Does anyone have any experience with BV?
I"m pretty sure it is sexually transmitted (as in from my partner). Since meeting my partner, i started out having recurring yeast infections which i finally got rid of to having reccuring bacterial infections.

I'm on Metrogel (again), i tried Cleocin last time which cleared it up good but gave me some colitis issues. Now i'm worried that the bacteria is systemic (through my whole body) and want to take metrogel oral.

(yes, i've ditched the partner, started ironing my underwear, bought bleach for coloured/non-coloured items and sanitized my bathroom)

I'd be very interested if you have any experience with any of this.

Bacterial vaginitis is definitely not sexually transmitted. I get it all the time too. I use to get it 4 to 6 six times a year, but this year I'm only at two times currently http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif. The only drug I have used for it is metro gel. My doctor always prescribes my enough so that if it reoccurs, I have enough for another five days. The bad part is that this stuff is not on the shelf yet. BV is just as common as a yeast infection. It can even cause pain during sexual intercourse if you don't treat it quickly. I've never heard of the ironing your underwear part, but a few things have brought my reoccurences down.
1. Make sure to wipe from front to back. It is said that ecoli from your rectum can transfer the bacteria that grows into BV.
2. Wear light colored underwear. Dark colors give bacteria the chance to grow rapidly.
3. Keep your moisture down. I wear alldays pantyliners to absorb it. Don't use sprays, they have bad effects.
Hope this helps.

Does anyone have any experience with BV?
I"m pretty sure it is sexually transmitted (as in from my partner). Since meeting my partner, i started out having recurring yeast infections which i finally got rid of to having reccuring bacterial infections.


Hi Suzy....I wouldn't totally rule out BV's having something to do with sex. A few years ago while in a committed exclusive relationship...i began to get bacterial infections...back to back..every month. It was so bad my doctor put my partner on Flagyl..she told me that if it continued..more than likely he was messing around.(This was what the doctor said) Eventually I discovered that he was...to my surprise I had a chance to speak to the other woman and she told me that she had a bacterial infection every month. I didn't care about the details of the affiar the question I asked was do you experience recurrent bv and she said yes...PERIOD..I moved on.

2 years later...I was in another relationship with someone that was messing around(I found out later) and I had constant bv with this person as well. I have not had one sign of bv since I stopped seeing him and that has been 1 1/2 years ago...when we were together I had it all the time.

Hi

Bacterial vaginosis is caused by an alteration of the normal vaginal flora, which is usually brought on by hormonal changes. The bacteria that cause it are always present in small numbers, it is only when something alters the normal bacteria, that these bugs get the chance to outgrow the others, thus causing a problem. Metrogel or flagyl should both work well against bv organisms.
It is true that it is about as common as thrush - caused by candida.

I am a retired microbiologist and will attempt to answer your questions. Bv is a synergestic infection caused by very large numbers of bacteria, BV is not a systemic infection.

Taking antibiotics will alllow the overgrowth of yeast in the vaginal tract, which could cause a different infection.

You need to have a vaginal exam and a gram stain done on any discharge. White, cheesy discharge suggests a yeast infection, A gray fishy smelling discharge suggests BV. A yellow discharge suggests gc.

The drug used in the past is called Flagyl (metronizadole) for BV

Part of the tests should include a wet prep for Trichimonas.

These tests are important to identify the cause of the infection.

The cause of colitis following the use of an antibiotic, is caused by overgrowth of Clostridium difficle which produces a toxin and could be a serious infection. The treatment can be expensive.

Bruce

Bruce-Thanks for the information. I have been on the diflucan, flagyl, cipro (for a UTI), and now am back to diflucan which did not clear me up. On another post someone suggested boric acid gel caps for yeast. What's your educated opinion?

I will be very interested to read the reply as we use boric acid to preserve the numbers of bacteria (and yeast) in urine samples. I've never heard of it being used therapeutically before.

Pandagirl was correct in saying BV is a greater problem when present in extremely large numbers. One technique is to scan the smear umder low magnifaction. You may find areas loaded with wbcs, and other areas that show large sheets of "clue" cells and G. vaginalis.

I attended an all day seminar on genital infections and the speaker described all of the home remedies that people experiment with. She was a Phd and taught medical students. She strongly recommended not douching or not adding any substance into the vagina. Her studies showed that these practices did more harm then good. The speaker even mentioned some women inserted yogurt into the vagina for a source of Laactobacili. All that did was to provide a growth media (the yogurt) for the pathogens.

Bruce

What is gc?

What is gc?


Neisseria gonorhoeae

this is a common sexually transmitted disease

The 'c' comes into it as it is also known as gonnococcus.

Acidophilus (taken by mouth, with food, in pill form) cured my BV. I took 1 billion micrograms twice a day.

Acidophilus (taken by mouth, with food, in pill form) cured my BV. I took 1 billion micrograms twice a day.


The lactobacilli do indeed give a protective effect, and when observed on a smear shows the vagina is in balance.

Glad that it worked for you.