Folic Acid and Acidophilus Treatment for BV

Acidophilus & Folic Acid for Bacterial Vagniosis

I've been battling BV since my daughter was born almost ten years ago. I went through it with antibiotics as most have. My biggest success is with inserting the acidophilus and I seemed cured for almost two years. W

henever I start to feel "off" I insert a refrigerated acidophilus tablet vaginally in the morning and at night, as well as take at least one orally first thing in the morning and last thing at night before bed, as well as 1600mcg of folic acid in the morning. I've noticed a BIG correlation in my sugar & artificial color intake and having a flare up. I used to eat a ton of twizzlers and other "crap", and stopped for a long time. But I recently was at a kids birthday party and had quite a few artificial red candies that I swear brought on the fishy smell. So seriously limit your sugar intake! I don't doubt that D3 deficiency also has something to do with it, as well as our gut flora.

Another BIG thing that has helped me is "wiping up" every time I went to the bathroom, because bacteria can move from back to front, as well as sweating and tight jeans can be irritating. So instead of using those flushable wipes that are scented I fill a squirt bottle with 8oz filtered water and 1 Tablespoon of ACV (the good kind) squirt some on the tp when I'm wiping. It just helps maintain freshness/cleanliness. I read it in a natural health book I own and it works by dropping your PH, wiping away bacteria, and putting beneficial bacteria in it's place. A MUST TRY, TRUST ME!!

I've been suffering from BV for the past 10 years (ever since I first became sexually active) and it's been a nightmare! I've tried everything from Flagyl and other antibiotics to peroxide/water douches to sticking garlic up my hoo-ha, to fasting (including ALL sugars, even naturally occurring and carbs), but to no avail.

After years of being single and embarrassed I finally met a wonderful man (it's a very new relationship) and I didn't want my vagina taking control of our sexual relationship. So after reading this website for a couple of weeks I thought, "What do I have to lose? Except for my happiness if I don't try something new! "

I've been on 2 week long regimen of a multivitamin containing 400mcg Folic Acid in the a.m. followed by 800mcg Folic Acid plus one Probiotic containing Acidophilus in the p.m. The first few days after starting this regimen, I noticed a slight difference, but nothing that was convincing me. I decided to stick with it though, and boy, am I glad I did! Not only did things clear up, but I have a 'normal' discharge I haven't seen since I was 17 years old.

Yesterday I had sex with my man and was prepared for the worst but guess what? Nothing horrible happened. I just kept up with my regimen and have been dilligent.

I keep seeing all of these women asking if they'll have to take the FA and PB for the rest of their lives, as if they're really worried about it. I have to say, I'd rather take a little pill every day that was good for me, than suffer with BV another day. It's nice to feel normal for a change, and not feel self-conscious every time I walk into a room, or every time I undress in front of my boyfriend.

I have confidence I haven't felt in a decade. Years of doctors simpling prescribing and not getting to the root cause, no matter how many times I sat in their offices crying and feeling at a loss, made me lose hope.

This site has saved me potentially thousands of dollars and probably even a lifetime of loneliness. I am so grateful to all the women here who helped!

I'll try to keep everyone posted after my next menstrual cycle and also over the next few months to let you know how it's working out. And to anyone on the fence about trying this out, I say go for it! Risk a few dollars (in total, my multivitamin, folic acid and probiotics cost less than $20), and try something that could potentially solve this mess once and for all.

I have been struggling with bv for over 10 years. I had become so accustomed to it I ultimately forgot how to live without it. I would wear pantie liners all the time, or if I forgot, some tissue. I felt so disgusting... When I would go to the doctor they would prescribe me medications but none of them worked. my sex life with my husband became a standstill. I didn't feel sexy because of this condition and therefore didn't want to have sex. sometimes I would cry myself to sleep and tell God how it seemed so unfair that some women can do pretty much anything, and not have one flare-up, no yeast infection, no bv, nothing. however if I had sex, even eat too much greasy food, or bath in my favorite perfume soap I would catch hell. well I stumbled on this website by accident, and read about the folic acid and acidophilus combo. It was the best that I had ever done. I probably went over board in the amount I take, but you have to understand it seemed like I needed to overwhelm and shock my vagina to get a positive response. I was so tired of the failure. well anyways at breakfast I would take 2billion acidophilus tablets and two 400folic acid. for lunch 1billion and 1 400 for lunch, the same dosage for dinner. And finally the same dosage but inserted vaginally. I know these are high dosage and I plan to decrease it. results has been fantastic, no discharge, no smell, nothing. it's been three days now and still nothing. I keep checking because I cant believe it. I thought I would have to live with this for the rest of my life. but I pushed back. Give this method of a try, you have nothing to lose. Thank you Earth clinic.!

I was a suffer from BV, at first I thought I had a sti but wasn't sexual active at the time, but yes its bv and wow... What a horrible thing to go thro... So I would like to say that I haven't had it for probaly about a year now. I take a strong probiotic 3 times a day EVERYDAY and 1 folic acid. Now if you suffering right now you should take 2 folic acid for a couple of days untill you feel better. Also inserting organic plain yogurt into you vag like 2 or 3 times a day (when suffering) has amazing results. I do the yogurt thing once in awhile for good measure. I can't tell you how much better life is without bv.

Now I do find that a yeast infection creeps in every so often but I'm going to do a candida cleanse soon to take care of that... But for you bv sufferers.... I swear by it... I never douched or inserted the pills and it worked great for me. The yogurt brings immediate relief. Make sure it's organic tho otherwise it contains some other stuff in it. Hope I help someone out there! We woman need each other for things like this, I since then have found other woman that constanly fight uti, yeast infection and bv and am still suprised by how little we talk to each other about these things. Next time your out with your gfs, bring it up... Chances are you could help one of them... It's an embarsing thing so you never know who is suffering as well.... could be your best friend.

Ok ladies, so, I'm so excited to finally get onto one of these forums and tell my story. So like many of you, I have suffered from bv for a very long time since October of 2004 to be exact. And yes, I have tried every treatment out there including some home remedies as well. Nothing at all seemed to work. Now let me tell you this, one thing that your doctors will not tell you is that taking the antibiotic metronidazole will actually kill off both good and bad bacterial in your vagina. Yes, it will clear up your infection for the time being by eventually it comes back because the antibiotics also killed the good bacterial off to keep you right down there. So after reading just about everything I could find on the internet about this issue, I finally came across something that has changed my life forever.

So, the first thing I would do is go to my doctor and get medication for the bv but I would get the gel insert kind. Go home, start the medication but also go to a store and purchase this: Acidophilus pills; vitamin b with folic acid 400mg but if you find 800mg get that and also vitamin e. Start taking all three once a day and continue to do so everyday. As far as the folic acid, if you can only find the 400mg, take two of them a day but if you do find the 800mg you'll only need to take 1 a day.

I've read that this will work and so far for me it is working and I have no bv at all...

Remember, those antibiotics worked and killed off the bad bacteria but also killed off the good one as well. With the acidophilus you should be able to put the good bacterial back into your gut and then into the vagina also.

I really hope this will works for every single one of you.

Keep me posted.

First of all I think this website is AMAZING. There's home remedies for everything from A-Z... I first found EarthClinic 8 years ago when I had my first go round with BV... I read all the comments regarding Acidophilus and Folic Acid. Many women claimed to be cured in less than 5 days. Ladies, it takes 7 days of taking Acidophilus for your vaginal PH to balance out. Once it balances out that's when the bad bacteria becomes less while the good bacteria levels rise. It took me 8 weeks of taking 1 Folic Acid and 1 15 Billion Count of Acidophilus 2x's a day before I was symptom free. I have continued to take 1 Acidophilus and 1Folic Acid daily. I still get reoccurances. Once you have BV it's a lifetime thing. The littlest thing will throw your PH balance off. This does work but it takes time. Be patient, don't give up.

Im a 44 year old that has suffered from BV for almost 12 years. I always thought it was a yeast infection until I saw pictures of BV. Oh My God! I just got another bout of BV last week and was at my witts end. I have a new boyfriend and I have been evading sex, which I never did before. The smell was too much to bear. I did not want to call my doctor for another prescription so I hopped online and started looking for another type of cure. I came across this website and it has literally saved my life. I was just about to jump off the Golden Gate Bridge. I tried the probiotic (acidopholus) and folic acid combination. Actually, I only had the probiotic (5 billion) at first and immediately shoved 2 of them up my "youhoo" that night and took 3 orally. The next day I purchased the folic acid and took 16mcg in the morning and 16mcg at night along with 3 probiotics (5 billion each) and shoved another one up my "youhoo" that night. By the first day it was gone with only inserting the probiotic. The second day with the probiotic and folic acid was a miracle. I never even did the H202 and H20 douche. I tend to be wary of those and knew it might make my situation worse. That is just me knowing my body. This site is dead on when saying you have to find the combination that is right for your body and most of us know our bodies. BV ruled my sex life for years. I think this is a regimin that has to be done for life. I dont think we can stop this. Its preventative medicine and BV will most likely never go away for those of us that suffer as we do. Im not going to stop this combination until it no longer works. That is the key......dont stop once you find the right combination. I also tried the ACV for my dermatitis and that was gone in 3 days. Im truly amazed that simple things like this, that have been available for ALL OF US, has just now been talked about. The medical community (whom I work for) does not want to loose money on patient visits so of course you will never hear about this from a doctor......NO, they would loose business. That is a shame. I just heard doctors at work talking about putting ACV on your face to cure things and they all agreed that is was a good thing, but they would never recommend it to their patients. WHY? They would loose money, that is the bottom line. Thank you for this site and thank you to all the posters who shared their stories about BV. Research certainly will never be done to help women with this problem, no none cares. Its up to us to find the cure, and I think someone has. If it has to do with men and their libido, then the money is there....otherwise forget it. THANK YOU!!!

Acidophilus and folic acid worked for bacterial vaginosis! It's true, this simple combination was key for me. I started taking 800mg of folic acid once a day at lunchtime, and taking acidophilus capsules intermittently or some days just eating good quality organic yogurt. I have no more odor or discomfort- I am really impressed with this remedy. Even after I was better I keep taking the folic acid and have yogurt every few days, and I haven't had any recurring problems. It has been over a month since I have had any symptoms, but just like a lot of other women experienced, this remedy worked for me really fast, I'd say almost an immediate change and then about a week before I felt completely better.

Hello Joy,

You have to read and then re-read to figure out where to start.

EC usually says start low. it seems that some victors used one 400 mg of folic acid capsule, and also the one included their multi vitamin for a total of 800mg folic acid. The audiophilus capsules has been taken two to three capsules. When you are desperate you try everything, some ate it, some inserted it. Read again for how they were used.

If you have not tried a daily separate Vitamin D 2000 IU by mouth, give it a try. It worked for me.

HisJewel

Folic Acid & Acidophilus for BV

I developed BV for the first time in mid-November. I went to the doctor and got antibiotics. Which cleared up the symptoms but not without 5 days of the ever inconvenient vaginal inserts. The symptoms stayed gone for a few weeks but then as soon as my next period ended they came back. Desperate to not have this be a recurring problem I got on the internet and started finding out everything I could about what caused the infection and how I could get rid of it without a trip to the Dr. I was a little skeptical at first but I figured it couldn't hurt to try and if my symptoms didn't improve I'd call my ob/gyn. I took 5 acidophilus and 1200mcg of Folic Acid the first day I also switched to 100% cotton underwear all day and none when I went to sleep. Within 24 hours I noticed improvement. The second day I dropped the dose to 5 acidophilus and 800mcg folic acid. Then 4 acidophilus and 800mcg folic acid for the rest of the week. After 4 days my symptoms were completely cleared up and didn't even return after having sex. It's been a little over a week now, my symptoms haven't returned and I'm planning to cut back to 3 acidophilus and 400mcg folic acid (the recommended daily dosages listed on the packages) as a daily routine so that I can hopefully just stop having to worry about this all together.

Firstly I just want to thank all the ladies who have contributed to this site - what an absolute God send! ! I have been suffering from BV since I was 17 (I am now 27) and have spent the last decade to-ing and fro-ing to my doctors. . . Only to be given antibiotics but for it to come back literally weeks later. I got to the point where I just accepted that I would have BV forever. I was never able to relax with boyfriends or even sometimes at work after a long day I swear I could smell it - even sometimes at the cinema - usually when I was sat down for prolonged periods of time! ! THe constant (and heavy) discharge literally meant I was spending $$$ on panty liners and new knickers - even sometimes having to change my underwear 2x a day it was that bad. So coming across this site and other internet websites I was willing to try ANYTHING. OK so to cut a long story short I have been taking

AM
1x multivitamin
1x (3 billion) Acidophlius capsule (orally)

PM
1x (3 billion) Acidophilus capsule (orally)
1x 800mg Folic Acid
1x Acidopophilus (vaginally - before bed)

Literally after just 48 hours - no discharge, no smell! This was 7 weeks ago and stil NOTHING! ! Hoorah, ladies I would recommend this to anyone who is at their wits end. After 10 years of BV, I feel like I am now finally cured!

Ok, seriously I want to cry right now. I came across this sight after searching so many places for a cure to BV. I have been suffering from it off and on for so many years I lost count. Not only is it embarrassing but it makes you feel like less of a woman. The odor is like bad eggs or rotten milk...and the itching before your period is almost unbearable. I would scrub and scrub myself in the shower and immediately after I would notice that I still smelled. Even worse, the discharge would get on my panties and it would be so noticeable that I would be scared to stand up and walk past people. Or I would leak through thin skirts...disgusting. I was on this site for 5 hours last night just reading people's testimonials and wondering if it was really too good to be true or if anyone was a paid sponser for acidophilus or folic acid pills, lol. Nonetheless, I trusted what I was reading. I have been off my period for about 3 days now...the itching is gone but the odor was here this morning like every day. I went to the store and bought some acidophilus pills (500 million live cultures? I think...) and Folic acid @ 400 mcg. I also bought some Splenda (they say sugar and caffeine increase BV risk), some plain yogurt and water. I took one acidophilus when I got one and one Folic acid pill...this was about 2 hours ago. I felt a little nauseous as I was cooking but it was very faint. So I come back to this site because now I am hooked, after we ate dinner. While I am sitting reading, I decide to take a whiff...nothing. I AM NOT KIDDING. I smelled for like 5 minutes...went in the bathroom and actually used my finger (I know, gross!) But it worked. Swear to God, less than 2 hours ago I squatted to talk to my daughter and smelled awful although the rest of me is clean...it's like you're insides are rotten or something. I cannot believe it. I am a real person and this site has saved my life...I feel like everyone in the world who is too embarrased to talk to their friends about it needs this site...it feels like a family. I will update more when I get about a week away from my period, which is when the itching/odor/irritation is at it's height, and let you know how it is. I will be taking 1 acdp. pill and maybe 2 Folic a day (400 mcg), along with the yougurt and limiting my sugar intake. If it worked this well already, I think I might be BV free in 30 days....thank you so much!!!!!

I've had persistent BV for about 2+ years, done the metronidazole gel and it just comes back. BV made me feel awful! I am a dentist, and my lap is right next to all my patients' faces! I knew if I could smell it, they could too. Nothing worked! I felt pretty disgusted about it and did not want to have sex too often, not that my partner said anything, but more because I just felt unattractive. I want to thank all the women on this page for your suggestion to do lactobacillus acidophilus + folic acid! It worked in about 4 hours! I took 1 capsule of lac. acidophilus orally, and inserted one in my vagina. I took 1 tablet of 800mg folic acid. This was at lunch time, and by the end of the day it was all gone! Its a miracle! Thank you so much for saving me from this junk. I had begun to think it was never going to go away. I think I will do the vaginal capsule bit for a few more days, and then just stick to one capsule of each per day orally.

I am so happy to have found this website! I read about BV on the web as I was trying to research what my problem might be! I have had yeast infections before, in fact EVERY time I use an antibiotic, I wind up with one. I believe we Americans are over medicated. We take antibiotics for every little thing so that our doctors and drug companies can rake in the dollars. I was searching for a natural cure...and I found it! I read about curing BV with Acidophilus and Folic Acid and the testimonials were so convincing, I tried it! I purchased Acidophilus (500 million live cells per tab) and Folic Acid at my local drugstore and proceeded to take two of the Acidophilus orally and inserted one in my vagina. I also took one tab of Folic acid. When I woke up the next morning, my symptoms were, and are currently, GONE!!! No smell, no discharge (except for the residual Acidophilus).

I am wondering though, I also have UTI's frequently and have suffered with toenail fungus for years...could there be any connection? Perhaps some of us simply do not or cannot host as many of the "good" bacteria that keeps the "bad" bacteria at bay! Anyways, I am happy to have found this website and this cure! Skeptical??? TRY IT!

I love this web-site. In the past 15 years, I have had soo many eposides of B.V. I have been told that I have had a sexual transmitted disease to only be called 3 days later and be told my tests were negative. Honestly I probably have never had a S.T.D. When I would go to the doctors they were always ready to say it was a S.T.D. and I would leave the doctors and break up with yet another (GOOD) boyfriend. I might have let the one I would have married go because I was soo embarressed to talk about it to him. Besides once a cheater always a cheater.RIGHT???? This B.V IS sooo much more then a smelley discharge. It's a deal breaker. Now I have/had b.v once again. For once in my life I feel in charge of my body. Two weeks ago I found this website. I read for two days and decided to give it a shot. So I bought folic acid (i never drink o.j) and acidophilus 3 billion per table. I even tryed a whole clove of garlic. I was too weriod for me. So I let took it out. So this is what I have done and am free of discharge and smell. One acidophilus pill in the morning, one in the afternoon, one at night one in the vagina at night. Also in the morning 2 400mgs of folic acid. In the beginning of the infection I used tampons soaked in yogurt. Because it is cool it immediatly feels great, and the yogurt feels like it is doing something. I have also limited my beer, only on weekends. I am drinking more water tooo. I feel that this is a whole life change. I am feeling better and in control.

I followed the directions....took Folic Acid and the Acidophilus and within 24 hours it was gone!! I am sooo amazed...I've had it for 18 years...no doctor ever found anything that works and I come here and poof! it is gone.

Thank you all and thank you so much for this website.

take 800mcg Folic acid daily and two lactobaciliphus capsules before each meal three times a day until overt symptoms subside. then once you have eliminated the discharge and the smell....(possibly the first day) continue to take daily recommended dose of folic acid. usually 400mcg if not pregnant and 800-1000mcg if expecting. and decrease the lactobaciliphus capsules to just one three times a day. if your stool becomes too soft decrease lactobaciliphus capsules to just one capsule twice a day. it is a digestive aide as well. the thought process is that the live cultures will colonize in your rectum and will travel to your vagina to recolonize and balance your ph. (completely safe) avoid ANYTHING perfumed including lotion, detergent, soap, and body sprays. avoid semen in your vagina. NO SUGARY DRINKS NO SMOKING!!!! use only warm water on your vagina....hot water can soften the already irritaed skin causing it to tear. ouch!!! don't insert anything into your vagina! if you do decide to go to the doctor and they prescribe metrondiazole, use the above reccomendations to keep BV free. the smell is you vagina's way of telling you that your PH level is off. things like sperm, which is alkaline, can change your ph completely. if you must use soap around your vagina use something for a sensitive skinned baby. but water truly is all you need because as my nanny would say a healthy vagina will clean itself. discuss this with your partner as he may think of you as "dirty" i guess i lucked out because my partner is just as understanding as he can be and we all know that stress makes everything worse. i am a registered nurse and trust me.....this helps. good luck. xoxo

When I first started using the Hydrogen/water douches, the acidophilus and the folic acid pills, it worked well for a week and then my period came. I was using a 50 million bacteria on the acidophilus and it was a hard pill that I insterted. That seemed to be bad for me. I then got a urinary tract infection followed right up by a yeast infection. I went hog wild to try to make sure there was absolutely no smell. I did the douche twice a day along with the pills. That was too much for my body.

I then switched over to apple cider/water douche, but I think I used too much. It also gave me a yeast infection.

So, here is what I have done that seems to work. I put apple cider in my bath water. I open up my vagina a little bit to let the water go in and out a few times. I take 1 acidophilus pill that is 14 billion that are gel caps that I insert when I go to bed. I take 1 folic acid pill and right now it seems to be working. My underwear still get very wet throughout the day and the smell of them at the end smells like strong ammonia. Yet, my vagina does not have a smell to it.

I think the key is to not overdo it. Try something and slowly work your way up if you need to. I will probably start to wear pant liners for the wetness issue, but I am still getting used to not having a bad smelling vagina like I have had all my life. It has been my biggest secret.

Ok is there anyone that has tried something that lasted? I mean having chronic and now still free from BV years later

Back to BXlady. You asked what you were doing wrong. I would suggest taking two 400 mcg in the morning and one at night. That's what made all the difference for me. Also I would suggest taking two of the acidophilus.

It is very easy to get rid of as some say with a day or two if they are just getting the symptoms and are aware of their bodies and so it's a lot easy to get rid of. When I start to feel a little itchy and it's inside not outside I always take Two folic acids and it goes away quickly. however when it was something that I was dealing for a while it took a week for it to work. Once you don't have it anymore it is a good idea to still take one-two pills of 400 mcg folic acid a day and one probiotic a day. I hope this helps! Also one must realize that some people may have different reasons for reoccuring BV such as other issues eg PID, pregnancy that would bring on BV.

However, if you've gone to the gyno and they say there's nothing wrong then I hope this helps!!!God Bless!!

So how long has it been gone since you have been taking those things?

Thanks for sharing your experience. Sorry, but what is ACV?

Hi. I am a 19 year old college student who is constantly on the go and thought I might have contracted an std or sti. Went to the gyno, had blood taken, a Pap smear, the whole nine. I told the doctor my symptoms and she said it was probably a yeast infection because she didn't see anything under the microscope. Took that pill, didn't work. Told her my symptoms didn't go away, I was perscribed metronidazole, then I got my period and afterwards now I see no good results. I am running to the store this weekend to try this out. I thought I was the only one, and I felt so dirty. I hope this works. Thank you all for sharing! I have had BV for about 2 years now and it is driving me nuts! Btw, was clear of all stds, sti's, infections and all. The gyno could not find anything wrong with me. So I hope this is my saving grace.

Update. OK, so I posted a few weeks ago about Folic Acid and Acidophilus.

Here's what I've found out. It turns out, the two don't work alone. I've definitely needed the peroxide douche (equal parts peroxide and water) once every couple of days (more often if we're having sex more often).

However, taking the FA and Acidophilus along with the peroxide douche is WAY BETTER than just douching.

So I take back what I said (well, half way! ) and add the douche every couple of days at least. This has been most helpful.

On a side note, I've kinda noticed my guy's diet seems to play a big role in how often I'm douching as well... I actually noticed that HE smells a little fishy, even if we haven't actively had sex in a couple of days. He'd been eating a lot of flounder. Ick! Once he kicked that things were better. Has anyone else had any problems with their guys' spunk being a little 'off' and it correlating to your 'down there' problems? Just wondering...

Yeah, I too have been dealing with this "creature for well over 9 years and I know how everyone feels here, I got it douching:*( bv takes over your life, I swear this has got to be one of the worst problems a women can have, I used to smell up a whole damn room, I cried and cried and I prayed, the doctors they know nothing, the last time I wen to the GYN she said I was okay, I knew I was not I could still smell it:( so now I have been taking a Probiotic for womaen vaginal health, for the past month, seems to be working, a little discahrge but no fish odor and people say I smell like my perfume, which they love, I too have met a nice man and he is great, we have not had sex yet , I am afraid the room might smell, even though I do not, I just want to get back to me, so beautiful but with this ugly inside, screw the docotors, and also I drink alot of water , I would never douche again, I trie HP and did not work, I say get the probiotics, from any health food store, in the cold section and stay on it, until the vagina is back where it needs to be, I will let you know, so far so good though, I never hear dof this in my life and I am over 40 and neither have my friends or mother, ugh, Go away!!!

How long did it take to work for you? I've had this for 4 years and I can't take it anymor.e I have to use a boric acid suppository everyday and it causes sticky discharge!?

Did you take all your stuff orally and what are the names?

I truly want to thank each and every lady that posted on this site about bacterial vaginosis. I truly though that I was an anomoly or something. I have been dealing with this problem for a little over 10 years and what this website have done for me in one day had me in tears. I felt like my womanhood had been snatched from my body. But THANK GOD for leading me to read the testimonies.

Box of Douche- $1.49
Acidolphilus- $7.00
Folic Acid- $5.39

Getting my womanhood back- PRICELESS

Thank You.

Mrs T., I have read where some N.D. 's recomend Povidone Iodine prior to the acidophilus, especially in persistent cases, as the iodine cleans house for the friendly bacteria to better make their home.