasia, or HPV, it is worth a shot!
Read this, http://scienceindex.com/stories/1563216/Chronical_cervical_infections_and_dysplasia_CIN_I_CIN_IIvaginal_vitamin_D_high_dose_treatment_a_new_effective_method.html#.UD58JBw7jww
It should be noted, I get my blood levels tested every 6 months and I've never once had an excessive level or adverse reaction from doses at 150, 000IU's per week. In fact, some times my levels are still below 50 ng/ml! I don't know why folks are so scared of high dose vitamin D, as there are few cases of adverse reactions and NOBODY has ever been documented dying from excess amounts, ever!
In addition, when I am sick my doctor instructs me to take 1,000 IU's per body weight for 3 days. I've done this on numerous occasions without problem and with great results.
Oregano Oil
Posted by Timh (Louisville, Ky, Usa) on 08/28/2012 2042 posts
Shannon, reporting from outside the female department, I have been having success w/ a similar mix of Grapefruitseed Liquid Concentrate in standard vegetable oil inserted w/ fleet enema bottle rectally for the treatment of parasites and fungal infection. As my condition fluctuates, I must adjust the amount of Grapefruitseed as it can burn. I suppose the Oregano is about equal strength as Grapefruitseed but the latter has no odor and may be more bang-for-the-buck.
