08/09/2012: Dd from Calgary, Alberta: "Thanks to all u ladies I now have some very good remedies to try to get rid of my BV. I have been dealing with this issue since 2004 and now my 20 year old daughter is also "infected" with this disease. I have spent many hours reading all your stories and I will be trying some of these remedies as well as passing this info and this site on to others. Thanks so much I will let you know what works for me if anything."

08/08/2012: Fitfreak from Toronto, Ontario Canada: "I have been reading all the testimonies and responses in regards to BV. It is so interesting that so many women suffer from this. There is some comfort in knowing that you are not the only one that is suffering. I am very depressed and overwhelmed by this infection. I believe that I have had this condition for a number of years but did not realize it until approximately two years ago. I noticed that disgusting odor. OMG I was so embarrased but I thought that it was a yeast infection so of course I took the oral pill for yeast infection which worked temporarily and then the odour returned. My boyfriend did not say anything until 6 months ago. We were just about to have sex and he said that he noticed an odour. I wanted to die. I went on line to read about BV.

I went to my doctor and explained what I found on line. He ignored me and did a battery of tests which all came back negative. He treated me once again for a yeast infection. Anyway I don't want to go on and on. I recently had a swab and was diagnosed with BV. Of course there was some relief finally knowing what I had. I went on line to see how I could get rid of this. I have to say that there so many conflicting remedies. I am going to try the douche, acidophilus and folic acid route to see if this works. The hard part is keeping my boyfriend at bay for 2 weeks. I really think that 2 weeks is probably the best. We have a very active sex life and he has a hard time keeping his hands off me, lol. I guess that this is a good thing but I will have to stay strong and hopefully I will win this battle. I will share my journey with you."

06/22/2012: Ashley from Nanaimo, B.c.: "(Ready to jump off bridge) :( my name is ash and I have been struggling with BV now for 2 years!

Worst 2 years of my life! When I first met my fiance everything was great and a few months later I got pregnant....... days after I had started getting this awful smell and had no idea......

i then got Flagul and it seemed to work as I took it but after the session and haveing sex again it came back 10 times worse......

so I have been taking these pills that are so bad to take down with anything! And I have gone through about 8 bottles over the last 2 years trying to repeat the process but soon enough ur body gets amune to it....... :(

i have tried also the baking soda and douching and washing out and JUST EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!

i am hoping when I purchuse these new treatments that I will be back to share my storie........

thanks so much and hope to have good news soon and be gone with thios disgusting thing tht jus has a mind of its own!"

06/08/2012: Ljnteeth from Medford, Ma, Usa: "I'm hoping somehow someone out there can give me some sort of advice or even answers????

It all started last June when I was mis-diagnosed as having a UTI. I had been leaking for about 2 weeks before calling my doctor. Thinking at the age of 56 menopause was setting in horribly I thought this is normal as we age. I finally went to see my PC and she said my urine showed bacteria and placed me on Bactrim for 7 days. Things seemed to somewhat disappear but soon after I finished my Bactrim it returned. I then went and saw my Urologist who did a thorough exam and a clean catch urine culture which incidentally turned up a negative report. He too extended the Bactrim for an additional 2 weeks. Finally when things began to reappear now with a bit of discharge I called my GYN. He IMMEDIATELY said I had a sever Bacterial Infection.

Onto the Flagyl I went for 10 days. Athough I had some minor reaction to the Meds I took each pill as perscribed went back to see my GYN and he gave me full clearance. Unfortunately even thorugh the infection cleared I still had symptoms of being aware that something feel gooey but no wetness appeared. I then had a Pelvic ultrasound which revealed a Polyp. He scheduled the surgery shortly thereafter and I had the polyp removed along with a D&C. We never had children so I thought maybe it was good to get this done.

About 2 weeks after the surgery everything went away completely but 5 months later I felt something was happening again went back to see my GYN and he did a culture which revealed a Vaginal Strep infection. He put me on Erythromycin for 7 days and I still didn't feel right back to the Urololgist I went and again he did a scope and found nothing but put me back on Bactrim due to some minor bacteria in my bladder. I am still having perculiar symptoms and have seen 2 more GYN's trying to see if ANYONE can help aleviate this awareness/feeling I have. If I stand long enough or do anything strenious I feel like I'm gooey again in that general area when I check my underware there is absolutely no sign of any wetness.

I keep going back to the GYN and since I'm on Bactrum he swabs the area and looks at it under a microscope and tells me I still have vaginitis. Now I'm on my 2nd round of the Flagyl Cream but still no sign of relief. It's just a very wierd feeling I get like something is pooling but not coming out. When I'm examined it shows a healthy vagina. I also had a Pelvic exam redone and it shows a very normal and healthy vagina too. I'm pretty much at my end wits at this point. It's annoying and desrupts my day thinking what the heck is this feeling I'm having. I even went to the extent of asking the Urologist did I have a pooling area at the end of my Urethra canal where if there was any urine did it drip and pool there giving me that feeling but that came up negative.

If anyone can give me some sort of direction it would be so greatly appreciated. Unfortunately my senses are extremely KEEN unlike the average person therefore if something is off just a little it throws me completely out of wack. Is this what the maturation process will bring going forward. Darn, I hope and pray NOT!!!!!"

05/01/2012: "As I read through these posts, I feel a lot better knowing I am not going through this alone. BV has been affecting my life for the past 10 months. I have yet to get rid of it or get relief. I have taking every kind of pill from treatments to steroids to neurological medicines. I have even taken menopausal relief medicines, which I am no where near menopause. I have only had one partner in the past 2 and a half years and I have never had intercourse without a condom. Nor am I having intercourse right now, it is incredibly painful. I am a 20 year old student with other stresses in my life that I should be worried about and this is taking over. My self esteem is low and doctors have given up. Even though I may be the only person going through this at my age for this long, at least I am not the only person going through it. Please keep posting and stay strong ladies!"

04/29/2012: Erin from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: "This feedback is so long, but I have been researching and experimenting and working with my doctor for months now. I have been dealing BV and a yeast infection (from antibiotics) for 3 months. I have been to the gyno twice and have had a colposcopy that just showed that my BV and yeast infection was still present (though at this point I had only had yeast symptoms). My BV was still present, but did not reoccur. I have been researching daily for all of this time. I am pretty much a doctor by this point (jk). :)

Currently, I am on my second round of the typical antibiotic treatment for BV which will be followed by an oral yeast infection treatment.

If you are finding that your "bv" is coming back everytime you have sex, then ask your doctor to check for trich which offers many of the same symptoms but is sexually transmitted. BV is not sexually transmitted. The treatment for trich is the same as bv, so sometimes doctors will just give you your meds without the test, but with trich you must have your doctor treat your partner as well. With BV, this is not necessary. Trich also can cause burning which you could be mistaking for a yeast infection.

Symptoms from the antibiotics are greatly reduced with a healthy attitude, exercise, and a healthy diet (lots of veggies, no preservatives, etc). Stay away from antibiotic reviews. Often times people that have the crazy symptoms are drinking on the antibiotics, have taken other medicine with alcohol in it, use mouthwash (alcohol), eat terribly, do not eat a full meal before the antibiotic, etc. The crazy reviews can create kind of a reverse placebo effect. I also take two probiotics a day (as far away from antibiotic as possible). On this second round, I barely have any symptoms at all, though I do not feel great.

I have learned to approach natural remedies with a realistic attitude. Nothing on here is going to be a miracle cure. I say this from experience and countless hours of research.

Drinking ACV seems to be pointless. For the alkalizing effect, I would just drink lemon water, which I do and helps with digestion while tasting much less disgusting than the ACV. ACV sit baths (1 cup in a shallow bath) and just blotting the burning areas with ACV reeeaaallly helps with burning sensations from yeast infections. Do not douche. Douching is bad for you. Allow your vagina to repair itself. Douching with ACV or anything else may help relieve symptoms, but is poor for a cure in the long run. Your ph and bacteria count will never normalize, and you will have to douche on a regular basis to keep on top of the symptoms and will probably have more problems in the future. I did not have much internal burning. I even mistook the burning for a uti for a moment (went to the doctor and tested negative). Urine irritates the yeast infection which makes you think that you have a uti. I did take a q-tip with diluted ACV and went over the internal area close to the vagina opening. This really helps to eliminate symptoms while you wait for medicine to work. I do not use otc yeast infection treatments bc sticking anything unnatural up there seems like a bad idea, and it did not help me any more than the acv.

garlic may or may not have helped. I inserted vaginally for BV initially before my first gyno visit, and it did nothing. I tried applying cut garlic to thrush in my mouth that developed after the antibiotics, and it did nothing. Garlic may help your immune system, but does nothing to cure bv and yeast infections.

Direct application of yogurt was a terrible idea. I had the organic, plain greek yogurt with the listed probiotics and cut open a probiotic capsule which I mixed with the yogurt. I then put a tampon in the yogurt and inserted vaginally and left in there for a couple of hours. The coolness very temporarily helps with the burning symptom (which is why docotrs tell you to use an ice pack for relief). Over the next couple of days my yeast infection became more painful than it ever wa. The yogurt made the yeast infection much worse, so I went back to ACV direct application (no douche) to relieve the symptoms which I now have under control until I can take my oral yeast medication (after the antibiotic). I also dry the area with a hairdryer after every shower to keep the yeast infection from getting out of control while I am on the antibiotics. Once again, I have concluded that sticking unnatural (even organic yogurt is unnatural for your vagina) substances up your vagina is harmful. Let your vagina get back to normal. Yogurt or otc creams are not normal. Neither are douches.

Don't read all of those candida detox diet deals. For one, they are unhealthy. Most diets will tell you that they are unhealthy for long term use. All of my credible research has shown that there is no medical/scientific research that supports these claims of miracle diet solutions for hyped up systemic yeast issues. Most people feel good after being on a candida "detox" diet bc eliminating the sugar and white flour eliminates all of the unhealthy food that they have been living on. Actually track what you eat. Americans eat mostly white flour (no nutritional value) chemicals, sugar, red meat (good in moderation), soda, and very few veggies. Most things in a box with a long ingredient list, is not good for you. When you eat poorly your immune system works poorly. Cut out the preservatives and eat more veggies, and you will feel better. There is no need to go to extremes. Any extreme/radical miracle solution is going to be more trouble than it is worth. Real food is so tasty and great for you, but restricting those foods or eating a certain kind of food, is not medicine. The mind is extraordinarily powerful, and so is the placebo effect (see previous comment about reading antibiotic reviews).

Sure. "Big Pharma" cares more about money than your health, but they do not make any money if their medications do not work! Your doctor did not spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on their education along with sacrificing enormous amounts of time to hurt you. No, you do not want to take antibiotics if you do not need to, and they may be over-prescribed, but if you have a medical problem then you should take medical advice while also seeing this problem as an oppurtunity to improve your total health.

I have tried all the otc yeast pills (the popular brand with mistletoe in it) and uti pills (cranberry). None of them work. use that money on a good probiotic and lots of healthy food.

Water! Drinking lots and lots of water! This reduces yeast symptoms, helps with healing, reduces side effects of antibiotics for BV, improves digestion etc. Water is the closest thing to a miracle cure that you are going to find. Healthy diet, lots of water, and exercise. (I use an online nutritional tracking system which has shown me that I consume way less water than I should, and do not eat as healthy as I thought I did).

In conclusion: (1) use ACV to relieve yeast symptoms. (2) If BV comes back after sex, ask to be tested for trich. If you do not have insurance (tests are expensive), have your partner take the medication as well (as prescribed by a doctor). (3) Any partner that is not understanding about BV or Yeast is a partner that should be left immediately and is not your "soulmate" (my bf is awesome and completely understanding, and I havent had sex in a little over a month with the meds, periods, and colpo). These problems are not your fault. Even trich can lay dormant for yeeaaarrrrs. (4) Don't stick anything up your vagina. Your body is amazing. With a healthy diet, exercise, and medicine/doctor visits, your vagina will get back to normal. (5) You are not going to find a miracle cure in any of these remedies. Some are great for keeping symptoms at bay. Just a yeast infection can go away on its own, but not if you keep stick foreign things up there. (6) Go to the doctor. Nobody hates the gyno more than me. Just go. Your medical solution is not here. I love this site for health advice and symptom relief, but I have tried everything and nothing cures but the meds. (7) Be super healthy while on antibiotics and take probiotics and nasty side effects will be greatly reduced. I am currently totally fine on the common oral antibiotic for BV."

04/08/2012: Anno. from Anno., Ca: "So I am 19 and I have been dealing with BV for about a year now. I hate it. The first time I got BV the smell was horrible it wasnt a fishy smell it was a poopy smell... And the embrassing part was that I had never smelt it until that day... While having intercourse.... Yay me... It was so embarrassing. I went to the doctors and they gave me flagly it worked for about a year until recently I got BV AGAIN I started taking flagly again but came on my period 2 days before my pills were gone... I didnt think a tampon would do any damage but here I am off my period and BV is back.... Im afraid to insert anything up there... I think yogurt will mold or something in my crotch, I think perixoid will burn the hell out my crotch, and I dont wanna put garlic in it... Wont that make it stink worst... Vingar omg are you serious thats gonna hurt... I dont have money for all these pills, and Acids... Are you serious doesnt that burn to???????? Which should I do because this is crazy my Fiancee is in the military and should be coming home soon so we can get married I need this under controll NOW"

04/06/2012: Mary from Los Angeles, California: "Hello Ladies, I would like to say that I have suffered with BV for some time now. Please don't think that it's you that caused this, along time ago a doctor told me that men carry it with them and pass it on until they get treated it comes from fungus.

Please do not think that your mates are cheating on you it could be a relationship or one night stand from the past. PLEASE DON'T FORGET ANTIBIOTICS they cause yeast infections for men too. BUT men need to take natural treatments as well for this that way they do not keep passing it on to you sexually. You both need to work togther on this.

Whatever foods you eat that have a strong odor will pass through your urine and will leave an odor in your vagina. Chlorophyll is a must to keep all odors down.

I still have BV occasionally but am now in menopause and it came on when I stopped my period. I use peroxide and it really works for a few days and then returns. The smell is not that terrible but I don't like it. Drinking lots of water helps me it keeps your kidneys clean and helps to keep down the smell. I take probiotics and digestive enzymes. I thought I was the only one who had this problem because you know that ladies do not like to talk about this subject especially when you get older. It seems as though I am the only one who smells. Yeah and then they woke up!!"

04/03/2012: There Is Hope!!! from Pensacola, Florida: "WOW is all I can say about all the Women who is suffering from this crazy bacteria, I thought something was wrong with me. I went to my Dr several times and was told about BV.. I knew what it was but never understand it until I came across this site. Thank God because I have been dealing with this and not understanding how to beat it. Its been off an on since I first got pregnant at 30. Yes Ive been through the antibiotics a few times and it would clear up awhile then finally I notice a few months ago it would reoccur even after antibiotics. Tried all the over counter BV meds worked only temporary, So I went to my Dr once again to make sure it was BV and she confirmed it was and prescribe me more antibiotics and I decided ok I will get the antibiotics just in case my home remedies didnt work. Here is what I did, brought pro b probiotics, multi vitamins for women, folic acid, goldenseal which I take once orally everyday, and I do HP douche after period and sex or when ever I feel it creeping back. I must say after first HP douche smell and discharge was gone but of course I did the 7 days 1/2 water. My only neg about HP douche is it can cause alil itch, and make you a lil dry which I take vit E daily to help with that and you will need something for yeast at hand for any flare ups. Finally after doing more research I found online this product called yeast away and Alkalete an acid neutralizer which also balance your ph to wean myself off the stuff that I dont really need. I plan to still do HP when neccesary. So I hope this help someone because this site has helped me and I have been on the right track for 1 month now.. Ladies you have to be patient to find what works for you it does take sometime to get this under control. I am still working to stay free from this monster and I will give you an update on how well the last two I mentioned to my BV cure!! :) Thanks again because I feel refreshed once again and I am very grateful for all of you!!"

03/20/2012: Momma Bear from Deridder, La: "I went to a very old (70's maybe older?) female OBGYN because of the recurrent BV I had (thanks cheating X). I am alergic to both the oral and insertable antibiodics.

She gave me an RX for ACID VAGINAL JELLY. I used it every day twice a day for a week, and then every day once for a week, and then once a week and CURED... Yes you heard that... CURED my BV!

The Rx cost under 5.00 for a tube and worked wonderfully. I kept a tube on hand but never had to use it except after my period and sex..

I stopped using tampons at all EVER... Going comando and never using scented soap also. It lasted almost a year untill I had a terrible infection in my tooth then the BV came BACK!!!

I went to the Dr and requested the Acid Vaginal Jelly got the RX took it to the pharmacy and----THE DRUG COMPANIES TOOK IT OFF THE MARKET!!! W T F?!"

03/07/2012: Yaa from Cleveland, Tn: "Hello ladies, I have been suffering from BV since a teenager (10 years ) I have seen information on the internet about a product called Femanol have any of you ever tried it, if so did it work?"

02/28/2012: Esp from Bryn Mawr, Pa: "It was great reading everyone's post. I know that I am not the only one who suffers from this horrible, horrible thing. It has been years that I have been going through this, and I get a prescription from the doctor, and it only helps for about 2 months if that. I have to lie and make up reasons not to have sex with my boyfriend as well. I have tried yogurt in tampons, garlic gel pills that I inserted in my vagina, the homeopathic inserts that you can buy over the counter, and now I am convinced that I will have it all my life, I just use norforms everyday and it takes the smell away for a few days. I wish I could find a permanent cure, and I am going to try some things like the peroxide, tea tree oil and acidophilus and see what this does. I remember being a senior in high school and smelling this fishy odor, I am now thirty and still fighting this. I hope something works."

02/28/2012: Stacey from Portland, Maine : "I have had BV since I was 16 yr old on and off. I am 40 years old and at this point in my Life I have it every single time I have SEX. However I have begged my Doctor for help and finally the have me on a treatment plan. It's taking metronidazole vaginal Gel. She wants me to take it 2 times a week but problem is I have to basically take it every single day I have SEX. This is the only thing that seems to work.. Once in a while I have to take it for standard time to clear it up which is for 5 days. However its CHRONIC and I have realized its with me for LIFE I just have to take meds all the time.. Thank GOD I do have Health insurance and dr that gives me 6 refills at a time that last time lasted 9mo. My doctor knows me well enough that finally they did this for me. But I would like to be able to find another way to help me with this... But I will say not one person has any idea I have this disgusting problem... Trust me I douche if I have odor and it of course keeps it away if I do not have medicine for whatever reason... SO ladies if you have an odor don't let this embarrasment get to you... If you cannot afford to go to doctors try a family planning assoc in area they may be able to help you don't be embarrassed enough not to go get help. I have been dealing with this for 24 years so I have gotten over any embarrassment a doctors appt might make me feel. I wish you all lucky in world this is so horrible to have to live with like a chronic illness. I am going to try to peroxide and see what happens... Best of Luck and don't allow this to cause you to be depressed GO to a family planning office and get meds if you need to and ask about an ongoing prescription to keep it at bay."

01/23/2012: Buffy from Newport News, Va, Usa: "Hi ladies. I'm just 18 and Iv had BV for about 3 months now, at first I didn't tell anyone it was so embarrassing and I assumed it would go away on its own, not knowing what it was. After awhile I started spending my own money on stuff for yeast infections thinking that's what I had as I had never heard of bv before. I told my mom I thought I had a yeast infection and she told me I was "dirty" making me feel so much worse and resulting in my not telling her about the BV.

After 2 months I was fed up and saw a doctor, I was so excited to know what it was and that there was a simple pill to cure me! But I was lied to, I took the antibiotic she prescribed for 7 days, it's been almost 3 weeks since then and it hasn't gone away at all, didn't even blink in the face of that medication. I've been researching this all night as I cannot deal with it! My sex life has only just started recently and already I had to give it up because I'm so embarrassed. This site is amazing, I've been reading people's comments and stories all night, I've been crying with you guys and feeling your pain and gotten alot of suggestions. I'm going to the store tomorrow to get treatments."