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.
Supplements
Posted by Sherry (Houston, Texas) on 05/25/2009
★★★★★
I have not been dealing with BV for as long as some, however I have had the problem since January 2009. I've visited the doctor for more than a few times for antibiotics (metronidazol 7days), after the 3rd time I was treated, my doctor said most patients she have treated had mentioned bad eating habits. I thought about what she said because I too have bad eating habits and decided to take multi vitamins along with acidophilus ( for additional good bacteria) and prayer. I started taking the vitamins after I completed the antibiotics to put the good bacteria back into my body. It's been 2 weeks now and so far so good. I couldn't wait to tell you all about this. I hope this recommendation can help some if not all.
1 - multi vitamin with multi mineral complete
2 - acidophilus 2billion
prayer daily
You'll hear back from me if this horrible BV thing comes back.
Good Luck and May God Bless and Heal your body.
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.
Dietary Changes
Posted by Alfred Baron (Rangsit, Bangkok,Thailand) on 04/17/2009
3/17/9: Been reading the new postings today. .Woman talk about BV..to take folic acid pills, a short cut would be to take a Glass of Tomato Juice.. Tomato juice is loaded with Folic Acid ..
I am an 81 year old fellow that wants everyone to be healthy and happy..been reading books ,,how to heal your self..amazing book "The Golden Seven plus One by C. Samuel West" will teach you how to heal yourself
Also one more thing..VERY healthy food.. I thought weed in my Garden, only to find out healthy, grows like a weed..has little yellow flowers. PURSLANE.. you can find a picture of it in the computor.
Stay well
Alfred
EC: Purslane - yes! How strange that you should mention this. My husband's friend from Canada just told us about it last week and I was going to mention it as well... Apparently an amazing weed. Going to create a new page for it soon on EC.
Deirdre
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Janice (Middletown, NY) on 02/23/2009
★★★★★
I have had bacterial vaginosis on and off for years and after using flagyl many times over, it was time to look at prevention not just treatment. If you have an infection you should get treated first, then follow this regime. Make sure you follow general guidelines to prevent BV and yeast infections by switching to cotton panties, no douching (as it does more harm for upsetting vaginal flora than good), stay away from those poofy loofah's (they caused my recurrences after discovering mold on the most inner part of them!), use unscented soap. After I made these changes recommended by my gynecologist...I decided to try the folic acid and acidophilus combo. I take 800MCG of folic acid and 2 capsules of a high count lactobacillus acidophilus supplement everyday. This has helped to prevent any recurrence. The few times i have gotten lazy and not taken my supplements, i had the same early itchiness/discomfort that i recognized from my other infections. As soon as I took the supplements and kept eating low/no sugar added yogurt...it just stopped. Changing my diet too, taking a multivitamin, and drinking lots of water has changed not only my vaginal health but overall health too.
Another thing that I was told was told by my doctor is if your on the extended-delay period birth control like Seasonale for example (where your period only comes once every 3 months), that it was better to just switch to once a month birth control and flush out your system naturally. This seemed to help too. I don't know how the folic acid and lactobacillus works together like this, and i'm sure it wont work for everyone...but it really does seem to work to a very good degree in prevention...and some good properties alongside treatment.
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Racheal (Ooltewah, Tn) on 02/18/2009
★★★★★
due to type 1 diabetes I consistantly went from yeast to bv to yeast etc etc. I just got tired of one dr saying, Im increasing your insulin again and my gyno saying, Your just going to have to get used to the problems as it goes along with the diabetes. Heres another cream for you!! yuck!! I just woke one day and thought, this cant be it. Guess what ladies, it wasnt!! You have to play around with all of these remedies and find what works for you. I will say this, I dont think douching is a good idea as it forces things up. However, There is a way to rinse with the acv or h2o. Lay in your tub and put your feet on the side and lift your rear up. Open yourself up and pour in your mixture and hold it for at least a few minutes. I prefer the h2o but not for all those days in a row or very often. also, in the shower...not bath....make sure your hands are clean and clean yourself out with your finger. Dont wash with soap. I like the baby wash..Nothing scented just gentle. Clean the outside well and rinse well. I also use tea tree oil suppositories about once a week. Very soothing if you feel dry or a little irritated. I take 2 folic acid 600mg per day as well as 2 femanol per day. Ive used the boric acid for yeast. works but extremely irritating. At least once a week I soak a tampon in acv and shove it up there and leave it or at least an hour but no more than 3. That will make your hoo hah inhospitable to the bad stuff. Now....Diet is VERY important. Watch your sugar and artifical sugars. Try and cut out starchy carbs...white bread,potatoes. etc. Little or no alcohol esp beer. Yeasty foods. Try colorful veggies...brown rice....also brown rice wraps with turkey and spinich and sour cream is delicious. Get some excercise. Go for a walk. I know this is depressing and makes you feel soooo unsexy but you can take control. Its work, I know. I take 6 shots a day as well as taking the folic and femanol and watching the diet. Its so worth it ladies. It happens faster for some and slower for others. After 2 months, I feel almost normal!!
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Stephanie (Albuquerque, NM) on 02/07/2009
★★★☆☆WORKED TEMPORARILY
I have been suffering from bv for 6 years. I don't get a fishy smell, but more like a burning, urine smell. It's so damn embarrassing. I have quit jobs because people were making fun of me so bad. I have tried everything you could imagine. Antibiotics make it worse. I don't understand how people are using hydrogen peroxide and it's killing it. Wouldn't the hydrogen peroxide kill off the good bacteria as well as the bad bacteria? I have noticed that when I am stressed, it comes on instantly and won't go away. I have also noticed that coffee brings it back, garlic brings it back, and when I use clorox to wash my underwear or wash the toilet with, that always brings it back. So I am thinking since I eat a ton of garlic, the garlic can clean. Maybe I am cleaning my body too much? Stress is a huge factor. I am a very clean person. I have noticed that when I eat one yogurt a day, one folic acid and one zinc a day, no coffee, no alcohol and my stress level is of the average person's stress level, it subsides. As soon as I drink one cup of coffee, or eat too much garlic or if I am stressed or use clorox to clean with, it comes back. Oh my gawd! Now, it's back and now I am being made fun of once again by new co-workers. It's come to the point where I don't know what to do. I have used a couple of drops of tea tree oil in a douche and that maintained it for a few months. But the tea tree oil no longer works. Flagyl gel and tablets and clindamycine don't work either. If someone has any real home remedies I would appreciate it. I know folic acid is a huge part, but I know after several tries of acidophillus and other probiotics, they really didn't do anything for me. I have stopped going to school, switched jobs, but I'm not the only one suffering. I have a child to support and he needs me to support him. So if anyone has any cures/information, I'd appreciate all your suggestions. Thanks!
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Dianna (Austin, Tx) on 02/07/2009
i used to get this often before i was diagnosed with diabetes. have you ever had your blood sugar checked? apple cider vinegar both ingested - 1 - 2 teaspoons in 8 ounces of water and a douche with about 1 tablespoon per 8 ounces of water helps mine. also do not use soap on the area. do not bathe in bubble bath. quit using clorox if it bothers you. you can clean the toilet very well with white vinegar and baking soda. you might also try a baking soda douche - 1 tablespoon to 8 ounces water. wearing tight pants would make mine worse too - when i had the problem i often wore loose skirts w/o underwear so the area could breathe.
good luck
djh
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Hillary (If Town, Idaho) on 02/15/2010
hello to other women with bv. i am 32 yrs old and i am a chronic bv. sufferer. i read this site and all the remedies others have suggested. i would like to add that the lady at the health food store told me to take colloidal silver instead of b-12. it comes in a small bottle with a dropper. you take one teaspoon full under the tongue once per day for maintenance. it was also suggested from another healthfood professional that colloidal silver is safe to douche with since peroxide seemed a little scary to me. i fill the dropper, lie on my back in the tub, insert, and let sit for 1-3 minutes. along with the garlic and acidopholis plus a ton of water the stench is gone. im not seeing any discharge either. what a great feeling. you can get silver in any healthfood store. the only other ingredient it has is pure water. whether the bv is gone or not i plan to maintain this regimin.
Tea Tree Oil
Posted by Jay (BX, NY) on 11/25/2008
★★★★☆
bacterial vaginosis---no one has tried tea tree oil huh. It seems to be very effective. i have taken the acidophillus chewables that are delicious, about 5 or 6 a day, i pop them like candy and i purchased the folic acid. i also tried the hydrogen peroxide wash. the pills did not really work for me. the hydrogen peroxide worked great as a quick douche to eliminate the smell which was horrid, and oh so embarrasing.
i have bought tea tree oil, and im trying that now, so far so good, no smell at all. please be careful and read up on it becuz its very powerful, saturate a tampon with olive oil or ky jelly so the tea tree oil does not absorb into the tampon, and add a few drops to the tampon about 6 or 7, and stick it in and continue with your evening. tea tree oil is an antiseptic and its natural. i refuse to take that nasty flagyl or another cream, i have it but i refuse. ever since i used that nuva ring i've had bv i swear and i am hating this. my boyfriend is turned off and i want to cry. ughhh.
anyway bv has a lot to do with your insides, u need to get a colonic also, to start digesting properly that my be a cause also. the bacteria in your digestive track may be entering your vaginal walls causing the problem.
Multiple Remedies
Posted by BD (Philipsburg, St.Maarten, Netherlands Antilles) on 11/24/2008
★★★★☆
For my BV I have done a sitz bath for about 10 minutes, then i wash with a femeine wash called, after the wash i applied over the counter triple antibiotic ointment. Within 2-3days the itching stopped completly.
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Carol (Atlanta, GA) on 11/15/2008
★★★★★
I have suffered from this for over 10 years now and for the first 6 I had no idea how to stop it. I have found some remedies that have worked for me at least for a while. First thing, if you smoke please stop. The reason, there is a link between smoking and bv, not sure how but there definetly is. I've smoked for several years and decided to quit as an experiment to find a cure for this. Well it worked...I couldn't believe it. Didn't want to believe it because I was ready to quit at the time. I knew I had to because this was ruining my work and my social life. I am struggling to finally quit. Another remedy that has help is acidopholis pills. I buy the 4 billion count and eat yogurt at night. If the smell gets out of hand at work then I take several doses until I get home. I try not to take any during the weekend since I take so many during the week.lol My body is full of this stuff as it is. I use to jump on the band wagon for ACV, hydro peroxide douches but please don't do this. This makes it very worse and ACV really makes it worse, the stuff stink itself. I do like tea tree oil though, usually this is a last resort I take until I can get to the doctor for some flagyl. I take the tea tree oil on my finger and place it inside my area, this is just a quick fix. I haven't tried the folic acid though, will let you know how that works for me. Also try a whole body detox program at GNC, I use the green tea colon detox. I am also going to try a colonic soon. I have found better results when I try to treat my whole body instead of just my "area".
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Rene (Charlotte, Texas) on 10/28/2008
★☆☆☆☆
I have been battling bacterial vaginosis for about 5 years and it's really depressing me. I've read all of the suggestion on this site and nothing seem to work long term. All is temporary. I tried appple cidar vinegar with honey and it kept the discharge down, but I still smelled while on my period and after sex. I tried douches with hydrogen peroxide-50/50, acidaphalus, garlic. I tried all seperately and it work for two days and b.v. came right back. So I douched with plain water and got the same effect. The smell went away and came right back after two days. So I really don't think that it's the ingredients in the douche that's making the smell go away. IT's the fact that you're washing the inside of your vagina and the discharge is being washed out. I went to the gyne and she prescribed clindesse this time. It worked up until I had sex with my husband. I was so depressed and upset that I went and purchased folic acid 400mcg once a day.Took that and it worked and could have sex with no discharge or smell until about two or three months later when the discharge and smell came back. I then doubled the folic acid and it did nothing for discharge or smell. Taking acidaphalus pills never helped. I read about ___. I took two of those and douched with providone/iodine.I did a colon cleanser, drank par d arc tea, green drink. It worked for about two days and discharge and smell is back. What is this? It only happens after sex. If I go to the gyne and use the medication, and don't have sex I don't get the smell nor dicharged. As soon as I have sex without a condom, and my husband ejaculate, the smell and the white milky discharge come right back. PLease help. I'm desperate!!!!!!!
Herbs
Posted by Amber (Manhattan, KS) on 10/20/2008
★★★★★
Bacterial Vaginosis.
Oak Gall, specifically a brand from Malaysia called Kzanah Manjakani Sarapat Plus pills, taken AFTER antibiotics have helped many women as well as myself. I don't know if it's the tannins in it, or what properties attribute to it's success, but most of us have taken prescriptions to assist in this issue only to have the BV symptoms to return. But now, with these pills there are no reoccurring symptoms. We take 2 tiny pills three times a day.
EC: Looks like that herbal formula is manufactured in Indonesia, not Malaysia.
"Ingredients:
Gambir - a powerful astringent that consists mainly of antioxidants catechin and catechutannic acid. Useful for arresting excessive mucous discharges.
Daun Jarak - used as an antihelminthic and purgative, to help improve bowel movement.
Akar Sarapat - as the name depicts, sarapat means "tighten" in the Malay Language. Commonly used in healing wounds and treating women with childbirth and birth-related injuries. Also used for the contraction of vaginal muscle and uterus.
Kunyit (Tumeric) - beneficial for hemorrhages, irregular menstruation and liver problems. Also prescribed for women after childbirth to stimulate and promote blood circulation. Very strong antioxidant to promote overall health and great skin!"
Herbs
Posted by Amber (Manhattan, KS) on 10/20/2008
Wow, thanks for the fast feedback!! Indonesia....ok. I order from a place that ships from Malaysia, I just assumed.
The pills are relatively cheap, but I love the fact that most of the cures on this site are all natural and most can be found in a grocery store.
What do you think is the most important ingredient is when it comes to these pills and the great results I, and the women on my yahoo group are having with this?
I'd prefer to find the one ingredient in natural fruit or food.
Thank you, Amber.
EC: Hi, Amber. Sorry, not sure the most important ingredient. I saw these herbs in pill and powder form everywhere when I spent 2 months in Indonesia many years ago. At that time I thought turmeric was the main ingredient in the formulas, but we'd have to talk to an Indonesian herbalist to know for sure. The individual packs of powder to be diluted with water (sold even in restaurants) were super cheap, that I remember. Balinese women that I talked to swore by the herbs for their "vaginal tightening effect" after childbirth!
Deirdre
Garlic
Posted by Danielle (Rancho Cucamonga, Ca) on 07/14/2011
They sell Garlic pills.
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Elly90 (Woodbridge, Va) on 02/07/2011
How long should I do the oil and vinegar a week? a month> everyday?
Personal Care Products
Posted by Joyce (Joelton, Tn) on 08/12/2008 490 posts
★★★★★
To Sandy from Henderson: Yes, Sandy, applying ACV to itchy areas usually relieves the itching. My suggestion is to put a cup of ACV in his bath water (to relieve the itching & also protect from bug bites) and then try leaving off any soap, bubble baths, etc. because it may be the soap that is drying his skin and causing the itching. In most cases, the soap isn't really needed. All you really need for cleanliness is just some good old water and a washcloth. If he doesn't itch while you are omitting soap, you will know that you have found the cause. You will also find that you like the way he smells without the soap better than with the soap. I learned this from a little lady in her 60's about 30 years ago. She told me "My daddy was a chemist and he always told us that if you didn't use soap, you won't need deoderants because soap makes you stink. I stopped using soap (except for handwashing) in l982 and I found her daddy was right. Your sweat doesn't smell either, and you don't have that fishy odor all the EC users who complain of BV. Also decreases most of the foot odors too.
Supplements
Posted by Latoya (Sanford, Florida) on 07/26/2008
★★★★★
Hi, I have been suffering from BV since I was 15 yrs old I am currently 24 I have try everything under the sun the only thing that has work for me so far is taking b-50 complex vitamin twice day or the b-100 complex vitamins once a day. This is available at any stores that sell vitamins like wal-mart, Walgreens it's about $5.00 at most. The only thing is if you stop taking them it would come back so make sure you continue to take it and drink plenty of water I would say about six to eight cup a day I hope it works for you after taking them you would notice results immediately it should be gone by the second or third day.
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Alex (Little River, United States) on 07/13/2008
Since the summer of 2006 I have been suffering on and off miserably from BV and yeast infections. Any time I have a flare up it is either after my period or after I have been swimming or in a wet bathing suit for more than two hours. This is a huge problem because I do alot of work in the water. The multiple sex partners that my Dr. is convinced I have, because of my constant falre ups, is a crock since I have a steady boyfriend and wouldnt dream of cheating. I have tried Triconazole, for the yeast infections and my dr. has put me on all too many BV antibiotics. I'm about to leave and go buy plain yogurt and some acidophilus. Thanks for the posting ladies and I will report back as soon as i get any result. But ladies definatly dont stay in wet bathing suits for too long if you get BV alot it just adds to a new flare up, which is something alot of dr.s forget to tell you I have been to so many and no one ever told me until I found one female nurse at my dr. office who told me about too much moisture for too long will trigure the bacteria
Dietary Changes
Posted by Julie (Seattle, WA) on 06/09/2008
★★★★★
I have T2 Diabetes and get BV when my blood sugar runs rampant. The only cure that seems to work is going raw for awhile. Just type "raw foods" into a search engine. Sometimes, it only takes two or three days, other times two weeks. Yes, you can live without meat, dairy, or cooked food. And you don't have to worry about putting things where they don't logically belong ;-). The body heals itself.
Tea Tree Oil
Posted by Stephanie (BALTIMORE, MD) on 05/22/2008
★★★★☆
Bacterial Vaginosis Remedies: I am a faithful reader of the Earth clinic website not only for me but also for my children. Now this is the first time I have tried this Tea Tree Oil remedy, which I poured the oil onto the tampon enough so the entire tampon was wet and I used my finger to push it into my vagina. I did this for the first time last night and when I woke up this morning, it felt like my lady place was on fire however desperate for this remedy to work, Ive now done it again this morning after cleansing the area with HP and for now it's not bad but when I remove it in a few minutes, we'll see. Ive also started taking the Folic Acid pills (400mcg) - 2 in the morning and 1 at night so maybe this stuff will help me. But I got tired of my doctor telling me I was having unprotected sex even after I told her I wasn't sexually active. Though I'm not a virgin I just don't have a partner right now. I'm tired of going to the doctor's office because for some reason I feel like a slut and I feel dirty and confused because I can't understand why this is happening to me. Now I see it isn't just me. I'll take anymore advice if anyone has anything to tell me. Thanks.
