Bacterial vaginosis: Symptoms and Treatment

Bacterial vaginosis – Bacterial vaginosis is a common female vaginal infection which is treatable. Worldwide, lots of women face bacterial vaginosis. Still talking about it is a stigma and lots of people, even women have misinformation about it. Through this article, we will get to know what is bacterial vaginosis, and everything about it. and we will understand the concept of female health, break the stigma, and make surroundings supportive and caring for women.

What is Bacterial Vaginosis?

Bacterial vaginosis is a vaginal infection that occurs due to an imbalance of bacteria in your vagina. Basically, in the vagina, lots of bacteria stay but some of them are called good bacteria, and some of them are called bad bacteria, when both types of bacteria are in balanced quantity, these don’t cause any problem but when bad bacteria overgrow and overpower the good bacteria then this infection starts to happen.

This infection can happen to any female. It happens due to changes in the environment of the vagina. The risk of having bacterial vaginosis is higher in married people or those who are sexually active as the vagina has to face lots of changes at that time. And it creates this imbalance.

That’s why using a protection while intimation is prescribed by the Doctors. There are many more reasons why this infection occurs. However, this is not a sexually transmitted disease but it can increase the risk of STDs. Generally, BV doesn’t have many symptoms and it generally gets normal over time. But if it does not get normal within a week or two and has lots of symptoms then you need to see a Doctor. BV is different from fungal infections.

Who can get Bacterial Vaginosis?

Bacterial Vaginosis is very common in females who are between the ages of 15 to 44. Females have higher changes of bacterial vaginosis in cases of the following.

Pregnant women
Sexually active women.
Change of partner
Having a lot of partners
Those who use douches
Those who don’t use condoms

Symptoms of Bacterial Vaginosis

There are lots of symptoms of bacterial vaginosis and in mild cases, it does not show any symptoms. The following are the main symptoms of bacterial vaginosis.

White, grey, or greenish-colored vaginal discharge
Fishy smell from vaginal discharge
Itching and irritation in the vagina
Burning sensation during urination

How to Diagnose and Treat Bacterial Vaginosis?

When patients reach the doctors then doctors take their vaginal discharge and then test it by its color, smell, and lots of other things then they create a report through it and find out about BV.

After confirming that you have bacterial vaginosis, not yeast infection doctors prescribe you some antibiotics which may be in tablets or cream as well to apply on the vaginal area. It is very important that you complete the whole treatment as prescribed by your doctor because if you do not complete your full treatment then you develop the risk of getting BV again. As at starting you may think that your BV has been treated because of the gone symptoms. But these bacteria can again develop with time and can cause issues again.

Sometimes BV can get normal after some time without any treatment but if these symptoms last for more than a week and cause problems in your day-to-day life, and cause trouble in having sex then you need to go to a doctor immediately. And there are no home treatments for BV. So, one should do any home remedy for the same as it can make a situation worse.

Prevention you can take to avoid BV

The following advice can decrease the chances of occurring bacterial vaginosis in females.

Avoid douching as it can affect the natural balance of your vagina.
Try to have fewer sex partners.
Make sure that nothing can touch your vagina which touches your anus as bacteria from your poop can affect your vagina.
Wear cotton underwear as it makes the area less moist.
Always use condoms at the time of having sex.

Difference between Bacterial vaginosis and yeast infection

Both are different vaginal infections and are caused by different micro-organisms. However, bacterial vaginosis occurs due to an imbalance of vaginal bacteria, and yeast infection is caused by overgrowth of candida. The following table is a summary of the difference between BV and yeast infection.

Feature	Bacterial Vaginosis (BV)	Yeast Infection
Cause	Bacterial imbalance (e.g., Gardnerella vaginalis)	Yeast overgrowth (Candida albicans)
Discharge	Thin, watery, grayish-white; fishy odor	Thick, white, cottage cheese-like; no odor
Irritation & Itching	Mild or no irritation	Intense itching, redness, soreness
Vaginal pH	High (above 4.5)	Normal (4.0–4.5)
Treatment	Antibiotics (metronidazole, clindamycin)	Antifungals (fluconazole, miconazole)
Recurrence	A higher rate; may require long-term management	Recurs with specific triggers
Prevention	Avoid douching, use unscented products, cotton underwear	Avoid tight clothing, sugar, and take probiotics

Conclusion

As we know bacterial vaginosis is a bacterial imbalance in your vagina. Which can affect your vaginal health and create an irritation down there, a fishy smell in your discharge. We also know that it can not affect our daily life. So, we can carry on with our day-to-day activities. And if someone is not able to do so then they should consult a doctor. And get a prescribed treatment within a week they can recover from BV.

Someone who had a BV once has a chance to get infected again.BV is common for those who are sexually active. It can not be transferred from person to person so there is no need to worry about it. You can not transmit your BV to your partner if your sex partner is male, but if your sex partner is female you should take proper protection. so that your partner can’t get affected by your problem.

Some Additional Doubt

Question: Can I get pregnant, if I have bacterial vaginosis?
Answer: Yes you can get pregnant while you have bacterial vaginosis, but it can be tuff for the female.

Question: Does my bacterial vaginosis affect my partner?
Answer: Yes, if your partner is female, and No, if your partner is male.

Question: Does bacterial vaginosis affect the vaginal PH?
Answer: Yes it affects the vaginal PH, it increases the vaginal PH.

Question: Who has a higher chance of having bacterial vaginosis?
Answer: Those who are Smokers, Persons who have multiple sex partners, and Black women.

Questions: Is BV a sexually transmitted disease?
Answer: No it is not a sexually transmitted disease

Reference Links
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000687.htm
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bacterial-vaginosis/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20352285
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK298829
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/3963-bacterial-vaginosis
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/bacterial-vaginosis
https://www.cdc.gov/std/treatment-guidelines/bv.htm
https://www.womenshealth.gov/a-z-topics/bacterial-vaginosis
https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/254342-overview?form=fpf
https://www.cdc.gov/bacterial-vaginosis/about/index.html
https://www.webmd.com/women/what-is-bacterial-vaginosis