About two months into this relationship, I started to smell just like him. I remembered reading about "trich" a fishy smelling STD (my mother taught sex ed). Looked it up and found BV as well. I told the BF that "we" should get checked. Both of us were positive for BV.
Now this is very important!
I asked my BF if his ex girlfriend (before me) had smelled, he said yes AND that he could smell this in his own urine when he peed! He was unaware (as men are, tuna jokes) that it was an infection or that it was abnormal for women to smell fishy. Clearly he had this before I got it from HIM!
I did some deep research on this. Men can and do get this, the bacteria lodges in the epithelial (skin cells) in the urethra (inside penis) also can be under foreskin. This is how you CAN get this from men. Found a dozen med studies that confirm Gardnerella in MEN, and sexual transmission to/from women.
Normally we have a balance of "good" and "bad" bacteria. The good ones Lactobacillus (acidolphillus etc.) produce, guess what?- HYDROGEN PEROXIDE! so they can usually kill off enough bad bacteria to keep 'em in check or if a few more come in. BUT if your BF drops an extra load of BAD (Gardnerella etc.) in you, THESE bad bacterias produce enzymes that split into amines that cause the stinky discharge AND they raise the pH level too high so they can live in there and the good bacteria die off because the pH is too high for them. (BV study-Baylor College of Medicine Houston TX) So you have a situation where you have been invaded by a big "army" of BAD bacteria that your normal little vag defense league can not defeat, the "bad" bacteria takes over- BV nightmare!
SO, Initially we both did the Metro pills, smell went away so we though it was gone (low level infection may not smell detectably), but no! Both of ours came back, did the Metro again. I WENT BACK FOR A RECHECK TO MAKE SURE IT WAS GONE, it was gone. MY BF didn't want the swab up his P again so he didn't go. I stupidly trusted that the second round of antibiotics had worked for him too, but NO, HE was getting smelly again, I even smell checked his pre-ejaculate and semen, fishyyyy! We went back for more metro. The stuff makes me very sick and we both (men get yeast too) got yeast infections after the 3rd round. I refused sex for 2-3 months several times and I did not get BV. It came back as soon as we did it again.
So I finally tried the HP about 2-3 ozs used a little pop top travel size squirt bottle, laying down, hips up. 1-3 minutes for 1-7 days depending on how bad you have it. THEN mix multi live probiotics (acidolphillus and ruteri etc.), break open 2 caps mix into 2-3 ozs PLAIN organic or natural yogurt without sugar or additives! in a small cup. Suck this up into empty tube part of clean plunger (from the Metrogel or whatever useless gunck you tried), don't get air in it. Then stick plunger in bottom end of tube, use a usual. Did that for 5-6 days before bed so it stays in or put ORGANIC, cotton, unscented tampon in after as "plug" for day time. Continued taking the capsules orally for a few months, and did not eat sugar! or anything with sugar in the ingredients list, avoided restaurants as you don't know what's in the food. You need to "eat" probiotics anyway because antibiotics destroy them in your gut as well as your vagina. THIS WORKED. USED CONDOMS ALWAYS at this point for nine months, and made him wash first in case it was ON him, to avoid him getting it ON the condom while putting it on! (I was not convinced that he was actually taking the antibiotics or that they would work on him) so NO BV. Then BF takes more Metro and gets checked, SAYS he's clear so no condom:
THEN I got it again and found out that BF was cheating, dropped him! NO BF for 6 months, NO BV!!!
You can get this for other reasons, I suppose, BUT YOU CAN give and GET IT FROM MEN!!!, HAVE YOUR GUY CHECKED!!!! THIS MAY BE WHY YOU KEEP GETTING IT, BACK AND FORTH OR FROM ANOTHER WOMAN VIA HIM.
BV Cause Theories
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BV Cause Theories
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First OFF, I never really had a permanent gyno doc bc i move alot. So i was going into the clinics and this and that. Well After awhile i just stopped going and wasting my money. I know this can cause so much on us women.
LAST WEEK, i finally made an appt with a great gyno and after she looked at my medical records she was floored!! Floored because NO DOCTOR BEFORE has ever done a full universal culture. They just looked under the microscope or did a whiff test. SHE WAS SHOCKED. She being that i always have these infections, she did one for me. AND last week she called me with some pretty interesting news. I have something called GROUP B strep and candida overgrowth. Now Group B is usually more common in pregnant women so thats where it gets confusing, i have never had a child, or never have been pregnant. GROUP B is bacteria that grows in the small intestines and finds it way to the vagina, and sometimes sperm irrates it and can make it worse. SO i am taking a high dose of antifungal anitbiotic every 6 hrs and i also am using a very strong antifungal cream for down there. SO FAR ITS GOOD, i am still taking this medicine, and well keep everyone updated. SO i suggest ANYONE that keeps having infections, to make sure your docs are doing a FULL culture, it usually takes a few days to get the results, so if they tell you in the office that u have BV, maybe ask if they can do a full culture. I remember having infections soooo bad sometimes i would want to curl in a hole, I also seemed to be having Gas (lol) or belly aches alot. Now my gyno said that it should clear up after this because she found the direct source, but bc i have had this problem for so long it might take 2 doses. I am not saying anyone has what i have, but please make sure u have a full culture done. When they test for stds, its not a full culture, that only tests for those diseases. SO GOOD LUCK LADIES.
BV Cause Theories
Well I'm sad to report that after reuniting with the boyfriend, my BV came back. It wasn't as bad as it was before, but within 48 hours of being intimate with him, I would get the fishy discharge every single time!!! This went on for 8 months and I tried everything I did before and it came back each time.
I wanted so badly to make things work with him because we have a child, but I could not continue taking flagyl every month so I ended it. After taking my last dose about 2 moths ago, I recolonized my system with femdolphis orally (2x per day) and purfem vaginally for 10 days. I also checked my ph daily with ph paper.
After things were back to normal, I had to test my theory that he was the cause. I had sex with the man I had been with for the past 4 years (split with him to work things out with "bv causing ex") and NO BV!!! We have had sex three times within the past month and still no problems. I continue to check my ph and it's staying in the healthy range of 3.5-4.0.
I hope this helps someone, it's possible that men do carry the bacteria and pass it back to us. I had to let my body chose who I will be with so I'm staying with the man whose penis doesn't make my vagina sick.
Reading the posts on here and wanted to pass along some information. Seems a lot of people think there is no cause for BV, actually there are several.
Basically when the pH of the vagina changes it causes the bad bacteria to grow. Some reasons the pH changes: sex (semen), antibiotics, some people may inadvertently wipe from back to front thus causing fecal matter to enter the vaginal area (this will DEFINITELY cause bad bacterial growth.
I have had BV from sex, my body doesn't like my bf's semen. I treated with Flagyl and was fine. Now I try to shower immediately after and remove and cleanse my vagina.
Hope this helps someone!
BV Cause Theories
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BV Cause Theories
I want to try this. I'm trying to do vaginal yeast medicine to see if this helps anything. Its helping. I'm also eating lots of garlic and onions and mushrooms in my meals.
Ok so what I found out while researching...
A woman had kept going to clinics and doctors trying to figure out what causing her to burn and itch down there. Everywhere told she nothing but a yeast infection. (Not funny, how I have the same experience as her). She didnt believe them.. She went back to her native country (not the United States of course) and her doctors in her native country told she had Strep B.
They gave her a antibiotic and shes cured!!!
Look up strep B is and you'll find some revealing information!! Apparently doctors in the U. S. don't prescribe you a cure for this unless you're pregnant!! I read somewhere Planned Parenthood told a girl she had Strep B. and not to worry. Only worry if you're pregnant. Very Strange if you ask me!!
I'm looking for a cure. Something. Purging by not eating after dark. Excercising as much as I can. Maye I'll frolic in the ocean. I know the ocean has its own benefits.
Let's not give up!
BV Cause Theories
BV Cause Theories
BV Cause Theories
BV Cause Theories
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I am so glad I found this site and read the countless positive reviews. I am also happy to be able to leave a positive review of my own. :)
Using a 50/50 solution of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide and water, I soaked a tampon in the solution for about 5 minutes. I then inserted the tampon and waited for about 20 minutes before removing. After the first time, I instantly noticed that wonderfully, the smell was gone. About an hour later I still felt a mild tingling sensation but it wasn't painful or uncomfortable, just a little distracting. Halfway through the following day, I noticed that the smell was still sort of there, and so I repeated the process twice, keeping one day off in between each treatment to avoid burns or irritation. Then, 7 days after the first treatment, I bought a douche kit, emptied it out, and filled it with the 50/50 solution. The smell wasn't really noticeable after the second treatment but I really didn't feel I had done enough to get rid of the bacterial buildup, and wasn't convinced it was really gone, so a thorough douching process seemed worth the added effort (even though I always promised myself I would NEVER douche! ).
It's only been a few hours since the douching process, and I avoided my boyfriend ALL WEEK so that I could try this treatment, which, to be quite honest I was very very doubtful of before I tried.
I am not sure if the BV will stop occurring now, because I do believe that my IUD is the cause. However, I am glad to know that I can treat the nasty problem when it does come back, and using items I have around the house!
BV Cause Theories
BV Cause Theories
BV Cause Theories
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because BV is a PH imbalance, tampons will actually cause BV. I was on antibiotics for almost 2 years before learning about this miracle cure. But I took it a step further and stopped wearing tampons as well. I have not had a problem since.
BV Cause Theories
BV Cause Theories
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BUT...symptoms came back when I started back in an unprotected sexual relationship with the same person before the flagyl. To my surprise (or maybe I was playing stupid), I began to realize that...it could be "him" reinfecting me.
This time the unprotected relationship has stopped, using condoms now!!! Back on the regimen for YI because the itchy feeling is back, with slight smelly discharge in the morning. I'm going back to doctor to re-test me. LADIES SOMETIMES ITS NOT US...ITS REALLY THEM! Good luck and be well. :)
