Could it be that you have Bacterial Vaginosis? You might want to read this!

Bacterial Vaginosis is a pretty common condition affecting many women. The symptoms are very similar to a typical yeast infection: The patient is suffering from vaginal discharge and odor.

It is very easy to mis-interpret those symptoms of BV and therefore treat the vaginosis in the assumption that we’re dealing with candida, but there is a big difference:

Candida yeast infections are caused by yeast cultures - Bacterial Vaginosis is a bacterial infection and it needs a totally different approach of treatment! It is therefore crucial to visit a  doctor at the very  first sign of symptoms to eliminate any doubt whether we deal with a candida infection, or, in fact,  BV.

Only after we get the right diagnosis from a doctor we can start treating the condition.

Causes

The main reasons what causes Bacterial Vaginosis are still not 100% known. We know it is an infection which (simply spoken) occurs due to an imbalance of “wrong” bacteria in the vagina. A low immune system might also play a role. It is also assumed that frequent unprotected sex with a variety of partners, as well as vaginal douching might increase the likelihood of the condition to appear. The same also applies when someone has a rather unhealthy life-style with excessive eating (fastfood…) and drinking,  and especially if someone is smoking. All those factor can contribute to an increased chance of vaginosis occuring.

However, it has to be noted that it is not a sexually transmitted disease (STD). It affects the female intimate parts, but women who are not sexually active can as well get this disease and are not excluded.

What are the common treatments for Bacterial Vaginosis?

Once Bacterial Vaginosis has been rightfully diagnosed the doctor will very likely prescribe antibiotics. Those could be antibiotic topicals like creams, or antibiotics which have to be taken internally. There is an astounding number of Vaginosis recurrance with those conventional treatments: An approximate 50% (!) of all patients treated with antiobiotics will have recurring BV within only one year! Furthermore, all what the doctor will do the next time he is consulted: He will prescribe another dose of antiobiotic creams or pills - and the cycle will begin anew…

Downsides of conventional treatments

There is a reason that antiobiotics need a prescription: Patients could potentially experience side effects or have an intolerance for antibiotics, side effects which might cause problems further down the road.

Antiobiotics which are used against BV often cause a yeast infection in return. The reason is that those medications not only attack the “bad” bacteria - but destroy the normally healthy protective balance in the vagina as whole. One condition goes, making way for a another one…

Also, The fact that we see such a staggering number of recurrance is proof that the conventional bacterial vaginosis  treatment seems to only target the symptoms, and not the root cause. The patient finds herself in a cycle of only going from one temporary relief to the next  - without really attacking the root cause of the condition! Such could not not be farther away from a “cure”, if at all.

Bacterial Vaginosis is a condition where we need to see, find and treat the underlying root cause, preferably using  a holistic approach. Treating only the symptoms and using an abundance of antiobiotics is not the way to go if we want a permanent cure.

Chrysten