I must say, I'm horrified by this site. I had not reali...

Women's health
1

I must say, I'm horrified by this site. I had not realized that BV is obviously an incurable bacterial infection. It might as well be a STD. It alters the way we live, our sexual encounters etc.

I have a bf who believes that I have been with another man everytime I have reoccuring symptoms. He makes snide remarks, stating that he knows it's not him who is making me smell that way. It must always be the same man I'm messing around with on the side. I find myself hiding my symptoms whenever possible and definitely hiding any treatments I may be using. I am prescribed clindamax vaginal cream. I try, as instructed, to avoid sexual activity for the 7 days of treatment as well as the fact that it's impossible to hide that white cream from the distrusting man. The clindamax cream works well, but this is the 3rd time I have been prescribed this in a couple of years, and trust me, there were other times when I needed it.

In the beginning, I began having reoccuring urinary tract infections, one right after another. I was on countless antibiotics. I went and had tests to find out what the problem was with an urologist. Everything was working properly so, they just figured I had reached a point in my life where UTIs were going to be a problem and that's that.

The discharge started next. I also noticed the "bleaching" of the undies. Soon after came that raw, horrible fishy odor. I douched and douched, trying to get rid of it. The more I douched, the worse I smelled. I went to a doctor and was diagnosed with BV. Once I was treated, all my urinary tract infections magically disappeared. I was a little bothered that nobody thought to check for BV before I took so many antibiotics. The docors, til this day, still haven't made the connection. To me, it's as obvious as ABC.

My realationship is rocky and most likely will soon end. I'm a 44 yr old woman who will soon be entering the single's scene. How the hell am I going to date, if I can't rid myself of this disgusting infection? I came online to do some research. I wanted to find something that may work better for me than what I have been trying. I'm completely depressed after reading all these comments. I don't want to just keep this infection at bay....I WANT IT GONE!!! I am sure you all agree when I say that this is a serious problem that should be looked into thoroughly by the medical profession. If not, they better stock up on prozac because this infection is mentally and emotionally overwhelming to women who take pride in their femininity and their cleanliness.

I sympathize with each and every one of you.

This message was automatically imported from the original Patient Experience

2

I totally agree, my partnee is understanding but it puts him off me which it would me too. ~Its a nightmare cause i feel concerned that people can smell me if im at the gym or with pals. Why dont they research it more???????

3

hi to all fellow sufferers of bv i have just finished a course of metronidazole and it has not worked so will be going back to the doctors to try something else. this is ruining my life i am depressed and tearful and i dread going to work because i know everyone can smell me and there seems to be nothing i can do about it. i think i will be getting antidepressants as well as antibiotics from the doc and a sick note because i cant keep going to work like this. finding this site has made me feel better and worse because there seems to be no cure and no end to this nightmare

4

I totally sympathise - this has been a problem for years. I manage it by using an gel wash (ph neutral) in the shower e.g. femfresh as well as using a tampon daily to prevent being smelly. It is a very stressful condition which I despair of getting rid of.

5

:evil: I get vaginosis about twice a year, it stinks, horrible, horrible thing. The metronidazole tablets are disgusting, make me feel sick and have really bad breath (smelly both ends... :oops: ) Even a shower/bath doesn't get rid of the persistant smell.

I have just had another bout of this, and have been using natural bio yogurt on a tampon for 3 days, changing it twice a day (and not using at night) and also soaking in a bath with lavender oil in. Anything to avoid the dreaded tablets again...I'm sure we become resistant to them, anyway. It appears to be working, as the smell has almost gone today. I read that vaginosis is caused by a bacteria imbalance, so putting some back in makes sense, and bio yogurt has them in - although I haven't tried Yakult yet!!!

Re one of the other posts, I would not be comfortable putting hydrogen peroxide up there BLEACH? aaargh!

If anyone has any other natural treatments, I would love to hear them.

Lynne. :oops: :oops:

6

growing up over the years i had always been wondering about these symtoms. first the bleaching of the undies, then the yello-brown colouring, then the acidic / fishy smell. sometimes when u sit some where for a longtime (max 30-45 mins) the smell is left in the spot after u get up ( especially a bed or car seat). It is soooooooo embarassing especially when u are out and about with people because u can smell your self and wonder if they can smell u too. ITS HORRIBLE!!! and makes u feel soooo insecure all the time.

My boy friend and I have been trying to experiment with many things such as douche but they only work just for a short while. He even experiences sores on his penis head after sex, which we asume is from the acids in that area, but still we are not sure. Sometimes he even gets bruses on the same area, which dry up a couple of days after, but not knowing what it was we would blame it on my razor sharp hairs.

I am desperately in need of answers to cure this problem.

I have been online to look for a cure but it only tells me what NOT to do.

I want to know WHAT TO DO to cure it and cure it quickly because i have been married for 6 years living with the same partner , so i want to know if there is something else i can physically do to cure it, ( the i-net only tells u how to prevent it..... what about if u have it... what can i use?... Will it work?... How long until it does?..2 years?...

Please help me as soon as possible.

thank you.[/code]

7

WOW!! I've finally found somewhere where there are other women going through the same problem!!!

BV is HORRIBLE!!!!!!!!! I've had enough!! Where do I start... I'm sure I've had it for well over two years now off and on. I have discharge that is really light one day and the next can look as though I have Thrush!! and sometimes - usually after my period or after sex, there's nothing for a couple of days!! There is no smell that I am aware of (luckily) as I'm very aware of any body odor coming from me. The problem for me is obviously not being able to banish this God-forsaken disorder and not knowing if i have passed anything onto my boyfriend.

We've been tested as we didn't want to use condoms any longer as we both suffered from reactions from the latex and had tried non-latex but they felt just as bad! Both of us were given the all clear on STD's, mines coming back with BV. Some men have this way of making you feel as though you've passed something onto them - I had informed him of me having BV from way before and had given him info on it, so he understood. But I still have this insecurity that in fact I may be giving him something, often thinking that all the doctors got it wrong and in fact you can pass on BV as an STD. I continuously Google to see if anything has developed or changed.

Right now I'm at my wits end because its back in full force! And I just don't know what to do!! I've been to my doctor, and she was really sympathetic as she has suffered with it herself. I've taken medication before and didn't really want to take it again. So she suggested I drink Actimel once a day. I use wash with Aqueous cream, which is cooling as sometimes it feels a little sore, (especially if the hair is growing back after waxing); I've read that you shouldn't wash often but I shower at least twice a day and if my boyfriend comes over then I'm in that shower again!!

I will being going back to my doctors next week and discussing this again because it really makes me paranoid. I want it GONE!!!

Good luck to everybody! I will be looking out for updates and remedies, I will also pass on the word should I have found some kind of miracle!

8

[quote:841a1c788b=\"A.\"]I must say, I'm horrified by this site. I had not realized that BV is obviously an incurable bacterial infection. It might as well be a STD. It alters the way we live, our sexual encounters etc.

I have a bf who believes that I have been with another man everytime I have reoccuring symptoms. He makes snide remarks, stating that he knows it's not him who is making me smell that way. It must always be the same man I'm messing around with on the side. I find myself hiding my symptoms whenever possible and definitely hiding any treatments I may be using. I am prescribed clindamax vaginal cream. I try, as instructed, to avoid sexual activity for the 7 days of treatment as well as the fact that it's impossible to hide that white cream from the distrusting man. The clindamax cream works well, but this is the 3rd time I have been prescribed this in a couple of years, and trust me, there were other times when I needed it.

In the beginning, I began having reoccuring urinary tract infections, one right after another. I was on countless antibiotics. I went and had tests to find out what the problem was with an urologist. Everything was working properly so, they just figured I had reached a point in my life where UTIs were going to be a problem and that's that.

The discharge started next. I also noticed the \"bleaching\" of the undies. Soon after came that raw, horrible fishy odor. I douched and douched, trying to get rid of it. The more I douched, the worse I smelled. I went to a doctor and was diagnosed with BV. Once I was treated, all my urinary tract infections magically disappeared. I was a little bothered that nobody thought to check for BV before I took so many antibiotics. The docors, til this day, still haven't made the connection. To me, it's as obvious as ABC.

My realationship is rocky and most likely will soon end. I'm a 44 yr old woman who will soon be entering the single's scene. How the hell am I going to date, if I can't rid myself of this disgusting infection? I came online to do some research. I wanted to find something that may work better for me than what I have been trying. I'm completely depressed after reading all these comments. I don't want to just keep this infection at bay....I WANT IT GONE!!! I am sure you all agree when I say that this is a serious problem that should be looked into thoroughly by the medical profession. If not, they better stock up on prozac because this infection is mentally and emotionally overwhelming to women who take pride in their femininity and their cleanliness.

I sympathize with each and every one of you.

This message was automatically imported from the original Patient Experience

i have been in the same situation as your self, when i first got it my gp told me either my self or my husband have been unfaithful, this made are marriage on the rocks and we spilt up as i new i hadnt, but even though i am on my own i am still getting it, 4 times this year and as soon as i just finished my oral and vaginal antibiotics it came straight back, its so depressing and the doctors and the gum clinics dont seem to understand, im trying 2 sort my marriage out but i woudnt dare tell him that i keep getting it again, again, i dont get the odour just the very bad disgarge and sumtimes a slight itch, i couldnt even start a new relationship coz its so embarrasing,i wonder if the males were the ones who were the ones who were getting it all the time that the medical people would find a cure and a understanding????????

9

Hi Everyone!!!

Why don't the doctors seem to know what to do about this when so many people suffer from it!?!?!

I have all of the same symptoms as most of you (it makes you feel so bad about yourself, how can you have a normal sex life when you feel like apologising for the smell all the time...?).

I had awful. very persistant UTI's for more than a year - checks, flexible cycstoscopy (when they look in your bladder) etc. all they could tell me was that I had infections...

At the beginning I had really bad thrush, which at the same time as the infections started transformed into the dreaded BV. I had BV on and off for a couple of years until I finally realised that it seems to be soap that causes it, when I stopped using soap (and started using a correctly ph balanced alternative (foamy wash stuff from boots if you're in the UK)) it got better.

I had read about soap doing this, but never really took it seriously. I thought that if I was careful not to get it inside me it, surely, couldn't do anything. But it does, for me anyway. If I get it anywhere near me it does!

When I asked my boyfriend if he would also use the wash stuff and NO soap it went away!!!! Well so far anyway (WHAT A RELIEF!)

The UTI's, they're under control too. At some point I realised/read/found out that if you make sure to go for a pee after EVERY time you have sex, within about 10 minutes, that flushes out the bacteria that get pushed into your urinary tract during sex. It worked instantly and miraculously for me.

Antibiotics only ever helped temporarily.

I hope this helps someone. I know how embarrassing and horrid it can be with BV.

x

10

I've had BV for 7 years, tried everything available from the doctors, chemist and online. there is no cure. It never goes away. the best solution I use is a tampon. It's incurable. One thing I do know is douching makes it worse. When is a cure going to be found? treatments do not work long term.

11

I've had this horrible thing for 2 weeks now (first time at 38 ) and after albeit half-heartedly trying cider vinegar douche and squirting some yogurt up there too, which hasn't worked, I went to the doctor yesterday. I live in Spain and the doc said before she would take a culture and give antibiotics to try drinking and inserting vaginally, some Actimel or a similar brand - as it contains the exact same bacteria that the vagina is lacking in the BV imbalance. She also gave me a thrush pessary just in case it was that, but I know that it's not, because I've had that and this is so different. No other symptoms bar the TERRIBLE smell.

This is such a nuisance, as I suffered from vaginismus for years, I'm prone to cystitis several times a year, thrush probably every other year, I finally decided to deal with the vaginismus and managed to have sex, went on the pill and the first time we had unprotected sex, literally hours later, my vag smells like something crawled in and died. I'm really fed up!

I'll let you know how the Actimel attack works out and post back in a few days. I'm no expert and I sincerely hope this awful thing clears up fast never to return, but it's curious to me how if the vagina is imbalanced, why it can't fix itself.

I would definitely say that anyone here who thinks douching is a good idea in times of health, that it is probably the worst thing to do, as you're stripping your insides of the good bacteria. I also think that we all need to take a look at our diets and really give our bodies a fighting chance to be able to deal with this type of thing. I've read a lot about this condition and it is apparently the most common vaginal condition, but I'd never heard of it prior to getting my symptom.

I feel sorry for everyone here who's had it for so long - there must be something that works, even if different things work for different people. Hope everyone here has found it.

12

Hi sufferers

I just had a D&C procedure a few weeks back, where they scrape the inside of your womb out under general anaesthetic. I had polyps removed which are a known cause of a smelly vag apparently. I also had a double course of antibiotics, one for BV and one to make sure there is no other infection.....I have NO VB SINCE, 4 weeks now...fingers crossed X

13

Hello .IV had a bad smell and itchy for about 5 yrs I had my son at 19 but soon after left his father for he was messing around on me I'm now 24 almost 25 my son is a most 6 I finally moved with a nice man whom I want to get married to. Unfortunately I have vb it's embarrassing for iv only been with him for 2 yrs he met me smelling like death happened down stars but was very kind n went to the doctors with me. I didn't have a sti I had vb. IV been getting it on n off like I said for 5 yrs I used everything even eating better nothing well the last 7 months my boyfriend n I have noticed after having sex that his penis is getting sores almost blisters On his penis we haven't been getting along lately for he says his allergic To me And I'm wondering if u had been told anything. Anything he can use that mayb Ur husband did. His o ready taking care of me n my child his might leave me or worse cheat on me if we can't have sex. His a lovely man n hasn't said anything like it but we fight all the time about it. He blames my dirty ex. As would I. N mayb his rite. But after all his a good looking man who loves sex I'm taking it away from him and there nothing I can do I'm very depressed and I'm going down hill. The smell is disgusting Iv skipped work I had a job I got fired from for I worked with customers n was totally embarrassed when they would ask did something die in here. I work with raw food ppl would ask has something gone off. I might Lose my boyfriend to. If u have anything at all a Web sit or anything please help

14

I'm sorry you are going through this. I wanted to ask you if you've always had BV symptoms or just with this current bf. My personal experience I had a boyfriend years ago and I kept getting BV, even after taking antibiotics it would return within a week... Then I broke up with the guy I was seeing again and I never had it again. I asked my gynecologist and he told me it could've been just that me and my boyfriend at the time's PH didn't mesh well.. I really believe that because the antibiotics would take it again and then as soon as we had sex again I'd get it again. I've never had it with any other boyfriend after that. Just an idea...

15

I didn't want to run an not comment I really feel for you I'm 26 an I've had this horrid thing for nearly 8 years now an it's ruining my life! I have literally tried everything that I can an even cried to doctors for a gynaecologist to see me but I've got no where.im now trying for bby no2 but as you can imagine it's near enough impossible the only thing that I have found which does help me is something called balance active it's a gel that you put up yourself at bed it's clear too an isn't kite the creams I use them every day an the bv stays away.it is expensive but can be on prescription too if you ask your gp xx

16

Iknow you posted over a year ago but be nice to hear of you ditched him ️️an if your cured ,? Hopefully yes to both? I am thinking maybe it's his sperm that your allergic to every time I have sex with my man I smell really bad for days after

17

He needs to be treated also!men can carry the bacteria and reinfect us so it absolutely could be him reinfecting you!

18

Why was my comment deleted? I wrote what worked for me to get rid of BV after a year to help people and it was deleted.

19

Hello  I am a new struggler with BV but it's gone on now for several months. I found a natural antibiotic that seems to keep it at bay and may even eventually get rid of it. It can be found at Life Source vitimens:Natual Antibiotic.  I take 4 pills daily and it has kept me from getting seasonal colds and flus. But also has kept the BV under control. I recently had a day of smelling bad so I increased to 2 pills three times a day just for a few days and it went away almost immediatley. Hope this helps. 

20

Help 😞 

I am in a one year relationship, about three months in i started to “smell” according to my fb. He also complained about bad breath. I have tried everything. I tested positive to BV and taken the meds but it won’t go away. 

It has taken away the list in our relationship, there’s no spontaneity and now he doesn’t even like kissing  me. 

Last week he ended us due to our lack of intimacy. 

We talked and he said it’s the smell he can’t deal with. 

My BV has me loosing the best man in my life. 

Help please. What else can I do?