01/04/2011: June from Kc, Ks: "Hi Earth Clinic family,
Just wanted to share my experience in the ongoing saga of bacterial vaginosis... And fibromyalgia. I've been working with a nutritionist for the past year and was told I needed to go on a very low-carb, gluten-free diet because my blood sugar was consistently too high. I was already eating very small amounts of carbohydrates, but did have the occasional cheat food, be it corn chips or fast-food. But now that I've eliminated pretty much every grain source and excess sugar source I've noticed some big differences.

First of all, my BV symptoms are greatly reduced. When I watch what I eat carefully I don't have near the itchy discharge I normally have. I've even had a few days where I felt "normal" again in the vag department, and I've been dealing with this problem for several years now. I have also noticed a huge reduction in body pain. Every morning my body was super stiff and sore. I quit doing my morning yoga because I hurt so much. This body pain has a lot to do with not digesting properly, according to my nutritionist, and poor digestion has everything to do with fibromyalgia, which I was diagnosed with 20 years ago. Anyway, the low-carb diet is not exactly fun but it is good to notice some things are better. I do recommend working with a nutritionist, though, someone specifically who works with a theory designed on the work of the man who created the MRI machine. Otherwise, you will get the herbal version of an MD and as we have established here the medical community seems to be at a loss for solving this problem. If you ask the nutritionist about the MRI theory and they don't have a clue what you are talking about, find someone else. Or email me if you want the name of mine. Dmd19tfd(at)yahoo(dot)com

Basically, carbs I am limiting myself to include white potatoes and white rice with meat and a low-carb veg like raw carrot. (My nutritionist said white rice is ok because with improper digestion you are eliminating the brown rice hulls which would stay in your intestinal tract and ferment. ) I drink a lot of orange juice, which is really important for your liver - it needs the glucose. I can also have a little 70% dark chocolate. I eat meat as clean as I can find it and probably consume about 90% organic foods. I eat lots of coconut oil and coconut milk. NO GMOs!!! No beans. :(

There is a lot involved in my program, but these are the basics of the diet in how it reflects on my BV and fibro symptoms. I hope it helps someone else. Incidentally, folic acid, which helps many of us with the itching, also regulates blood sugar. And I have since learned that the BV bugs (bad bacteria) are living in the small intestine and actually migrate to the vagina where they wreak so much havoc."

11/29/2010: Cici from Orlando, Fl: "First off I want to say that I hope every woman is making sure what she has is BV before trying different things. I came to this site a year ago when I began to experience intense itching, swelling, yellow discharge with an odor, and burning. I did research on the computer thinking that I had a yeast infection, that wasn't it, then thinking I had BV, that wasn't it.

Finally I went to the gynecologist and found out I had Trichomonas the whole time. I was ashamed and embarassed but we make mistakes and I have definitely learned from them. A couple of things I tried from this site did help my symptoms but obviously didn't cure it. I was prescribed Tindamax back in July and was cured finally. I thought the nightmare was over. What brings me back today is I definitely think I have either BV or a yeast infection this time because I have had no sexual encounters after treatment and ever since my nightmare began last year. So basically I haven't had sex since October 2009. What I am experiencing right now is just itching that is annoying. I could be irritated from shaving recently and maybe the new body wash I'm using but I dont know.

Things I've tried in the past are acidophilus, folid acid, grapefruit seed extract, olive leaf extract, pau d arco tea, goldenseal/echinacea, vitamin c, vitamin A&D, no yeast diet. The questions I have today after reading more is how can I alkalize my body more? I realize I eat alot of carbs, meat, pretty much things that are probably making my body more acidic. I do eat spinach, carrots, lettuce salads, can vegetables. I probably haven't been eating enough vegetables though. What things have you all been eating? It's really hard for me to eliminate carbs but I really want to get my body back balanced. What type of acidophilus have you tried? I've been buying the CVS brand with 100millCFU. I don't think it's enough. If there's any suggestions you have can someone please email me. I'm determined to not have another vagina problem again if I can help it."

[YEA]  12/16/2008: Di from Brooklyn , NY: "Hello ladies, ive been suffering from BV for some time myself. The reason for this bacteria occurrence is the pH imbalance in your vagina. I've noticed that a lot of you are recommending the hydrogen peroxide, it is a good way to get rid of the bacteria but dont over use it. It still is an acid and eventually could cause other complications because it strips away you vaginal walls. For starters what you all should do is try to change you diet. SUGAR IS A BIG NO!! sugar will prevent Lactobacillus species from growing. You should also try to eat more grain and less refined flour foods like white bread and pasta. If you have whole foods in your area or a Russian store you can get kefir, it is cultured milk and a natural probiotic. Try to incorporate kefir into your daily diet. Acidophilus will cure the infection but its up to you to keep it from coming back. Your diet is the key to keeping the pH balance in order. it took me about 2 months with just cutting out sugars and drinking cultured milk to get rid of the infection. I didnt use acidophilus or douches, just kept what i eat under control. Maybe itll help you too."

09/12/2012: Shomabe from Sheffield, Uk: "I too suffered with this for nearly a year and a half. I had various treatments including antibiotics for 5 days and also one dose of 5 tablets at once I also tried the internal creams but nothing cleared it completely. However, each treatment seemed to make it a little better each time. I did the common mistake of washing like mad with soap and this made the discharge worse. I finally got rid of it by going to my gp and asking for the 5 day course of metronidazole antibiotics and metronidazole gel as this worked better than the cream. I had aqueous cream to wash my vaginal area in the shower. I just put loads of this onto a flannel the same as I would shower gel as it is not perfumed. I also took 3 dried capsules of acidophilus in the morning with a yoghurt, 1 folic acid tablet and one of the dissolvable vitamin c tablets. I recently needed to have a smear done and while I was there I got the nurse to swab me for bv and the result came back clear..... Finally! :-). I hope this remedy helps anyone else unlucky enough to suffer with this as I know it's sooooo difficult to get rid of. Please let me know if it works for you."

10/13/2009: Jlbnj from Millville, New Jersey: "Omg..I am so happy I found this site. I have been dealing with bv for a couple years now and it is the worst! I haven't tried the remedies yet because I just found this site. I went to the my dr once again with bv and once again she gave me flagyl. I'm going to take it and start the remedy tomorrow. After that I'm done with the antibotics. Well thanx for the advice ladies and wish me luck"

[YEA]  11/12/2006: Chrissy from LA: "i have BV and i have been suffering with this for almost five years and i have tried everything their is to tried garlic, vinegar, and yogurt. i went to the doctor and he gave me flagyl 500mg for seven days and on the six day it finally started to work so i went back and got it for seven more days and now i feel great. But while taking these tablets, do not take a bath take a shower and use dove soap. i got three more days on the meds but the smell is gone and i am happy to share this to the world."

09/30/2011: Grace from Irvine, Ca, United States: "I had my first encounter with BV around May right after I got off of birth control. At first it just started with little to no odor and then each month it progressively got worse. I researched online and bought some brand name vaginal gel that only masked the condition. Took brand name probiotic pills, but they werent refrigerated or anything so that didnt work. I thought it was yeast infection so I stuck anti fungal creams but that did not help.

Then I went to the doctor and got diagnosed as BV and prescribed flagyl. That worked for two weeks and it came back. I tried the yogurt on a tampon method but that didnt really help. Not too long ago I had to get some blood tests done for work and found out I was anemic as I was always tired, no appetite, and weak (symptoms of anemia). I was researching anemia and it said to take folic acid pills for iron deficiency. I went and bought folic acid pills, took two 400 mcg pills and few hours later the smell is surely but slowly going away."