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.
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Lady2010 (Boston, Ma) on 11/29/2010
So like all of you I too suffer with BV. I am going to try these natural remedies that have been posted. I have gone to the doctor and had to get two presciptions to clear the problem, but did not go away. Wouldn't you guess what I would have to go back for? To get my vagina checked and for them to tell me what I already know. It is embarassing to go back to the doctor for this problem, and to have to pick it up from the pharmacy. I have tried the plain yogurt on the tampon, but it hasn't seem to get rid of this. Sooo I am going to try the folic acid, and acidophilus tablets, taking them orally and one in the lady parts, lol. Also use a 1/2 hydrogen peroxide 1/2 water douche. I hope this works. Good Luck
Yogurt
Posted by Michelle (Miami, Fl) on 11/25/2010
Lady's please try the plain yogurt with live cultures. It worked for me-all better now!! No odor no discharge it's going on my fourth day since I been using this treatment. Nothing but HEAVEN!!! Just soak a tampon in the yogurt insert in in the vagina and wait to see results. It really worked for me. Try it ladies I think it's worth it. I'm so happy, I finally feel free. Now I can live again. Good luck ladies I wish you the best!
Supplements
Posted by Screenname (Athens, Oh) on 11/10/2010
How long did you take this before you noticed it had disappeared?
Yogurt
Posted by Kl (Ny) on 10/31/2010
★★★★★
I have suffered with bv for 8yrs on and off. The past 3 years have been horrible. Every single time I have been intimate with my bf I get the horrible odor the day after. It has affected my relationship and my whole life. I have been so depressed. The first few years I would go to the metro gel but of course it would always come back. I decided to try the acidophilus, folic acid, and peroxide douche but everytime I had sex it would still come back even with a condom. I tried the tampon in yogurt a few times but it didnt do much. I just cant keep enuff good bacteria "down there". The acidophilus might not be living thru my digestive track.
I decided to try the yogurt without the tampon. I used the tube applicator I got with the metro gel and got plain greek yogurt. Filled the entire applicator and put it in. I feel like I wasted 8 yrs looking for a cure when it was right in front of me. No smell! Nothing! After sex I just put in the yogurt to keep the good bacteria thriving. I feel so free now, dont have to worry about turning down my bf and making up excuses. Please give this a try, it save my relationship and my sanity!
Multiple Remedies
Posted by London (Sandusky, Ohio, 44870) on 10/25/2010
Right on!! Condoms, thong underwear, sweat, baths, non cotton underwear, just about anything can give me BV. One thing that helped alot was washing my cotton underwear seperately in a fragrance free, all natural, coconut oil based detergent (kind you get in the health food store, or the natural, "greenie" section of wal mart). I wash my other clothes in Gain. I use seventh generation brand. My infections stopped around the time I started doing this.
Garlic
Posted by Ms.911 (Baltimore, Md, Usa) on 10/05/2010
I was looking on here and a few women said they used garlic up there VJ and it made there bv go away. So I went and got me some garlic capsule 546mg. I put 2 capsules up n my VJ and went to bed the night morning I had no sign of BV. The garlic I could smell alil got to me I was like ugh @ work lol. But when I got home I took a hot/ warm bath opened up took my clean finger and let clean water go up n there by that night the garlic smell was bout gone and I didnt smell any Bv or have anymore discharge :)
Garlic
Posted by Ms.911 (Baltimore, Md) on 10/05/2010
Ok so I seen on here where woman said that garlic works so I went to the store and got the capsule of garlic 546mg I put two of them up in my VJ b4 bed in the morning the discharge was gone. OK so CAN any one please tell me how long will it smell like garlic with all that to say thanks my BV is gone. Please let me no
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Desperate In The United States (Anderson, South Carolina, United States) on 10/01/2010
★★★★☆
I hope this reaches all of the women out there who seem to now be struggling with this "disease". I discovered I was having issues with "infections" after the birth of my first child. First of all, my OBGYN gave me a horrible episiotomy, which is what I believe really triggered all of this. I will never know what is the true cause of it. I believe that later doctors will find that this is happening more and more with women now. Until they really put forth their energy into paying attention to this "disease", will they ever really find a cure for it. After my horrible epesiotomy I began having cramping issues. My OBGYN gave me pain medicine. He said that it was nothing. I then proceeded to have horrible cramping for the next several months. I then had what felt like a horrible Urinary Tract infection. He gave me an antibiotic I was prescribed to take every day for the rest of my life. Shortly after this, I had what seemed to be the most horrible yeast infection. He gave me Terazol Cream. After this, I felt a little better, but I went through horrible days of cramping and in the mean time was having terrible discharge after intercourse with my husband. After countless trips and surgery, my doctor told me I had post partum adenomyosis. He said this was the cause of everything. Believing in my doctor and trusting him, I dealt with countless days of pain. Until, another symptom came along. I started having horrible dryness in the vaginal area. I felt terrible. I went to the doctor again and he said that I had no good bacteria and I needed estrogen. He gave me Estradiol inserts and Tindamax. I took the Tindamax but not the Estrogen. I was very skeptical of him at this time. Finally I went to another doctor and discovered that I indeed did not need any estrogen, my hormones were fine by the way, that I had Bacterial Veginosis. He was a very open and understanding doctor and immediately gave me Metrogel and Tindamax. This went on for months and months and now almost a year later, here I am still battling with this God aweful whatever. My doctor actually just took me off of the metrogel and started me on Boric Acid and Acidophulis inserts. The doctors where I live are not about using "non-traditional" medicine. However, I grew up eating healthy and organic, thank you mom. So, I have been researching and trying everything. I have changed my diet, no so sugar and no bread of any kind. I try to eat as organic as possible. I take garlic pills 6, 600 mg, vitamin c 1000 mg, folic acid 1600mg and a probiotic. I also drink Kefir everyday. I am currently trying the Boric acid twice a day for seven days with 2 to 3 acidopholis pills inserted vaginally. My doctor is willing to try anything and everything with me for this BV but carefully monitors what I do, which is very good. He said whatever I am doing seems to be working because every time he checks me, I have a little more Lactobacillus down there then before. I don't know what has caused this or why it doesn't seem to go away, but ladies, it is my advice to keep going. I know you are out there and you have to speak up to your doctors and let them know. If you just do what they tell you to do, you will never get better. I am never going to give up and someday will find a way to get rid of this once and for all. Don't give up! I just thought I would let you know you are not alone, because heaven knows I feel that way a lot. I used to cry constantly because it truly does affect whatever you do, especially if you are a woman. If anyone has any advice, I would be happy to accept it. Good luck everyone!
Lemons
Posted by Anonymous (Sandusky, Ohio) on 09/21/2010
★★★★★
After countless remedies that all do seem to help, I think I finally stumbled onto something that cured my BV for good. Lemon juice. One whole medium sized lemon squeezed in a large bottle of water drank all day everyday for 7 days, will cure BV. Whenever I feel it comin on, I do it, until symptoms are gone. Ive done coconut oil, oregano oil, every kind of vitamin, yogurt, capsules in the vag, boric acid, tea tree oil, apple cider vinegar and peroxide douches, ALL OF IT. Vitamin C, is the most important thing. And alot of it.
Yogurt
Posted by Sonja (Medford, Oregon) on 09/21/2010
★★★★★
I too hadn't experienced the nightmare of BV until my latest boyfriend. I noticed the smell right after sex and was horrified. If we weren't together, it seemed to go away, but would come back immediately after sex. I consulted this site and started taking probiotics which didn't seem to help. I also went to the doc who prescribed something ( I forgot what) which didn't work either. So now months later it flared up again and I was desperate. I decided to go another route and tried the tampon in yogurt (non-fat, plain, organic) and low and behold after a few hours, the smell was gone! I had put it in at night and woke up and took it out after a few hours. Just to be sure, I did it a second night and nothing! I also as a backup bought some acidophilus capsules to take. I didn't want to post until a few days had passed, but now I feel confident about the yogurt remedy. A caveat: when you put the tampon in the yogurt it starts to swell making it harder to insert. I just put it in a small bowl and made sure it was saturated. I would recommend this approach for all of you who have had no luck so far.
Vitamin D
Posted by Amanda (Toronto, Ontario) on 09/21/2010
★★★★★
Ladies start taking 3000IU of vitamin D daily. I tried 1000IU a day years ago and it wasnt enough, quit and forgot all about it. I suffered itchy discharge mid cycle, before and after period, after sex for 7 years. I tried everything like most of you. All tests came back negative. After two days on 3000IU vitamin D3 doses it went away overnight. I have been free of it for 6 months. There are studies done on vitamin d deficiency connected to BV and yeast infection. Just google it. Being in the sun is NOT going to provide sufficient amount of this much needed vitamin which most people are deficient in. According to Dr. Mercola, it is the angle of sunlight that makes the difference, and the further north you go, the less likely you are to get the right rays to make adequate vit D3. If you are in the right place to do so, just a half an hour in the sun is good enough, 15min won't do it.
Alkalize
Posted by Claire (Washington, Dc) on 09/20/2010
★★★★☆
I SUFFERED! From BV symptoms for years!!!! - Super smelly white discharge, itchy-nes, dryness... It was never ending. Several doctors gave me several different answers to what it was. I've heard BV, Vaginosis, Trich, stress induced infection, etc. Well, I tried all of the remedies. Antibiotics, yogurt dipped tampons, acidophilus, douching, etc. The most effective was the acidophilus. But even that didn't work everyday. While reading these posts, I ran acriss a woman who said she changed her diet, started exercising and started drinking teas. I thought "That is way too much" but I found that she was almost spot on.
On my last trip to the doctor (after taking acidophilus for a while), tests revealed that I didnt have BV. But the symptoms remained so I was stumped. After more research on the internet, I stumbled across info on balancing the pH balance of acid and alkaline in the body. Too much acid in the body is a disease state called "Acidosis". Acidosis creates a lot of problems in the body including weak immune system, excess mucus, cold hands and feet, irritability and FUNGAL INFECTIONS. This (so far) has turned out to be the culprit! This also explains why some women find apple cider vinegar douches to be a cure... because ACV is highly alkaline, and reduces acid. So, I made a few tweaks in my diet. Water, OJ and an occasional coffee were my only beverages. So I have completely replaced the extremely acidic OJ with green juice.
You can determine if this might be your problem by taking a litmus test. Health food stores or vitamin shops have litmus strips. Put your saliva on it and it displays your body's pH balance. I took one a few days after discovering this info on Acidosis and found that I had the 2nd highest acidity level! Since changing to an alkaline diet all the symptoms have disappeared except 1. The discharge is still present but not as much and its odorless! I don't even have to wear panty liners everyday nor change them twice a day. Eating salad or drinking green juice is a small price to pay for eliminating this horrible condition!!
Tea Tree Oil
Posted by Wonder (Denver, Co) on 09/09/2010
I don't understand why doctors don't tell you the truth about problems with your ph levels. All you have to do is drink 2 liters of lemon water (1 lemon a liter) a day and your ph levels will go back to where they are supposed to be. If you do have an infection douche with peroxide and water, and drink your lemon water and you will no longer have any problems.
Olive Leaf Extract
Posted by Relievednow (Rocky Mount, Nc) on 08/27/2010
★★★★★
So I have tried everything that you guys have suggested and they worked great temporally. But I started reading about olive leaf extract and olive oil and WOW I AM CURED. Its been 7 days and counting. No burning or irritation. So what I did was took a tbl sp of the extract then I douched with straight 3% Hydrogen Peroxide on the toilet, then I took extra virgin olive oil in a regular dropper and placed it in my vajay jay. Got a towel and let it soak out all night covering every part down there. I still take a tbl sp of the extract everyday and all is well... Good luck I know how u feel.. Let me know if this works for u!
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Kris (Milford, Ct) on 08/20/2010
★☆☆☆☆
Bacterial Vaginosis is ruining my life!
I have been suffering from BV for about one year. I went to the doctor and was prescribed antibiotics, that didn't work, then was prescribed the 5 day cream, that worked, but once I had sex with my boyfriend it came right back. Can men carry this and we are passing it back and forth? At this point, I have been to the doctor so many times, and been on so many creams and it still haunts me. I am so embarrassed by this, my sex life is not the same, I don't even want my boyfriend to touch me because I am horrified! I can smell it so I worry everyone around is wondering what that awful fishy smell is. I don't even want to stand up after sitting at my desk all day if someone is near me because the odor is out of control. I need help. I have tried the peroxide and water solution, I think it made it worse, I have douched, I have tried so many things, and nothing. I can't live like this anymore. I need this to go away and fast. I just bought Femenol, which I found online. I have only been taking it for 3 days, and nothing yet, but I am going to stick it out and finish the bottle to see if that helps. I need some more suggestions and something that will really do the job! Can anyone help?
Multiple Remedies
Posted by J (Charlotte, Nc, United States) on 08/10/2010
★★★★☆
Hi everyone! I hope all of you are feeling better if you are currently suffering and great if you have found your solution. I have a history of BV in various forms (I have formed my own belief that they are all intertwined) - these include Trich, Vaginosis, Vaginitis, and Yeast. I feel there are just different names b/c of different symptoms and viral and bacterial characteristics. Plus, most docs will not admit that they do not know very much about any of them. I never had a Yeast infection until about 2 years ago. I have had 2 since that one. The 2nd one was violent and involved severe cramps (most docs will tell you that Yeast will not cause cramping - BS! Think about what Candida does to the gut), followed by a 3 day bout w/ extreme pain and one day of hemorrhaging following a failed PAP (the practitioner stated that my cervix was tilted). I took Diflucan and rested and it resolved. I have done gel and pill of Metro for BV before. I have not done those recently, thank goodness. The last Yeast brought on a case of BV. I used regular drugstore 3% hydrogen peroxide on a tampon for about 3 days. I found this remedy here. Worked like a charm! Then here we are about a month later, and I smelled that damn smell again. My partner and I are very sexually active, and we use toys. We are always very clean with them before and after. She knows about my issues (please note - I began suffering from BV when I was very active w/ men. However, there are also cases of BV in virgins-maybe points to diet and environment). So, I tried the tampon thing again. It worked, but then I became extremely irritated and decided to douche. I bought food grade hydrogen peroxide for the douche (please read directions and use caution as it is different than 3%. The 3% usually contains stabilizers which can be irritating and make it less effective. Got that info here! ) I use a child's medicine syringe and douche about half of it then use the rest on the outer parts. I do this morning, midday, night, and after sex (yes, I know you should abstain. I jumped the gun - pun?- when I thought I was better). Apple cider vinegar and baking soda in the bath provides brief comfort. I have not been consistent about ingesting it yet. We also went to Trader Joe's and are completely revamping our diet and health habits. This was not that hard as I went vegetarian 2 years ago (fell off the wagon and intend to go back soon) and know what to look for and where to find it. We are both taking their super charged Women's Multi and Goldenseal w/ Echinacea. I am taking their Acidophilus (2 billion active cultures), St Johns Wort (depression), Vitamin C, B12, and Aloe Vera juice. I have been double dosing on all of these for the past 4 days and will level off to the regular doses over the next 3. There is an odd odor at random times of day, but it is better, and I have been craving sugar and starch - which is not normal for me. So, we are eating the better forms of it that we bought and I am trying to drink lots of water with lemon and lime. I alternate between die-off symptoms and a sort of energy buzz. The BV is definitely being relieved. I am interested in the Estriol. I keep reading good things about it; I am not sure if I am premenopausal or not. I have Fibromyalgia, so sometimes menopausal type symptoms will manifest from that. If you know anything about Fibro, you know it is utterly unpredictable in its symptoms and bouts. Would an Estriol cream or oil help me, premenopausal or not? I do suffer minor itching and sometimes severe irritation when I have BV. When I am not infected, occasionally dryness is an issue. Sorry for the rant; wanted to share what seems to be working for me and get any feedback or stories. Also, simply being newly conscientious about our diet and habits is a great thing regardless!
Tea Tree Oil
Posted by London (Sandusky, Ohio) on 06/29/2010
★★★★★
Tea tree oil works for BV. The douche however, (with 5 to 15 drops) did not work for me, made things worse. Douching upsets the vaginal flora TOO MUCH
Here's what I do: 4-5 drops tea tree oil in an empty 00 gel cap, and then fill to rim with Castor oil. Stick it in as deep as it will go. I usually only have to do this overnight
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Jennifer (Evansville, In) on 06/11/2010
★☆☆☆☆
I have had BV for about 3-4 years now. Tried every conventional medicine there is out there: Flagyl, Metrogel, Clindimycyn..it all makes it worse. Then my doc told me to make a home made douche with 1/3 cup of water..1/3 cup hydrogen peroxide and 5 drops of tea tree oil..an hour later break up 2 pills of acidphilus with 10 cc of water and insert into vag. Next night insert an odorless gel cap of garlic. Then on a daily basis take folic acid, one multi vitamin, vitamin c, vitamin b12 and a probiotic daily. I have been doing this for about a week now and the smell AND the itching and burning is still there. Plus I have horrible heartburn. Friends recommend me go on a no sugar, no carb diet..I use to get yeast infections really bad but now its only BV. I am so miserable and my doctor wants to test me now to vulvodynia..I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO?! Please help..
Goldenseal
Posted by London (Sandusky, Ohio) on 06/07/2010
★★★★★
Drinking Goldenseal tea works!! That along wth taking massive amounts of vitamin supplements,plain yogurt,acidophilus, and oregano oil capsules twice a day, along with goldenseal tea, 2 cups a day. GUYS, no joke, I got the worse case of BV, e v e r....this went on NONSTOP for 3 months, Im talking, not sleeping at night, cuz of the persistant itching, burning agony, and swollen tissues, (it felt like a bowling ball up in there) it was AWFUL> I have ALWAYS struggled with yeast and vaginal infections, but this was hidious.(I havnt had sex in 3 months either, it was THAT BAD.
Heres what I did: I didnt really douche, because IT NEVER WORKS for me, it always makes things worse. I tried the hydrogen peroxide douche, and altho it did take away the odor, it came after a couple days, and it seemed to make things MORE irritated and infected. I did try coconut oil and castor oil inserted inside the vagina, overnight, and it did kinda help, but not really. I started really seeing results with the supplements, oregano oil and goldenseal tea. (be warned Goldenseal tea tastes like DIRT) very bitter, but it works!!Tried GPE, didnt really work.
In the morning after eating some raison bread, I would take my supplements and acidophilus and yogurt. Then after about 3-4 hours, would do the oregano oil with the tea. Then 3-4 hours later, I would do the tea and oregano oil again. The at bedtime, ALWAYS 2 hours after the tea and oregano, I would take folic acid, vitamin E and acidophilus again. Check my earlier post under supplements to see amounts of what I took. Good luck ladies.
Povidone Iodine
Posted by Barrelmaniac (Summersville, West Virginia, Usa) on 05/21/2010
★★★★☆
Betadine for BV
Ladies,
I have suffered with this for years. Unfortunately I have never really been cured. The longest I have went is probably 6 months with no symptoms. I started a forum on a health board regarding peroxide for treatment 4 or 5 years ago that had 100's of posts to my surprise. That's when I discovered I wasn't alone.
If your BV is mild, don't do anything! Take your supplements and wait until after a period and see what happens. The more you mess around with changing the flora in your vagina the more you are going to get things totally out of whack. I learned the hard way. Peroxide worked for me, temporarily but always came back with a vengeance. The more you do, the worse it comes back. You are killing all the bacteria in your vagina and some things allow the good bacteria to bounce back quickly while keeping the bad at bay.
If you must treat it, add some Betadine to good distilled water (pH 7, city water with chlorine has a very high pH) douche with betadine for 7 days, You can even use the swabs to clean the vaginal walls. Do this in the morning because it takes 120 minutes for the flora to begin to bounce back. Lactobacillus first! At night use a good quality yogurt and a syringe and then insert a tampon to hold it in. Continue yogurt treatment for a few days. Take a good quality probiotic daily.
Also Vinegar seems to allow the Lactobacillus to survive douching while killing the bad bacteria. If your BV isn't too bad try the vinegar and the yogurt treatment, watch what you eat and try to boost your immune system. Wait it out, it takes time.
Herbs
Posted by Anis (Kk, Malaysia) on 05/19/2010
★★★★★
Try to google oak galls.
"Oak galls" (manjakani in the Malay language) come from oak trees indigenous to Asia Minor and Persia. They are produced when the leaves of the oak tree (scientifically known as Quercus infectoria) are penetrated by stinging wasps. The spontaneous chemical reaction caused by the penetration stimulates the leaves to produce a roundish hard ball called an oak gall.
Rich in tannins, vitamins A and C, calcium, iron, tannic and gallic acids, fibre, protein and carbohydrates, oak galls possess a unique kind of astringency which acts to restore health, tone and vigor in the vagina. Well-known since ancient times, Arabs, Persians, Indians, Chinese and Malays have traditionally used oak galls after childbirth, and to treat vaginal discharge and related infections.
Supplements
Posted by London (Sandusky, Oh) on 05/01/2010
★★★★★
Yes!! Vitamins are the number one key factor for teating BV. I was taking folic acid and a multi vitamin for a while and that seemed to work for about a year, but then I started getting them again. I reado somewhere your body can get used to vitamins and build a tolerance over time.
Super B complex!!!! B vitamins. I did A TON of reaearch, because, ever since I was 22, I HAVE SUFFERED with BV, and yeast infections, AND bladder infections. I read that many women prone to chronic yeast infections have a b vitamin defiency. I started adding a b vitamin complex to the regime, and also, I do the tea tree oil douche, and I take alot of raw garlic in my diet, (in cooking, etc) works great.
