17yr old...BV/yeast infection diagnosis please help

Thank you for reading this in advance.

So I am currently on my period, and I just bought a vagina pH infection test from Walgreens right before I started...so I held off using it b/c I didn't want it to give me a false reading as the pH in your vagina changes during your period.

so now I am going to wait for my period to end but can someone please tell me if I can use this test for an accurate reading of whether I just have a yeast infection or if I have BV right after my period is over or should I wait a few days...i believe it just measures your vaginal pH. 

The minimal amount of waiting time is preferred bc I have a vacation in 2 weeks and I would like to treat myself before this vacation. I already have BV medication as I was diagnosed with BV when I went to the gyno's office in March. I have treated myself for it twice...but I dont know if I still have it or if it's just a yeast infection from treating myself. 

Please tell me how quickly I can use this medication. 

Also, i am a virgin and have never been sexually active so I think those are the only two problems I could have. Am i wrong? 

i have also been drinking ACV every single day for months and avoiding sugar for the most part. I am overall a healthy teenager. and having this lasting problem is making me feel very lonely and depressed...

thank you for any feedback. 

Wait several days after period before checking ph.

thank you. Any exact number? would i be safe with like 2 or 3? 

Hi! I know I'm a bit late on seeing this and adding my thoughts but here goes. 

First of all, totally get that you were/hopefully aren't still feeling depressed and upset about this issue. I was miserable for the last few months, I'd never had BV before that... I was so embarassed about it. 

Ok so, it's been seven days so have you gotten off your period and tested your ph? My understanding is that blood from your period and BV cause elevated PH, but yeast infections do not. 

The major differences I've noticed from the couple of yeast infections I've had and this BV issue are as follows: yeast infections have caused me to have what looks like cottage cheese in my vagina. BV did not cause that, it did give me a weird discharge that was sort of thin and slimy and greyish. The biggest difference was the smell BV caused, it was like a horrid dead fish smell. BOTH caused me to feel intense itching and irritation in the area along with redness. 

If your doc told you it was BV, it probably is BV. My doctor did the same for me after a swab test, she gave me antibiotics which have actually given me the only yeast infections I've had in my life. So it concered my but I used the full prescription as advised and it got better for a few days and then came back (especially the odor, not so much the irritation). My doctor is great but I really felt like she wasn't as worried about this as I wanted her to be, I was very worried about living with the smell, I've never had issues like this and im 23 and married and I was horrified that my husband would smell it or notice how uncomfortable I was. 

I found this forum and saw that a bunch of ladies had had success with inserting one 500 mg tablet of vitamin c (just vitamin c - no added sugar or coating, not the chewable kind) into the vagina at bedtime. I tried this and the next morning it was completely gone, no odor at all. I used it for a few nights in a row and its not come back since. I bought the Vit C at wallmart for 4 bucks. I spent hundreds of dollars on doctor visits and antibiotic pills that made me horribly nauseous or antibiotic cream that just made me a mess and ruined several pairs of my panties. 

I also refrain from douching, I used to always use it after my period, just once a month, but since bv I don't want to mess with it. Some of the ladies did suggest douching apple cider vinegar or hydrogen peroxide. I chose to bathe in a low level of water and about a cup of ACV which helped soothe it a lot. I also dipped a cotton ball in a mixture of equal parts water and hydrogen peroxide and inserted it (not far at all, really just barely inside of my vagina) and let is sit for about 15 minutes, that definitely helped. I've always taken probiotics and maintained a healthy diet, not a lot of extra sugar like you said, I take vitamins b12, folic acid, vitamin d and a multi vitamin as well as a vitamin c (orally) every day. I am careful about the detergents I use and soaps I use as well. 

I'd like to add that I'm NOT a doctor, and seeking advice from your doctor is definitely the first step (which you did). I tried these alternative solutions when the one my doctor gave me was not working. I also know women and read on this site that some women have experienced chronic bv, so they get into this cycle of bv, go get an anitbiotic, bv, antibiotic. My problem with that is the side effects I experience with bv and that bodies do start to build up a tolerance to antibiotics. If you need them, you should definitely take them! I just thought I'd share what worked for me. Also, I had bv for over two months total so i did experience having my period while I had bv, for me the smell was a bit better during my period and since I wasn't itching much after the first week or so of bv, I thought that it was maybe getting better. I was wrong! I've heard it's better to wear pads as often as possible or change your tampon really regularly, like every 4 hours, if you have an infection. 

Good luck and I'm crossing my fingers that you're better now and don't need my opinion wink