Hydrogen Peroxide for Bacterial Vaginosis

Hydrogen peroxide for bacterial vaginosis - I really recommend this method.

Antibiotics - work, but makes you feel sick and I had a recurrence shortly after.

Probiotics (probably), but not immediately. I didn't have the patience to wait.

Some gels especially for BV - only some instant relieve of the symptoms - further not much change.

I wish I would have known about Hydrogen Peroxide from the start, but unfortunatelly you have to google a lot to find out such a simple cure. After only 3 days of treatment, as described here, and BV is completely gone. Now back to happy and confident - ME :)

Update** I have been symptom free since October. No smell, no burning. My vulva did itch every now and then only when I bothered it. I did a 3-4 day treatment with 3% hydrogen peroxide. Immediate relief from itching and burning. I'm in my third trimester with a healthy baby, they say you shouldn't douche while pregnant. I made an exception in my case. BV can be dangerous late in pregnancy. After taking prescription from DR that did Not help Me, I found this site and recommendations from other moms about hydrogen peroxide. I must say this is the best treatment for Me.

My only discomfort was the dryness I experienced a week or so later. I treated that with partially frozen organic plain yogurt and wore a pad. GONE!!! No unnecessary meds for me and little one ever again now that I know this(unless emergency purposes of course). I wish I had known to use this sooner. When you know better, you do better.😊

Hydrogen peroxide actually works—AND has less significant (in my opinion) side effects than metronidazole. Being a huge nerd, I needed to research this cure before I tried it, and I found out that this is 62.5% effective after ONE 3-minute douching as 4 tablets of metronidazole. Imagine what a few days of treatment will do!

I found this study on the US National Library of medicine's website. Read what it has to say about hydrogen peroxide! (Here's a link to the study https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3458956/)

Hydrogen peroxide

We identified two non-controlled clinical trials that we excluded from this review [15, 16], and one randomised triple-blinded controlled trial in which the efficacy of vaginal hydrogen peroxide instillation in curing BV was assessed [17].

In a very well-designed triple-blinded randomised controlled trial, Chaithongwongwatthana et al. investigated the effectiveness and safety of a single hydrogen peroxide vaginal douche in treating bacterial vaginosis [17]. In this study, 142 patients with BV were enrolled in a Thai outpatient gynaecologic clinic. Diagnosis was made according to Amsel's criteria. Randomisation relied on computer-generated random number scheme and both subjects and investigators were blinded to treatment. In addition double dummies were used to ensure blinding. In the experimental treatment arm patients (n = 72) were treated with a single douche with 20 ml of a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution in lithotomy position for 3 minutes, whereas in the control arm patients (n = 70) received 4 tablets of 500 mg metronidazole. The dummy treatments consisted of a vaginal douche with clean water in the metronidazole group and of identical placebo tablets similar to the metronidazole tablets in the hydrogen peroxide group. Follow-up was performed at 2 weeks following treatment. Cure was defined as the absence of at least 3 Amsel criteria. Assessors were blinded for the treatment allocation. The cure rates were 62.5% in the hydrogen peroxide group and 78.6% in the metronidazole group (see Table 1). Patients in the metronidazole group had significantly more gastrointestinal side effects (48.6% versus 13.9%, p < 0.001), whereas patients in the hydrogen peroxide group had significantly more mild vaginal irritation (33.3% versus 14.3%, p = 0.008).

Ladies, I've struggled on and off for years with this and I have tried ALOT of remedies including acv(douche and drinking), baking soda, molkosan, Epsom salt, herbs, vitamins, femdophilus, yogurt, probiotics, borax, bv capsules, coconut oil, etc and some worked to varying degrees depending on how bad the infection was but the only thing that works is to dramatically diet change, cut out the processed and the sugars and carbs...

Also I'll tell you a secret I wish I knew all along... Hydrogen peroxide!!! Use as a douche or rinse it wet a tampon. Odor is gone immeadiatly, no matter how bad your infection is. So cheap, and a Godsend. I dont really have an infection now, been free for maybe 6 months after a mild one . Diet changes really helped there, now all I do is eaty healthy about 1/2 the time and eat yogurt weekly, then rinse with the peroxide anytime I feel I have an odor. Not even a fishy odor (its not that bad) just an off odor. Odor goes immediatly and stays gone for days. So really all you need is a healthy diet and perioxide. Save yourself some money. Trust me I tried everything out there, even making my own suppositories . Perioxide and a good diet is the way to go. My BV will come back if I go back to eating a lot of junk and sugar for too long.

I doubt you should use full hp solution if it's higher than 3%, you should always dilute with water (half hp, half water). I say wait a few days then keep trying, or use the betadine for douching for the meantime then switch to hp to ultimately get rid of bv :) good luck! To ladies out there still struggling, there is no one and ultimate way to get rid of bv (even antibiotics get recurrences), so just keep trying till you find one way of keeping the vajayjay healthy, I had an evil bv infection when I had unprotected sex and the semen (which is alkaline) seemed to upset the pH, and boy was it a nightmare, I went to the gynae and was prescribed dequalinium chloride which I am extremely happy about since it's not antibiotics. After the treatment ended I still had mild bv and I knew if I went back to the ob/ gyn I would be prescribed antibiotics which will kill all the good bacteria in the vajayjay so I sought high and low for solutions. First, I used pure vit c tablets 500mg every night inserted into the vagina for three nights, which ultimately helped because I no longer squirm in discomfort because of the irritation/ itch. I am now on betadine / hp douche to get rid of the slimy/ sleek/ watery discharge which is bothering me, I'm planning on doing it every couple of days from now, but I can say that going natural is wayyyy better even though it takes longer. I'm currently going to purchase probiotics and maintain a diet with eating A LOT of KIMCHI (which contains lactobacillus), yoghurt and lemon water w honey everyday first thing in the morning to seriously eradicate this evil evil thing!

Hi I was wondering, did you dilute the solution? Thanks! Danielle

So I did two days of the HP and water douche, started to feel dry so I stopped. The next day I did nothing but observe, no odor but still itchy and tender. So I did an ACV soak in the tub filled half way with water. Today I used a syringe with yogurt that has 6 live cultures. I put a much could hold in and used a tampon to keep in. I won't change until the next few hours. I'm going to take a shower in the morning and repeat the yogurt. I got immediate relief when inserting the yogurt. So glad too. I am taking probiotics as well and eating the yogurt. My diet is plant based but I still eat pastries etc. And drink plenty of water. Will update on my progress 😊

HELP

I have had Bv for a couple of months, and have only realised that it actually is bv. Before going to the gyn I have decided to do the tampon hydrogen peroxide method. I've been doing it for 2 nights now, the first night was half HP half water solution, and left me feeling quite dry, but very little odour, I tried it again last night, but this time full HP solution. I did it just before bed, and fell asleep with it in by accident for 4 hours.. when I took it out, the inside of my vagina was swollen and felt a bit of discomfort, today, my vagina has been excreting a watery discharge that is a little yellow in colour, but no swollen discomfort or strong odour. Should I stop this method or keep trying? I only want to leave in the tampon for 20-30 minutes but last night was an accident

This method really works definitely try it before going to the doctors if you for sure that its BV. I got bv from having unprotected sex with a new sex partner. I went to the dr she confirmed thts what it was and started me on antibiotics. The antibiotics took the smell and discharge away immediately. The third day on them I had sex again and he kept sliding the condom off (smh after I told him I got BV from having unprotected sex with him). So I still had four days left of antibiotics. A week after the antibiotics were over and my oeriod came and went (period only last 3days) the BV came back. I got so frustrated. So I called my dr and couldnt get an appt for about 2 wks. There was no way I was walking around smelling that horrible smell. So I started looking for ither methods. I came across bv cream and probiotics and purchased them both. The cream only took the smell away for two days (claimed three). So then I came across HP and immediately went to target and purchased it.

So on Saturday I started the tampon method. I soaked it in a tampon with the plastic applicator for a few minutes and inserted for 30 minutes. I did tht twice..... would u believe no smell or discharge all night and morning. BUT it came back but the smell was minor and the discharge was little to none. I did this for 3 days but withing 16 hrs the minor stench and discharge would return. So I did the douche method on the fourth day... IT FINISHED THE JOB immediately. I did it before I took my shower on the 4th and 5th day and I will do it for the last day today to make 7 days for treatment.. no discharge or odor since day 4. And I had sex on day 5 and no smell AT ALL ...i also inserted a bv cream as well to keep the freshness. If u havent tried it PLEASE DO IMMEDIATELY IT WORKS.

Did my second treatment of 10ml sterile water, 20ml of hydrogen peroxide douche this morning. I used a little more water though, and once again have been symptom free.

My 1st treatment was last night at full strength. This morning when u woke up I had the itchy feeling but I just got in the shower used my douche and no more itch and it's several hours later. I started taking my probiotics this morning. So far so good.

I have tonight and tomorrow for my last treatments. I'm pregnant so will be only be treating for 3 days twice a day. I slowly squeeze the solution so it's a trickle, not like a jet stream.

I was looking for a treatment for BV, and stumbled onto this site. And I must say, that I am so glad to have found. I'm in my 2nd trimester and haven't been reading as clean as I normally would not pregnant. Doctor diagnosed me with BV a few weeks ago. Didn't know u had it until yesterday, from the fish smell and itchy swollen vulva.So, I didn't want to take any more (after 1dose that didn't work) medications that would pass thru to the baby.

Found this site and got so excited that I did not fully read the douche instructions for Hydrogen peroxide. I did 30ml full strength in about 5 minutes standing up. Yes there was a slight sting afterwards for about a minute. But once that was over, I had Immediate relief. No itching, no smell just relief.

Now my second treatment will be tomorrow morning with half/half. I only wear cotton undies and go bare during sleep. Thank you thank you thank you for sharing this information. Will let you all know how I feel in the morning. Baby is fine moving her normal amount. No camping or out of ordinary sensations. Screaming Thank you, all of you for sharing your experiences!!!!

I have recurrent bv and have tried pretty much everything except the boric acid. Nothing worked. Went to three different doctors and they all kept prescribing the same thing ... 7 days Flagg/metranidazole and clindamyckn for the yeast infection that would surely follow. I explained over and over again that the antibiotics only provided temporary relief. Two months max. They didn't offer any other solutions. I took matters into my own hands and started doing one part hydrogen peroxide (3%) and one part water. Such a relief after the first time. After three days No odor, no discharge, no itch. I started taking a probiotic 8 days ago, hopefully they will help keep the situation at bay.

This is so great. I've had BV off and on for the past...years and years really but only in the past few months have I gotten serious about figuring out a solution that does not include antibiotics. I did lots of things before the hydrogen peroxide douche:

8 glasses of water/day (at least)

no fast food/processed food (meals from scratch)

greek yogurt (probiotics)

...At this point, things started to get better. But the itchiness and slight odor lingered.

1 part hydrogen peroxide to 3 parts water in a douche 1-2x per week

I guess I see this as an ongoing solution - not a permanent fix. I'm married and sex is a regular part of my life - sperm is also one of the triggers for my BV. Like other women, the relief was almost instant. Compared to regular doses of antibiotics, I'm totally good with something I can manage without medical help.

What did the doctor say?

Glad I saw this thread. My gynae recommended vinegar and water OR watered down plain yoghurt as agents to use for douching. I'm Still going to try the peroxide. That being said she said no more than once a weeks. And for this who keep having recurring BV after sex, consider having your partner treated too worn the same Flagyl treatment you get. It sure did change my trajectory with BV when I asked for this - I have been BV grew since. Good luck.

You didn't follow the instructions.

Hey everyone,

I have been suffering with BV and yeast infections for a couple years now. I would like to know how often to use H2O2 douche and what to take after. Everyone has something different like douching for 3 days once a day and inserting acidophilus or I saw somewhere that Vitamin C with Rose Hips inserted helps too. I just want to know that what happens biologically when using H2O2 douche and what the proper steps are in getting a healthy vagina back! It's exhausting to have to think about it everyday and worry that its coming back or not fully gone. Also, what can I buy to test by PH level in there? Please help!

You mentioned drinking alkaline water, but I must make a strong warning: DO NOT use alkaline water to dilute hydrogen peroxide, because that will dramatically alter the pH, and can cause damage.

I know this because I accidentally made an enema this way and found out the Really Hard way, that it's extremely painful and potentially life threatening.

You're now the first person I've warned online, and I plan to do more, since I have not seen one single cautionary comment on this subject on any website about H202, which is rather troubling, considering my harrowing experience.

Definitely sounds like Trichamoniasis...I'd try a different OBGYN and start with a full STD panel to rule out Trich. The symptoms are quite similar....odor, watery discharge, itchiness..You AND your hubby will need antibiotics, but at least you will have an answer and relief! Best of luck to you.

I think you mean it works WHETHER, not rather...(sorry, bad grammar drives me nuts). Glad it worked for you, but you don't need distilled water or to drink Apple Cider Vinegar, either. Properly used, regular peroxide that is diluted to a 50/50 ratio will work. Also, BV is NOT the same and a yeast infection. You started off talking about treating BV, but finished by talking about yeast infections. That may be confusing to some who don't know there is a big difference between the two. BV is the overgrowth of bad BACTERIA in the vagina. Yeast infections occur when candida, a fungus naturally found in the vagina, grows excessively. Yeast infections usually produce white, cottage-cheese like, odor-less discharge; while BV produces a thin, white or gray smelly discharge. Because fungi don't respond to antibiotics, yeast infections don't respond to flagyl and other prescribed BV treatments. Conversely, BV doesn't respond to meds like Fluconazole (Diflucan) and over the counter treatments like Monistat..I learned that from experience when I took Diflucan a few days ago thinking it would treat my symptoms. That's what makes hydrogen peroxide so wonderful is that fact that it seems to be effective in curing BV and yeast infections. While I've never used it for yeast infections, I've read that others have had success with it. I've also read that using too much hydrogen peroxide to cure BV can actually CAUSE yeast infections by throwing off the vagina's Ph and creating an environment where yeast grows out of control.

Hi! How big was the clot? I have a little clot coming out every month during my vertile period, which is completely healthy & normal. If it is about half a centimeter (sorry I'm from Europe, don't know your sizes), and if you are right in the middle of your last period and the one coming up, then it might just be your ovulation.

Thank you!

I actualy appreciate that someone posts result about longer term use AND long term RESULT! I'm suffering BV since 2 months. Started off with tea tree, worked very little, then vitamine c, same story, then apple cider vinegar & tonight first time Hydrogen. It feels really good. Thanks for this post, it gives hope!

I am so excited. I have suffered with BV my entire life on and off. Recently remarried and had to do something. After using Hydrogen peroxide for a mouthwash, I wondered could it be used for the vagina. I searched online and stumbled across this website. Used for the first time last night. I diluted mine half water and half peroxide. The itch on the outer parts stopped almost immediately and slept peacefully for the first time in many nights. Did another rinse this morning and will be doing the tampon method this afternoon. Excited to finally feel so good. Nothing else has worked so far. Thanks for all the comments and for sharing.

Five words - IT WORKS.....but NOT alone.

I've had BV on/off about 7-8 times a year for almost 5 years now. I've always taken Metronidazole(which gives me a yeast infection so I finish the week off with Diflucan) but this last time I took it, it did not work. I knew I had to do more research. So I did. I found that I just eat too much sugar. I feed the bad bacteria every single time I eat because I'm always eating bad foods. I hate home cooked food, fruits and veggies. Well, that has to change for it to go away so last month I did a SERIOUS cleanse. I'm tired of smelling like fish and I'm tired of not being able to comfortably have sex with my boyfriend.

I went out and bought a douche, hydrogen peroxide (3%) and some tampons. I douched for 3 days straight with half hydrogen peroxide and half water. I didn't hold it in - I just douched standing up. On the third day however, before I douched I soaked a tampon for about 5 mins in the solution and inserted it for 15 mins, THEN douched. Just to kill all the rest of the bacteria. Smell was gone on the FIRST day but my hoohah was irritated for the whole 3 days due to the hydrogen peroxide. NOTE: THIS WORKED THE SECOND TIME I DID IT, NOT THE FIRST.

The FIRST time I did not change my diet. It was filled with fast food, cookies, cakes, ice cream, pizza, pasta, burgers, quesadillas, and every bar menu food you can think of. No fruits or veggies, no whole foods. Guess what, it didn't work! SO I did research and learned that BV is simply too much bad bacteria. Bad foods = bad bacteria. So the second time around I cleaned up my diet. I ate only eggs, meat, veggies and fruit that I bought and prepared for an entire week (it was hell) and did the HP cleanse for 3 days again. Guess what? IT WORKED! I also took a probiotic everyday to encourage the good bacteria to grow. I still take it every morning now just to keep BV away since I can't keep my diet ALL the way clean 100% of the time. But I've been free of BV about a month now. Even after exercising everyday, sex with my boyfriend(omg its so much better when it's not funky), and my period.

Go for it! But clean your diet up too! Otherwise you'll just be wasting your time.

I did the same. I used a pearl tampon (plastic applicator), leave tampon in applicator, put in the mix (I used a cup so tampon could stand up). soaked in under a minute, slid in just fine.

Hydrogen Peroxide for BV - This WORKS!

It's been exactly 1 month now and I've already had my period a week ago. No recurring BV! I followed the instructions for 5 days until the discharge and smell subsided and eventually disappeared. I did experience a bit of a burning sensation the first 2-3 days but that's ok.

I also had organic (non-conventional brand) kefir that I found at the health food store, supplemented with vitamin D3 (5000IU daily), folic acid and vitamin C (ascorbate not ascorbic acid).

The main reason this method works is that bad bacteria are anaerobic (they multiply in an environment where there's no oxygen), while good bacteria are aerobic (they need oxygen to thrive). Hydrogen peroxide has oxygen molecules and therefore it kills the bad bacteria while helping the good bacteria grow.

I'm glad I've tried this after almost a year of battling the symptoms. Please give it a try, just follow the instructions above! Good luck!

I just tried the peroxide method about 15 minutes ago. I feel a difference already, meaning I feel much cleaner down there. I poured 1oz of hydrogen peroxide in a douche bottle, (one already had from the beauty supply store) got in the tub laid on my back and inserted the bottle and squeezed it in. I didn't squeeze the full amount in because since this is a new method to me, I'm testing it out. I squeezed about 3 or four pumps into my vagina, I laid down for about a minute, then I sat up and let it run out, it came out like a foamy bubbly substance, but I think that's a good thing. I didn't dilute it with water because I want to be sure its working but I did sit in a small tub of water afterwards and took some probiotic pills. It does burn a little bit but it's not unbearable. I will do this again tomorrow and I may dilute with water this time, just to make sure my natural floral is not being dried out, that wouldn't be good for intimacy. You can post me if you have anymore questions.

How do u soak the water and peroxide in a tampon THEN insert the tampon in the vagina? Doesnt it expand too much to fit it in?

It's so silly they prescribe antibiotics for this!!! Antibiotics just KILL more bacteria, and often cause BV in the first place. Super backwards. Most people aren't aware of what they're doing to their bodies when taking antibiotics though, and I only have become aware in the past 5 years because of being diagnosed with colitis.

I'm using the mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water, but it burns, is that normal and how often do I do it a day?

Look into D-Mannose for bladder infection.

Thank god I found this website! I am never one to write reviews on websites like these, I tend to just take advice.
However, I felt this time I needed to share my experience like many other women.

I am a fairly young adult, 21 years old, and had unfortunately been suffering with BV for around 5 months. After being diagnosed by a doctor I was prescribed antibiotics, they worked for a few days but the BV returned very quickly. I tried the gels that can be inserted, for example the canestan BV treatment, that didn't work either.

My BV was particularly prominent after sex, which was extremely embarrassing for myself as I felt I had to apologise and explain to my partner. It actually put me off sex and meeting new people completely, I lost huge amounts of confidence, as I'm sure others can relate.

It became incredibly frustrating, until out of frantic internet searches I found this page and found my solution.

-I bought some hydrogen peroxide, douche and acidophilus tablets.
-Firstly, I created a 50/50 mix of hydrogen peroxide and water to fill the douche.
-I lay in the bath (or sat on the toilet) and inserted the mixture and held for 60 seconds.
-I then released the original liquid and then douched again with a small amount of water.
-After, I then inserted an acidophilus tablet into my vagina to encourage the 'friendly' bacteria.

I did this for 7 days, in the morning.
I saw immediate results, after day 2, there was no smell (throughout the day) and my discharge had returned completely to the state it was before BV.
It did feel a little crampy for the first 3 days of doing this, but after it was fine.

It has been nearly two weeks, I have had sex and my BV has NOT RETURNED! (although I did douche with the solution a few hours after sex as a scared precaution, because I'm terrified of it coming back! )

(I must add I have cut down on smoking which may have had some benefit)
BUT THIS SOLUTION IS GREAT AND I WISH I HAD FOUND IT SOONER.

Let me start off by saying if you have ever experienced BV I don't even have to explain how nerve wrecking it is smh. I'm going to try and keep this short and sweet. I have suffered from BV off and on for the past year. I would go to the Dr. They give you the typical 3/7 day meds oral and insertion. All if those were temporary masking not exactly a solution. Not to mention the uncomfortable side effects that freaked me out. So I was doing a lot of research and stumbled upon this site. After trying numerous other remedies. I have never heard of peroxide. Thinking about it makes perfect sense it kills bacteria in cuts, etc. Me and my fiance went to Walmart at like 3 a.m. to pick up a few things so I slid in hydrogen peroxide and a pack of vinegar douche for the squeeze bulbs.Got home and tried it out immediately. I emptied the bottled and filled it with peroxide. I DID NOT dilute it I needed it to work the way it was intended. I was a little nervous though but more determined. I got in the empty tub it kind of layed down and went to work with the douche. I held it in also a little while. I did this twice two rounds at one time. I could feel it instantly bubbling up so I knew it was doing what its supposed to. By the way it DID NOT burn or hurt in any shape form or way. So don't be scared!! It will only help you. This was 10 hours ago so far so good. Plus me and my fiance were intimate twice still no smell no disharge!! He is excited but not more than me he have no idea. We have not been intimate for a week straight lol. I plan to be more cautious of my body going forward. Just be mor intune with your body have to treat our vagina like a baby b/c it's just that gentle, fragile, & sensitive. IT WORKS LADIES!! Hopes this helps someone👍👍😀

I have been suffering with BV for a few years now. It just started all of the sudden. I can relate to not having intercourse with my husband until it smelled right. I have never had any odor so this was very off putting. I just tried the peroxide and water today. Hope it works.

Bv is so embarrassing :( this helped so much! I'm starting this exact routine in the morning! Sounds like everything I've ever wanted to try but wasn't sure how or how often but this helps a TON! This answered my prayer! Thank you so much!!

I used the Hydrogen peroxide method and it cured my BV. I have waited over a week to post this in the fears that it may come back - I didn't want to post something like oh, it took away the symptoms immediately and it's been one day! Of course the symptoms will be gone that day. I wanted to make sure it wasn't coming back. I am about a week and a half out and it hasn't! At all! I'm going to tell you guys exactly what I did.

I've had BV one time before. I know exactly why I got it and it's embarrassing. Back then I tried some lightweight natural remedies and while it lessened the symptoms, it didn't go away until I went to the doctor and got metro gel. That took it away completely. This second incident is now about three years after the first. I don't know how I got it though I suspect my partner had something to do with it because of a random comment he made about having not showered. Come on people let's be hygienic! As for my symptoms, I wouldn't say they were "severe". But I did have that abnormal discharge and probably the WORST most humiliating part, that bad smell after sex. :( Feeling mortified (and my gyno appointment being a month away) I decided to give natural remedies my all. I was just determined to feel like I could beat this the natural way and not have to use gross inserts or take strong antibiotics. I am very health conscious and don't like to go to the doctor or use strong medicines unless absolutely necessary. So after researching like mad, this is what I did:

1. I bit the bullet and bought a douching apparatus (I have NEVER used one before, I felt embarrassed having to even buy this), and I used 50/50 hydrogen peroxide and water douche once a day for seven days. Every day I prepared this fresh, about 2 oz of each. The hydrogen peroxide is the regular kind you can buy at the supermarket, the one in the brown bottle. I would lay on my back and raise my hips and legs up in the air so that part of me was more or less upside down, then completely fill myself up with solution and hold it in and count to 60. Then let it out in the tub. Repeat until the solution is gone. The first time as someone else reported, I did feel a bit crampy afterwards. Probably because of the infected tissue being cleaned off. But each day this lessened and after 3 days or so it doesn't feel like anything. Just nice and clean.

2. This might be equally important - I ate raw cloves of garlic every day for seven days. I read about and actually found a study that said ingesting raw garlic this way was about as effective as oral metro. But you have to make sure you do it RIGHT - you have to eat ENOUGH garlic (2 or 3 regular sliced cloves per day), make sure it is SLICED or CRUSHED, and make sure it's fresh garlic. The garlic pills will not work. Cooked garlic in your food will not work. It must be raw, freshly sliced garlic. There is a special compound that garlic releases as soon as it is sliced or crushed and that is where the healing properties are. Let me tell you, I adore garlic, but this was hell. Make sure you eat a bit afterwards or it will give you a stomachache. I sliced it into thin slices and swallowed it like that like one might swallow pills. It was far too spicy to chew!

3. Probiotics. Since you're killing bacteria, repopulate your lady bits with the good probiotic bacteria that help keep it healthy. I bought and drank 8 oz of plain kefir (tastes like plain yogurt) every day for seven days. I actually plan to keep drinking it because it's just so good for you.

4. Alkalize. This by itself I believe is more of a preventative method, but I wanted to do anything that would help. And around the time I caught this, I had been going through a phase where I'd been eating really poorly. Loads of salty and sweet cravings, eating loads of chips and cheese puffs :/ I don't feel that is mere coincidence. And apparently, when you have BV, the PH in your vagina has shifted to more acidic, which helps the nasty bacteria thrive. Every morning I already drink water with lemon first thing, but I also started drinking one glass of water with a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar every afternoon. I bought bottles of alkalized water (find this at Whole Foods etc.) and drank that during the day. I did my best to avoid the worst of the acid forming foods: meat, packaged sugary foods, white rice, fruit juice and sodas etc. I dug up some of my favorite healthy recipes and started eating those. This experience has bolstered my discipline to eat better and more alkaline every day.

Oh, and during this time, I did not have sex. And that's it! Honestly I was so afraid to stop douching, but I knew I had to see if it would return. I was so, so happy when it didn't. And now I know exactly what to do if, heaven forbid, it ever comes back again. I'm so excited to share this. I was so embarrassed and upset that I literally cried, so I know how horrible it can feel. I would be so happy if this can help anyone beat this thing.