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.
Goldenseal
Posted by Elizabeth (Los Angeles, CA) on 03/11/2009
★★★★★
Golden seal cured BV for me.
I've been suffering from BV for 8 months and I've tried Folic Acid and Acidophellus (spell check) but neither worked, I douche with Peroxide and water which only lasted for 3 days but recently I tried finding boric acid and had no luck but I did have Golden Seal which cures most infections so I decided to insert it inside of the vaginal and the next morning I had no signs of BV so I did the same the next night and still no signs the next morning. The only thing is I have to wear a panty liner because it does leak out the next day.
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Miss N (Boston, MA) on 02/22/2009
★★★★★
I had been dealing with bacterial vaginosis for over a year. The problem is I didn't realize I had the ailment at first. It went untreated for a year. I noticed a fishy smell during intercourse with my boyfriend at the time, but thought I didn't shower good enough and my period was coming soon. After we broke up, I didn't smell anything so I had no idea something was wrong.
I began dating a new guy about a year later and noticed the strong fish smell during/after sex. This happened with or without condoms. Immediately, I went to see my doctor. She prescribed the metrogel and I thought I'd be cured. Wrong. I went back to see my doctor and she prescribed the metrogel for the second time. I thought I would be cured. Wrong.
I asked my doctor for flagyl, but she refused to give it to me. She said it doesn't work and women often get sick. I immediately started to panic right there and then in her office. I was anxious, embarrassed, and depressed, to be honest.
I started douching with part hydrogen peroxide/part distilled water. The smell was gone! I thought I had my sex life back again, but after the fourth day of douching, my vagina was on fire.
Since my doctor was of no help, I went to one of the best hospitals in the city and they prescribed flagyl. I didn't get sick and the infection went away. For maintenance, I've been taking a probiotic, acidophilus, garlic, and folic acid. (once or twice a day) I believe I had a folic acid deficiency caused by years of smoking and tanning beds.
Anyway, I've been checking my ph balance with the screening kits and I've been registering at 4.5. (normal) Also, I had sex with my boyfriend last night and there was no smell in the room. Not to get too personal, but he said I tasted, "sweet."
I pray the infection doesn't return and I wish you all the best. My thoughts are with you.
Multiple Remedies
Posted by VNG (Mobile, Alabama) on 01/25/2009
Hi, im so so glad that i found this site. Im 20 years old and have been dealing with bv for only a year now. I am sexually active and have been with the same person for 5 years now and it all seemed to come about after my boyfriend ejaculated in me a year ago. It has been down hill since then.I have also been to the docter and been perscribed flagyl which only cured it for a few weeks. The smell is jus so embarrasing that i would stop in the middle of intercourse. I found this site 2 days ago and have been reading all the different remedies. I went out first thing this morning and brought 400mcg folic acid pills, 3% hydrogen peroxide, and 500 million cfu acidophilus. I have only taken 2 folic acid pills and 1 acido pill and will take another folic acid and acido pill tonite. Im sceptical about using the douche because ive heard it was not healthy. Hopefully the pills cure it, if not i will add the douche to my regimen. Im hoping and praying that it works cuz i have really been stressin myself about this lately. I will write back in a few days to tell of any success. Wish me luck!!!
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Mary (Springfield, Illinois) on 01/17/2009
★★★★★
I took Amoxicillin for 10 days and it helped. When I started the Amoxicillin, I immediately stopped inserting ANYTHING in my vagina (penises, fingers, tampons, toys, douches, applicators) and I shaved off all pubic hair for cleanliness. Then, EVERY DAY, I drank one glass of organic, plain Kefir; ate one cup of organic, plain yogurt; took one probiotic pill for vaginal support made by Renew Life; took 4 dried garlic pills by Kyolic; and took 150 mg of vitamin c in powder form. It's been 2 weeks and I feel great! I am going to continue to do all of these things every day for the rest of my life, though. It will be even more important when I resume intercourse, which may be a long time from now, but it's worth the wait.
Tea Tree Oil
Posted by Sarah (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) on 01/28/2012
★★★★☆
I have been suffering for over two and a half months with something that seems to have some properties from both a yeast infection and BV. I have tried so many things from prescription creams to Canestin. I've even tried some apple cider vinegar, yogurt, salt baths, vinegar baths and anything else I could find already in this house (Luckily my parents had all this already).
Then I read online about Tea Tree oil and remembered luckily seeing a bottle of it in the cupbord. At first though, using it by itself made things a bit worse. It is a very strong antifungal, can sting and make any redness/itchyness a bit worse. So then back to the stuff that wasn't really working I went. After a bit more time though I despirately went back to the clinic to have the infection looked at again. I had a lot of redness/itching/discharge. I was prescribed Monistat and a vaginal douche to use with some plain white vinegar mixed with a litre of water. So far the douche is working decently but the Monistat treatment has been over for a couple days now and hasn't worked much. Anyway as soon as the Monistat treatment was over I had searched online again and saw that Tea Tree Oil was one of the most recommended remedies for yeast and BV but that it should be diluted with water. I hadn't noticed the diluted part before so I then went and put all of what was left, about 1 tablespoon, into a 500ml bottle and filled the rest with water and throughly shook it to mix it up.
Now I use the plain white vinegar douche for the internal part of the infection and the diluted Tea Tree Oil on a clean soft tissue as a topical to help with the external part of the infection and to help clear the itching/redness. I use the douche once a day before bed to clear all the junk out from the day and the diluted Tea Tree Oil at least 2-3 times a day after I go to the washroom and/or bathe, plus I use no soap. So far the infection is slowly going away and I am so happy about this.:)
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Desesperada (Mayaguez, PR) on 11/11/2008
★☆☆☆☆
I was searching like you all, because I'm desperate, I have this condition like 3 years and I go to 3 different doctors, (sorry if my english is not beter I'm not from United States and I not live there), and I am very happy to enter to this site because I feel alone in this world and I was thinking that I was the only one that have the problem that BV does not give away with the antibiotics. I will try all the remedies that you post it, because I tried a variety of different antibioticos (Flagyl, Metro-Gel, Cipro, Levaquin, Diflucan) and no one has long term results and I spend a lot of money because my medical insurance does not cover medicines. I am tired of this, this cause me depression, shame and ansiety disorder because I feel alone, now this site was like a support and give me hope, I read about some of you that has ten years with this condition uFFF! If some of this remedies work for me I will send you another message ok. I hope all can find something that gives away this nightmare.
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Andrea (Clinton Twp., MI) on 11/09/2008
This is in response to your blog, Rene...I know you are frustrated and just want to have a healthy sex life! BV is horrible! I have been suffering from it for over a year, and i have done countless experiments with several at home remedies. Let me tell you i'm almost better, not 100% yet, but almost! Here is why your bv comes back after sex...(this may be a bit long, but it will help you) This was confirmed by my new GYN just a couple weeks ago:
BV is caused by a change in the ph of your vagina. Your vagina should be in the ph range of 4.0-4.5, an acidic environment. If the ph goes higher than that range, this causes an overgrowth of the bad bacteria that exist in our vagina, and a depletion of the good bacteria (lactobacillus acidophilus). If the vagina is in the proper ph range, the lactobacilli should outnumber the bad bacteria and keep your vag. in the correct ph range. these good bacteria produce an acidic environment, and the acidic environment keep the good bacteria (this is a constant circle, so it is important to keep tabs on your ph). The reason the semen is causing your bv is likely because semen has a ph of about 7.0-8.0 (don't quote me on that, i don't know the exact number, but i know that semen has a significantly higher ph than the vagina calls for). When you have unprotected sex, the semen (ph of 7.0) interrupts the normal state of the vagina (ph of 4.0), thus causing a depletion of the lactobacilli and overgrowth of bad bacteria, causing bv.
This to me is BS, because our bodies were made to procreate, and how do you do that without semen, right? If I were you, I would keep tabs on your vaginal ph on a regular basis with one of those kits you can buy at the store (about $16, but VERY worth it and better than doctors bills!!). Also, after sex, you may want to douche with half organic apple cider vinegar/half distilled or previously boiled water. ACV has a ph level of 3.0-4.0, which is perfect for restoring the ph of the vagina. Be sure to take Lactobacillus Acidophilus supplements every day. You can do this orally, and if that is not enough, you can apply vaginally with plain yogurt or just putting a pill up there. The most important ingredient in the vagina is the lactobacilli, so if you have to pick one thing, i would choose that. I really hope this helps. You sound frustrated, and i don't blame you! And, remember that the doctors arent telling you the whole story most of the time, so you may want to continue doing some research on your own and experimenting with different home remdies. Everyone's body reacts differently so be sure to choose the correct remedy for your body.
Good luck!
Garlic
Posted by Aminta (Charlotte, NC) on 10/11/2008
★★★★★
I want to thank earthclinic.com for starting this website. It has truly been a blessing to me. I am writing to let you ladies know that, although no one commented that they used fresh garlic as a cure, it really works. I have suffered from BV for 3 yrs (since my husband cheated on me). Every other month after that I was getting recurrences of BV. Like the rest of you, neither the cream's nor pill's got rid of the BV for good. I recently was reading up on how natural garlic heal's so many ailment's. So, I bought so garlic, peeled it and wrapped it in gauze. I tied it with dental floss and inserted it in my vagina once a day, preferably at night before bed. I would remove the garlic every morning before taking my shower. I did this for 7 day's and I am symptom free still today. The bad thing about it is that the smell of garlic doesn't wear off for a while so if you are sexually active often then I wouldn't recommend this home remedy. I hope this remedy help's you ladies. It is alot cheaper on your pocket's. I bought 2 bulb's of garlic for under $1.00.
EC: That's true, Aminta -- hundreds of responses, but no mention of garlic for bacterial vaginosis. Thanks for the new remedy!
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Marcy (Waterford, MI) on 08/14/2008
I do believe that bacterial vaginosis can be caused by oral sex, I read some research on this. I'm a dental hygienist, and I know that many poeple do not brush and floss properly to control the harmful bacteria in thier mouth. Diet, also can be a big factor with many people who consume processed foods, and refined carbs.
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Karen (Millbury, Massachusetts) on 05/12/2008
★★★★★
Bacterial Vaginosis: Mixed Cure. Hi! I want to thank all of you ladies and the owners of this site for all of the help! I have had BV for a few months now and I feel like I'm finally free of this horrible infection. I started with Flagyl thinking that this would be the only way to get rid of it and after getting another infection, I decided it was war! I refused to go back on that strong drug so I did all that was recommended and more. Here's what I did... I bought 800mg.of folic acid and took 3 a day along with live probiotics, Activia yogurt twice a day and used tea tree oil diluted with water at the start to ease the pain and redness. I also bought Yeastgard douche and used the 2 bottles of that just one per day. It was inexpensive and you can get it at any major drug store. I also bought hydrogen peroxide and povodine and did a douche with that diluted with water. I also broke open a capsule of the probiotic and used my finger to put it inside of my vagina. I have been proactive about eating my garlic in soup and drinking unsweetened cranberry juice with seltzer water.It's all working! It seems like I'm feeling better than I have in years! I'll bet I've had this for a very long time since I thought it was 'normal' to wear pantiliners all the time! Well, it will be a new way of life for me but a much healthier one. I hope I've helped someone else who is suffering from this.
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Robin (Hobart, Tasmania, Australia) on 05/05/2008
★★★★★
I have been suffering for years (about 5) with what seemed a bit like a yeast infection (but no yeasty discharge), fishy/unpleasant smell, itching and a lot of burning upon urination. Sex is difficult because it almost always ends up with me fighting all the old symptoms mentioned above. I just felt that my health was going down the tubes- there was no spark and the constant pain made me a regular at my doctor's office. I had many swabs which showed a heavy population of Gardnerella and you know what that means- more antibiotics. Of course, when I was feeling at my worst- burning/itching/discharge that was greyish, and sometimes there was an oder- I would take the antibiotics. However, it never helped for very long. I finally got tired of taking the antibiotics and suffering with all the stomach problems that ensued. So, I thought I would take control of my own health and I searched various websites for information. Last year, I found Earth Clinic and read all the messages from miserable women all over the world suffering from what I assume to be b.v. I tried all sorts of things because I wanted to be healed of this monster. Here are things which have helped:
a. tea tree oil and vitamin E on a tampon. The tea tree oil worked well and the Vitamin E kept me from drying out. I am peri-menopausal and do not need a dried out vagina.
b. eating lots of plain yogurt and taking acidophilus powder dissolved in water each day.
c. Wiping myself off with 3% hydrogen peroxide a few times a week. It nukes the bacteria brilliantly! e. I took cranberry tablets to help against bladder infections that often seem to accompany the b.v.
All these things worked fairly well, but then I stumbled upon cayenne pepper, and this seems to be the key ingredient- the cherry on the cake. Here is what helps me- I find the hottest chilipepper sauce that I can find- Tabasco or Sriracha sauce. I put about 2 tablespoons of the hotsauce, or even cayenne pepper powder, in a cup and add some hot water. I drink this about 3-4 times per day and eat a lot of chili peppers when I can. I have found that the addition of the chilies/chili sauce/cayenne pepper has been a marvelous tonic. It gives me a bit of a warm pepper 'rush', it alkalizes my blood and it helps against the burning and itching pain that always seems to be present. Chilies are great for the circulation and I suppose for that reason alone, it seems to get to the inflammation that always seems present with b.v
Oh yes- I blow dry myself each morning after a shower and I do not use soap anymore when washing the vaginal area.I use something like a non-soap, Ph balanced product. Just to keep the area moist, I use Vitamin E once a week as a vaginal lubricant. It is also important to cut down on sugar, as that feeds bacteria. I drink lots of water and cut down on coffee and alcohol. It helps to consider why you might be run down to the point of having this annoying infection. Be gentle on your self. These things have helped me immeasurably and I thank all the angels out there who offered up their remedies. One did not do the trick, but many have helped. Perhaps my remedies will help someone. Thanks Earth Clinic!
Supplements
Posted by Anonymous (La Plata, MD) on 04/28/2008
★★★★★
O.K. I'd first like to say, that is completely absurd to think that all causes of BV are STD related! If that was the case how do we explain the millions of women how haven't had sex that have BV. And as far as I'm concerned I don't think that BV is sex related, but that's my opinion. A couple of months ago I bought some Hydrogen Peroxide, Probiotic tablets, folic acid, and zinc. Needles to say the hydrogen peroxide caused a horrible smell and the probiotic upset my stomach. But I continued to use the folic acid and the zinc; I actually noticed a mild difference. Not entirely satisfied I figured I needed to do something more soooo.... I threw out all my detergents and soaps! I now use Purell (Allergy free ) detergent on my clothes and Aquaphor baby soap and VOILA... nothing! So What Worked For Me: 1 dose of zinc 1 dose of folic acid 800mg Allergy free detergent (Purell) Allergy free soap (Aquaphor).
Tea Tree Oil
Posted by Kris (Orlando, FL) on 10/26/2007
★★★★★
I have suffered from recurring BV. I always use Tea tree oil soaked tampons for a day. I've also used no rub saline solution (yes the ones for contacts) a douche. This sterile solution is safe enough for my eyes, plus it contains boric acid. I noticed a change immediately.
Colloidal Silver
Posted by Reese (California) on 11/18/2023
★★★★★
This is my first and hopefully last encounter with BV and it's been just awful. It took me a while to be certain things were off and it progressed to a nightmarish state really quickly. Everything was so swollen and raw and irritated down there. Even my urethra was so swollen and irritated I could barely urinate and it burned like crazy when I did. I tried the top remedies, and hydrogen peroxide definitely helped ease the symptoms, but after 10 days it wasn't getting better and I did the whole process of douche with hips up to let it simmer a bit. Eventually this became too painful as I was too swollen to even insert the nozzle. Boric acid just made the burn unbearable and I quit after 2 tries. I don't know if I was just too acidic or how it works, but I know boric acid shouldn't burn but it DID, a lot. Diluted ACV also burned, of course, but it did bring relief after the burn subsided. Not for very long, unfortunately. I only somewhat had faith in colloidal silver but I had it (homemade) so I figured I might as well try it. I drank about a tablespoon every 4 hours and after just a few hours things felt better, and after one day my symptoms nearly vanished. Finally day 12, day 2 of colloidal silver, my symptoms are completely gone and everything is back to normal. I'm so mad I didn't try this first! I let all the stuff online about it being useless get to my head. It works!
Garlic
Posted by Madelyn (Idaho ) on 01/15/2024
Hi Norma, is the NAET course you're referring to something you need to see a practitioner for, or a learning course that you can take and then treat yourself?
BV Prevention Tips
Posted by Dena (New Orleans, LA) on 11/17/2022
★★★★★
Bv caused me to suffer for years since I was a teen. I made changes that has kept me bv free. Many women are reinfecting themselves and they don't know it. To avoid reinfection you have to kill bv in your underwear by washing them in hot water and unscented washing powder. Avoid all scented washing liquids and bath soaps. I use All brand unscented and dove unscented soap for bathing. Drink lots of Chlorophyll water and cranberry juice. This will balance the body ph. Drink lemon water warm with stevia or honey. Drink unsweetened teas and cut sugar out your diet until it's gone. Low sugar fruits are good to eat. Avoid breads and rice until the bv is gone. Douche with hydrogen peroxide and 1/3 cup of bottle water warm. I use a ear dropper for douching. You don't want to use too much water to avoid knocking out your good vaginal flora. Take probiotics and drink probiotics drinks like kumbachi tea at Walmart. Take all medication the doctor give you and make sure to get a wrap prep test regularly from doctor along with a G/C test to check for vaginal stds. Check for blood stds at stdcheck website. For vaginal stds a vaginal test is more accurate than a urine test.
Hydrogen Peroxide, Tea Tree Oil
Posted by Line (Denmark) on 03/22/2022
What do you mean by douche? did you lay down and leave the liquid up there for a while?
Hydrogen Peroxide, Tea Tree Oil
Posted by Rita (St Louis, MO) on 10/14/2024
★★★★★
This worked! Immediately!
Probiotics, Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Nina (Philippines) on 11/28/2020
★★★★★
Hi EC family!
I just want to tell you how happy I am and thank you for sharing all your experiences.
It all started two years ago, after I got the worse uti! My pee was blood red, in so much pain. I went to the doctor and she told me to take cefuroxine axetil 2x/day for 7 days. My uti cleared but noticed that I was having bad discharge n fishy smell.
I tried everything to no avail. On and off it went. I took antibiotic upon antibiotic, no cure. Worse than ever. The smell was just revolting and I slowly lost my confidence in bed and stayed away from my partner. He was very supportive and tried his best to understand me but at times he would mention the smell and how embarrassed I was!
I do know what you all went through and how horribly clean you all are and yet this thing happens.
Thank God I read all your wonderful testimonies. I would like to share my experience in hope that it would help many women going through this.
- I bought probiotics specifically for womens health 9.8 billion cfu, several bottles of 3% hydrogen peroxide, tampons and a douche bottle.
- I douched at night from 50/50 mix with distlled water. Going up till I could tolerate a pure 3%hydrogen peroxide douche.
- In the morning id soak a tampon with hydrogen peroxide and insert it as far as I could and leave it for 15 minutes.
- I took one probiotic pill by mouth and I'd insert another inside my vagina pushing it as far as I can.
I did that for a week. I noticed that the smell slowly diminished.
On the second week I did not douche as much anymore coz the discharge and smell was nearly gone. I douched only twice a week n did not insert any hydrogen peroxide soaked tampon. I continued taking the probiotics. For the probiotic vaginal insert, I just opened the capsule got about a pinch of the powder n inserted it inside as far back as I could.
Also after being intimate, douched wd hydrogen peroxide and probiotic inserts were done.
Now I have zero discharge, no smell at all even my partner said the smell is gone! Plus my backache has gone as well. I'm not using any panty liners anymore. I'm cured! Thank God!
Ah it did bleach my pubic hair blond lol!
Check Your Toilet Paper
Posted by MsKris (Philadelphia, PA) on 05/23/2022
Wow!! I'm wondering if that's the issue or panty liners. I've tried the Boric acid suppositories and thought it was going away but then it came right back. I need the liners for the discharge. I also used Lume to cleanse so I'm just going to stop everything when I have several days off and try the peroxide solution. Also I'll get different toilet paper.
Oregano Oil
Posted by Anon (Not Canada) on 06/28/2020
Wrinse out the vag with pure water before starting the oils and it will probably work even better.
Saline Solution
Posted by N Epp (Ohio) on 06/16/2020
★★★★★
I just want to add my experience to this BV section so that it might help someone else, because all the input I have read has been very helpful to me. I was about to start taking Humira for Arthritis in March. Of course I got BV right before. Went to doctor because I knew I had to clear up quickly since the Humira would reduce my ability to fight infections. Even though the last time I was given antibiotics for BV they did not work, I tried again. They did not work! came back after 2 days off of antibiotics. Went back to Boric acid suppositories. They did not seem to be working, but I kept using and hoping and adding anything else that I read that I had in the house (lockdown was happening). Won't go into everything I tried, nothing was working. I saw a video on youtube where a young lady was talking about her cure. Then she made an additional video and mentioned that if her treatment didn't help others (salt in a sitzbath), it may be candida (yeast). At this point it is mid June. I started the infection in mid March. I was so frustrated and really about to breakdown. I realized that the smell had been gone for a long time, it was the discharge that kept coming back. It looked to have a color (greenish or yellowish) so I kept thinking it was infection. I decided one night at 3am when I was searching for cures to look at cures for yeast infections on this site. Some ladies mentioned using a douche of Dr. NeilMeds sinus powder (meant for sinus infections). I happened to have some from purchase of Neti pots for my husband. I started using that and am on day 3 of doing twice a day. I think it may be doing the trick. I will repost in a week or so to say if it worked. Going to use for another day or two. FYI Stopped Humira after 2,1/2 months because I thought it was preventing me from clearing infection. Now taking borax for arthritis too. I just wanted to add in case others may think they are not getting rid of infection it may be yeast. I know most BV treatments are supposed to work on yeast also, but may be not all forms. Thanks. Please give feedback if you have any.
Saline Solution
Posted by Anon (Not Canada) on 06/17/2020
Tea tree oil worked for me when other methods failed: Empty a gel cap and refill it with tea tree oil neat, recap the gelcap loosely, insert, and crush the gelcap open, stir it around to distribute. You may have to do it once a day for a few days. If it irritates the labia apply coconut oil there, but avoid diluting the tea tree oil.
Monolaurin
Posted by Su (Dubai) on 10/31/2020
How did u cope with the die off?
Did u have to take a week off work?
What were the symptons?
Where did u get this tablet from?
Thank you for your comments ... I have a feeling I'm going to be needing this soon.
