What Causes Bacterial Vaginosis (BV)?

First OFF, I never really had a permanent gyno doc bc i move alot. So i was going into the clinics and this and that. Well After awhile i just stopped going and wasting my money. I know this can cause so much on us women.

LAST WEEK, i finally made an appt with a great gyno and after she looked at my medical records she was floored!! Floored because NO DOCTOR BEFORE has ever done a full universal culture. They just looked under the microscope or did a whiff test. SHE WAS SHOCKED. She being that i always have these infections, she did one for me. AND last week she called me with some pretty interesting news. I have something called GROUP B strep and candida overgrowth. Now Group B is usually more common in pregnant women so thats where it gets confusing, i have never had a child, or never have been pregnant. GROUP B is bacteria that grows in the small intestines and finds it way to the vagina, and sometimes sperm irrates it and can make it worse. SO i am taking a high dose of antifungal anitbiotic every 6 hrs and i also am using a very strong antifungal cream for down there. SO FAR ITS GOOD, i am still taking this medicine, and well keep everyone updated. SO i suggest ANYONE that keeps having infections, to make sure your docs are doing a FULL culture, it usually takes a few days to get the results, so if they tell you in the office that u have BV, maybe ask if they can do a full culture. I remember having infections soooo bad sometimes i would want to curl in a hole, I also seemed to be having Gas (lol) or belly aches alot. Now my gyno said that it should clear up after this because she found the direct source, but bc i have had this problem for so long it might take 2 doses. I am not saying anyone has what i have, but please make sure u have a full culture done. When they test for stds, its not a full culture, that only tests for those diseases. SO GOOD LUCK LADIES.

For over 2 and a half years I was having my own battle with BV. Starting out as an occasional after intercourse whiff it became a constant embarrassing odor that I felt that I and everyone else could smell All-The-Time. I didn't want to have sex or be intimate at all. Eight months ago I began a relationship with the man I'm going to marry this summer and I felt so unattractive I almost called the whole thing off - I felt my health was never going to come back and I was going to be stuck with this problem forever.

I tried everything that Planned Parenthood had to offer. Metro Gel, Metronidazole antibiotics and the Clindamycin cream. I relapsed after each course, sometimes to a much worse state than before the medication. In between trials of prescription medications I tried many natural cures - also with no results that made the effort worth the mess and acrobatics.

Like the time it took nearly 20 minutes to retrieve a clove of garlic which had slipped out of its cheesecloth and dentalfloss net! Or navigating the obstacle course of housemates and house pets in a mad dash to the WC as the yoghurt covered tampon decided to exit my veeg because I had been laughing so hard!

I have learned a few things during all my self experiments and apologetic conversations with the gynecologist who's got her fingers all up in there - 'sorry about the smell, nice lady, I've honestly tried everything'

First - no matter how bad it gets - Never Douche!
If you really can't help your self and feel the need to clean out the holiest of holies try this instead - hop into the shower, wash everything, especially the outside of your veeg and your hands. rinse off your fingers really well and slip one or two up there, off to one side, move them to the other side and crook them a little on the way out, rinse really really well and repeat a few times.

I did spend a bit of money on pro-biotics and I know they have worked wonders for many other ladies, but not for me. I was even popping 2 or 3 up the veeg a day to try to change the balance of my 'situation'

I Swear! I put more things up my veeg that weren't supposed to be there than ever before!

Nothing was working! I thought I was dirty - that I was unable to keep myself clean and that's why it was coming back over and over again. I thought I had some horrible disease that might have BV as a symptom and began to feel like a hypochondriac. I thought I was 'allergic' to men - or just that one man part - Nooooooo! I thought everyone else could smell me the way I could - so I started to hide out and avoid sexy situations like the plague!
I thought I was going crazy!

So I began to do some serious research into diet and Ph and acidity/alkaline balances. I was desperate! Here I was starting a relationship with a man I had been flirting with for 2 years and I hated having sex! It was awful! Yes - it was so awful it drove me to Do Research.

So - here's the Second important thing I've learned - Know Your Body. I knew I was somewhat anemic and that my diet is closely linked to my communal living situation. But I never thought that it would have such an effect on the flora of my nether land.

It was becoming obvious that adding yoghurt and pro-biotics to my diet and my inner sanctum was not the answer for me. I needed to go in another direction - so in the spirit of being a self-made lab rat I decided to take lots of drugs.

OK - it was just Folic Acid.

It worked the first day.

I purchased a generic over the counter bottle of 500 tiny little folic acid tabs for just less than 6 dollars and took 3 along with half a multi-vitiman and that did it. I take 2 or 3 nearly every day with my half vitamin - and IT has not returned.

I do notice that the smell tries to make a comeback when I have my period - blood actually changes the Ph of the veeg - but I just take a few more in the evening and it's all better.

If things aren't working for you - Start by taking a close look at your own diet - check the Ph of your veeg and find out which way you need to go to get it back to center. Check in with your diet - are you getting enough leafy greens - are you getting enough iron? - don't forget that fruit has a lot of sugar! maybe that's an issue - cut out the junk food - or yeasty processed foods - experiment on yourself! - one experiment at a time so you can keep track of what's up and remember - Don't Ever Douche!

but most important -

Get to know your own body!

Good Luck out there Ladies!
~~~~J

Today, however, in a natural rememdy book at the healthfood store where I went to buy folic acid I read that many women suffer from BV due to lack of progesterone. It seems that during a woman's normal cycle when progesterone is produced the uterus also produces h2o2 which cleans the uterus naturally. Therefore, no progesterone = no natural h2o2. This might explain why BV develops and why h2o2 inserted into the vagina helps so much with keeping the itching and burning at bay. The book said BV is a common occurrance at menopause. And anyone battling pcos or estrogen dominance knows they are not properly ovulating.

I've been using h2o2 quite regularly and while it helps it is not a cure, at least not for me. So, I'm trying folic acid again but this time at the 1600 mg dose recommended here by others. I sure hope it helps.

BTW, I DO NOT recommend h2o2 at the full 3% dosage suggested by others. It is too strong for the delicate skin of your nether regions! The best mix seems to be half h2o2 and half water (I use distilled). I use the bottle caps to measure portions. Two-four caps each in a container with a lid will last me several nights and mornings in a row. I use a longish eye dropper to disperse the liquid along with a washcloth to catch leakage. I clean the dropper after usage. It helps symptoms a great deal without damaging delicate skin.

I am also considering taking vitex (chaste berry) again as it is a form of progesterone.
Good luck ladies.