★★★★★
The first few times I went to the gyno, got the antibiotics and went on about my way. I didn't really think of it as a problem until I didn't have insurance and couldn't afford to go to the doctor.
Fast forward to a month ago when I got my most recent case, I promised myself that I wouldn't take anymore antibiotics and that I would find a way to cure it myself. I did have some leftover medicine that I could have taken but I really wanted to be able to fix it naturally, so I resisted. I tried everything from boric acid suppositories (which I had tried once before), lactobacillus suppositories, feminine probiotics suppositories, and probably some other remedies that I'm forgetting. They all work as long as you use them, but once you stop the symptoms are right back.
Hydrogen peroxide was my last ditch effort before I was going to quit and take the antibiotics.
I tried the soaked tampon (in combination with lactobacillus suppositories after removing the tampon), and that didn't work at all. I tried douching with a half and half mixture of peroxide (3%) and water (I used an empty Summer's Eve Douche bottle) for 5-6 nights and I did see some improvement, but the BV returned a couple day after my last douche.
I decided to try douching again but this time I did MUCH LESS diluting. Truthfully, it was almost no dilution at all. Probably a 95/5 mix.
Also, instead of doing a straight douche, I would lay on my back and fill my vagina with the mixture, hold it in for a few minutes, release it, do this a couple more times, and then finish off with a douche over the toilet.
After 3-4 nights of this, I'M CURED! Usually by this point, if something wasn't going to work, my symptoms would be back but I feel great. It's been six days since my last treatment, and NOTHING. No, it doesn't hurt or burn, you will feel some of the bubbling but it is completely painless! I don't normally post to blogs or write reviews but I know the BV struggle is a horrible one and I want to help whoever I can!
★★★★★
★★★★★
I've had BV one time before. I know exactly why I got it and it's embarrassing. Back then I tried some lightweight natural remedies and while it lessened the symptoms, it didn't go away until I went to the doctor and got metro gel. That took it away completely. This second incident is now about three years after the first. I don't know how I got it though I suspect my partner had something to do with it because of a random comment he made about having not showered. Come on people let's be hygienic! As for my symptoms, I wouldn't say they were "severe". But I did have that abnormal discharge and probably the WORST most humiliating part, that bad smell after sex. :( Feeling mortified (and my gyno appointment being a month away) I decided to give natural remedies my all. I was just determined to feel like I could beat this the natural way and not have to use gross inserts or take strong antibiotics. I am very health conscious and don't like to go to the doctor or use strong medicines unless absolutely necessary. So after researching like mad, this is what I did:
1. I bit the bullet and bought a douching apparatus (I have NEVER used one before, I felt embarrassed having to even buy this), and I used 50/50 hydrogen peroxide and water douche once a day for seven days. Every day I prepared this fresh, about 2 oz of each. The hydrogen peroxide is the regular kind you can buy at the supermarket, the one in the brown bottle. I would lay on my back and raise my hips and legs up in the air so that part of me was more or less upside down, then completely fill myself up with solution and hold it in and count to 60. Then let it out in the tub. Repeat until the solution is gone. The first time as someone else reported, I did feel a bit crampy afterwards. Probably because of the infected tissue being cleaned off. But each day this lessened and after 3 days or so it doesn't feel like anything. Just nice and clean.
2. This might be equally important - I ate raw cloves of garlic every day for seven days. I read about and actually found a study that said ingesting raw garlic this way was about as effective as oral metro. But you have to make sure you do it RIGHT - you have to eat ENOUGH garlic (2 or 3 regular sliced cloves per day), make sure it is SLICED or CRUSHED, and make sure it's fresh garlic. The garlic pills will not work. Cooked garlic in your food will not work. It must be raw, freshly sliced garlic. There is a special compound that garlic releases as soon as it is sliced or crushed and that is where the healing properties are. Let me tell you, I adore garlic, but this was hell. Make sure you eat a bit afterwards or it will give you a stomachache. I sliced it into thin slices and swallowed it like that like one might swallow pills. It was far too spicy to chew!
3. Probiotics. Since you're killing bacteria, repopulate your lady bits with the good probiotic bacteria that help keep it healthy. I bought and drank 8 oz of plain kefir (tastes like plain yogurt) every day for seven days. I actually plan to keep drinking it because it's just so good for you.
4. Alkalize. This by itself I believe is more of a preventative method, but I wanted to do anything that would help. And around the time I caught this, I had been going through a phase where I'd been eating really poorly. Loads of salty and sweet cravings, eating loads of chips and cheese puffs :/ I don't feel that is mere coincidence. And apparently, when you have BV, the PH in your vagina has shifted to more acidic, which helps the nasty bacteria thrive. Every morning I already drink water with lemon first thing, but I also started drinking one glass of water with a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar every afternoon. I bought bottles of alkalized water (find this at Whole Foods etc.) and drank that during the day. I did my best to avoid the worst of the acid forming foods: meat, packaged sugary foods, white rice, fruit juice and sodas etc. I dug up some of my favorite healthy recipes and started eating those. This experience has bolstered my discipline to eat better and more alkaline every day.
Oh, and during this time, I did not have sex. And that's it! Honestly I was so afraid to stop douching, but I knew I had to see if it would return. I was so, so happy when it didn't. And now I know exactly what to do if, heaven forbid, it ever comes back again. I'm so excited to share this. I was so embarrassed and upset that I literally cried, so I know how horrible it can feel. I would be so happy if this can help anyone beat this thing.
★★★★★
Hydrogen Peroxide
★★★★★
I don't care what you heard or who you are this works rather it's a yeast infection or bacterial vaginosis/vaginitis.
First let me explain something. Antibiotics like flagyl and all that only work temporarily because it is "anti" body. It kills both "Good" and bad bacteria. Peroxide does the same thing except you avoid the expensive visits and wasted time, not to mention, peroxide works faster. You have to replace the good bacteria as soon as you are done with the treatment. When I douched with peroxide, the smell went away instantly. Everyone's body is different but I haven't heard of anyone having to use this for more than 3 days. Most are cured after 2. I was fine after 1 day. Peroxide DOES NOT dry you out because it's "Hydrogen and Oxygen, " so it hydrates and bacteria cannot live in "Oxygen."
HOW DO I USE THIS?
SUPPLIES NEEDED: douche bottle, distilled water, 3% food grade hydrogen peroxide. Later: Apple Cider Vinegar
WHERE TO GET SUPPLIES: I bought the regular summer's eve douche bottle from HEB, peroxide from whole foods. Distilled water can be bought from any grocery store or you can just boil some water and let it cool off to distill it on your own. ACV was bought from Whole Foods.
1. Completely empty and rinse out your purchased douche bottle of choice
2. Fill douche bottle with 1/2 distilled water and 1/2 3% food grade hydrogen peroxide.
3. Drink 1 full tablespoon of organic Apple Cider Vinegar mixed in 1 bottle of water 2-3 times a day to help restore normal vaginal flora and PH balance. Whole Foods also offers a number of potent vitamins to restore good bacteria in vagina. Any of them are great.
Some even soak a tampon in the vinegar mixed with half water and insert for restoration of vaginal flora (I never tried this one because I don't want nothing else up there since bv is gone lol) Internal use of ACV has Maaaany benefits including great vaginal benefits.
If you do not have food grade peroxide, the brown bottle peroxide works exactly as good. I have used both.) But I have been told the brown bottle is not safe all though it worked GREAT. I will also say FOR ME it was completely SAFE TO NOT DILUTE in case you want to make it stronger. It did sting a tad without diluting but hey, it stings if you pour peroxide over a cut full of bacteria as well. I have used this method without mixing and with. The stinging means the peroxide is working and is well worth it.
The important thing to know is that Candida/Yeast CANNOT LIVE IN OXYGEN. The peroxide kills it instantly.
★★★★★
One evening, I mixed together 30 ml of hydrogen peroxide (the bottle I have in my house, not the food grade kind) along with 30 ml of water and douched with it. The next evening, and the evening after, I soaked a tampon with the solution and used that. But the first evening I immediately felt a difference. My vag even looked different. It was no longer dry looking, there was no more odor... I had been experiencing some brownish discharge. That has returned to normal. My vag is functioning the way that it was functioning before I developed BV. I'm just relieved. If I ever have problems in the future, the hydrogen peroxide solution will be my go to method of treatment.
★★★★★
I've had BV on/off about 7-8 times a year for almost 5 years now. I've always taken Metronidazole(which gives me a yeast infection so I finish the week off with Diflucan) but this last time I took it, it did not work. I knew I had to do more research. So I did. I found that I just eat too much sugar. I feed the bad bacteria every single time I eat because I'm always eating bad foods. I hate home cooked food, fruits and veggies. Well, that has to change for it to go away so last month I did a SERIOUS cleanse. I'm tired of smelling like fish and I'm tired of not being able to comfortably have sex with my boyfriend.
I went out and bought a douche, hydrogen peroxide (3%) and some tampons. I douched for 3 days straight with half hydrogen peroxide and half water. I didn't hold it in - I just douched standing up. On the third day however, before I douched I soaked a tampon for about 5 mins in the solution and inserted it for 15 mins, THEN douched. Just to kill all the rest of the bacteria. Smell was gone on the FIRST day but my hoohah was irritated for the whole 3 days due to the hydrogen peroxide. NOTE: THIS WORKED THE SECOND TIME I DID IT, NOT THE FIRST.
The FIRST time I did not change my diet. It was filled with fast food, cookies, cakes, ice cream, pizza, pasta, burgers, quesadillas, and every bar menu food you can think of. No fruits or veggies, no whole foods. Guess what, it didn't work! SO I did research and learned that BV is simply too much bad bacteria. Bad foods = bad bacteria. So the second time around I cleaned up my diet. I ate only eggs, meat, veggies and fruit that I bought and prepared for an entire week (it was hell) and did the HP cleanse for 3 days again. Guess what? IT WORKED! I also took a probiotic everyday to encourage the good bacteria to grow. I still take it every morning now just to keep BV away since I can't keep my diet ALL the way clean 100% of the time. But I've been free of BV about a month now. Even after exercising everyday, sex with my boyfriend(omg its so much better when it's not funky), and my period.
Go for it! But clean your diet up too! Otherwise you'll just be wasting your time.
★★★★★
Found this site and thought I'd give it a try. The first night, I used the 50/50 douche method, but kept it in for a few minutes before letting it drain out. Smell was gone immediately. I decided that was too messy so I would just douche like normal (not holding it in) in the shower. After day two or three, the smell and discharge came back. The study said seven days, so I kept going, douching with 50/50 once a day. After day 6, it didn't seem to be doing any good, so I came back here and read the comments again.
Last night I used the 50/50 tampon approach. (For those asking, you just make the solution and pour it into the tampon while still in the applicator. It takes more effort to push it out of the applicator when its soaked but it can be done.) I left it in for about 20 minutes. Success! No more smell or discharge!
This morning I worked out (after a workout is when the smell was worst before) and still no smell or discharge! Sounds like it takes more than one application for most people, so I think I will repeat twice a day for a week or so and see how that goes.
As a side note, with both the douching and the tampon, I felt a bit crampy afterward but it was minor and calmed down quickly.
Good luck to all, BV is the worst!
Hydrogen Peroxide
★★★★★
After being prescribed those disgusting pills 1 too many times, I decided to research BV and look for natural cures. There were lots and lots of trial and errors and sometimes I would even have to revert back to the medications when it got too bad but eventually I started to use ACV (apple cider vinegar). The key to BV is that you want to PREVENT it instead of curing it so after sex I would pee, wash with dove soap then swap the inside of my vagina with a Qtip soaked in ACV/water mixture. This worked very well for me! Where I was getting BV 3-4 times a year, I only had it once earlier this year.
In the past month I started to get a little slack on my routine. By Tuesday BV was back and I spent Wednesday and yesterday looking up cures. As I said, ACV has only help me prevent BV never cure it. So after reading countless testimonials I decided to give H2O2 a try.
I've always tried to avoid douching but at this point I was desperate and thought that my vajayjay was already outta whack anyway, why not rinse it out and start over? I bought a oral syringe from Rite Aid, used 3% H2O2 and made a mixture with half H202 and water. I filled the syringe (which holds 2 tablespoons) with the mixture, laid on my bed with a towel under me, tilted my hips up and inserted the mixture. I held it in for about 5 minutes, it bubbled a bit but didn't burn. Then I just let the mixture release from me. Within in 10 minutes I could fill the difference! There was less itching and discharge. I still had a little odor so an hour later I used the same mixture and soaked a tampon, inserted it and left it in for about 25 minutes. When I took it out, all the symptoms were gone!! I even swabbed the inside with a Qtip to make sure there was no smell and there wasn't! I couldn't believe it!
I heard H2O2 can cause pretty bad yeast infections so I ate a cup of PLAIN greek yogurt afterwards. H2O2 kills all the bad bacteria and it's important that we replace it with the good bacteria found in natural yogurts. I'm going to douche again today and tomorrow and I plan to eat a cup of greek yogurt everyday for the rest of my life lol. I will also take folic acid pills and get back on my strict routine for after sex! Swabbing the vagina with ACV and I will probably take ACV baths twice a month. Your diet plays a HUGE part as well so I will be cutting out lots of sugar especially sugary drinks.
I know my post is lengthy but I hope it helps someone! I know how annoying BV is and I've suffered with it for a long time and I'm so glad I tried H2O2 and mad that it took me so long to do so. Try this method! And good luck ladies!
★★★★★
10 years ago I experienced BV once and I was automatically disgusted. I was freaked out and went to my GYNO and he said "No need to worry, this is actually common for some women." So now that that panic was over, he prescribed me a course of Flagyl and gave me the usual rules like "only cotton underwear" and "make sure to eat yogurt everyday". I was fine, and BV free for years. I have been dating my boyfriend for about 2 years now, and ladies this stud is perfect, but it is clear my bacteria does not like him. My BV came back full force and I feel like I experience it every single time we have sex, and now it is there after my period! It is so embarrassing and it takes away the fun of having an awesome sexual relationship. I am always pretending my period lasts longer than it does, or just pretend to be too tired to have sex. And I tried EVERYTHING: multiple doses of antibiotics, changing my diet to include no bread, attempting to eat yogurt everyday, drink plenty of water, using bv inserts, cleaning with vaginal wipes throughout the day. The antibiotics worked but then BV would make its comeback a month later. So I decided to finally do some research and used Hydrogen Peroxide with water. And IT WORKS!!!
I first tried a douche. My mom works in GYN and she taught me from an early age "NEVER DOUCHE! " but I was desperate. I emptied the douche contents and filled it with 1/2 3%HP and 1/2 distilled water. I got in the tub and found the most awkward position and held the HP/water solution in for about 2 mins. Only discomfort I experienced was the burning on the outside from it being so raw. About 5 hours after that, I used a soaked tampon and kept it in for a half an hour. And NO SMELL, NO DISCHARGE, NO DISCOMFORT. I felt cleaner than I ever had before. I even had sex that night and it was glorious! My womanhood is back and it feels great to feel sexy again!
So I plan on using these soaked tampons after sex and after my period. I have also started to drink a glass of Kefir everyday to maintain the healthy bacteria. Thanks to whoever made this page and I hope this helps other BV strugglers.
★★★★★
To my absolute shock, I have done 2 douches since last night and all the pain and burning have completely gone! The H202 did not burn at all, in fact it was instantly soothing. 5 months of antibiotics and nothing- but a few minutes with a dollar bottle of peroxide and sterile water and complete relief.
Not sure how often I need to do to this and paranoid the pain will come back since it has been so long, I could almost cry from happiness! I wish I had seen this months ago!
★★★★★
★★★★★
BUT there is a right way to do it and there's a wrong way! I became so fed up and emotional.. even felt so much less than a woman that I actually just gave up I gave up trying anything else & told myself I'd just have this forever so deal with it. One sad night, I came back on the site and I started to read in details and the one thing I was forgetting to do was putting my hips up in the air while I'd douche with peroxide/water.. All along I would be laying flat and everything would just come right out.
When your hips are in the air it allows the peroxide to sit inside of you and kill all of the bad bacteria! I would do this for at least three minutes. Wallah!!! That is the key! I've been free of bv for 2 months now! I am thankful everyday! This site means so much to me! I have never posted on any site but it would truly be selfish of me when the only reason I'm bv free is because of the experience you ladies have shared. Truly hope this helps someone! I'm here for you!!
Side note: My diet has changed dramatically! No more junk! No more soda/juice! Lots of yogurt, acidophilus, vit C, ACV & alkaline WATER! Also, shower before and after sex & moisturize with coconut oil.
Exact plan:
60/40 Hp/Water solution
3 min 2x/day for the first 3 days!
1x/day for the next 4 days!
7 days to being a woman again :)
Apply coconut oil as you will be dry
& you are free to enjoy your femininity :))
Hydrogen Peroxide
★★★★★
I filled a douche container with full on 3 % peroxide and lay there and held it in as long as I could. Let if flow out and continue to do it for about 3 minutes each time until my douche was empty. The next day. My odd spotting that I thought was from the iud all this time and cramping had lessoned. By the end of the day it was gone. The discharge and smell from bv was gone. I probably coulda stopped with just one treatment but I did it two more days the same process. And it's been a week later and I have no more bv discharge no bad smell. No burning. And my vagina is producing flora just like it did before I had bv the first time. My discharge if and when there is any is clear and had zero smell. It's been a week ladies. I feel stupid that I have wasted so much time at my obgyn office. I've spent so much money on products that don't work. And I have been depressed because of this.
Please try it. You have to leave the peroxide in there and let it work to break up the biofilm. Swish your fingers around to get it in every corner and let it sit and bubble. Do it more than once. Douching standing won't get it up there at the top of your vagina. The douche is designed to release downward so you have to lay down and raise your vag upward to keep it in. I think I'll do this once a month. I feel so clean and new lol. no more douching every day or feeling insecure. I hope it works for you all.
★★★★★
It's been exactly 1 month now and I've already had my period a week ago. No recurring BV! I followed the instructions for 5 days until the discharge and smell subsided and eventually disappeared. I did experience a bit of a burning sensation the first 2-3 days but that's ok.
I also had organic (non-conventional brand) kefir that I found at the health food store, supplemented with vitamin D3 (5000IU daily), folic acid and vitamin C (ascorbate not ascorbic acid).
The main reason this method works is that bad bacteria are anaerobic (they multiply in an environment where there's no oxygen), while good bacteria are aerobic (they need oxygen to thrive). Hydrogen peroxide has oxygen molecules and therefore it kills the bad bacteria while helping the good bacteria grow.
I'm glad I've tried this after almost a year of battling the symptoms. Please give it a try, just follow the instructions above! Good luck!