J (Toronto, Ontario) on 02/05/2009:

When I first wrote back in December, I had tried borax, H202 and acidophilus (both internally and externally). Shortly after, I began taking folic acid which was present in a tablet marketed for "stress relief", which had different B vitamins as well. I felt I had to update because I think the status should be changed from "better but not cured" to "cured".

Ladies, when I was initially struggling with the smell and irritation, I wanted something that would give me relief IMMEDIATELY. The H202 certainly provided that, but it was only temporary. I was in no rush to run to the pharmacy to get folic acid because I had assumed that it was more of a preventative measure, and wouldn't have any immediate impact on my symptoms. I was wrong. When I took those multivitamins with folic acid in them (3-4 tablet = 1mg of folic acid in each), I swear my severe irritation dissipated significantly within 1-2 hours. The H202 had helped the odor and the next day, the folic acid seemed to prevent the smell and abnormal discharge from returning. I went out and bought a bottle of just folic acid -1mg tabs, and continued to take them with acidophilus for about a week or 2. I would take 2-3mg of folic acid and about 3-4 acidophilus capsules which were said to contain the following:

4 billion active cells at time of manufacture of the following:
lactobacillus rhamnosus - 80% 3.2billion
lactobacillus acidophilus-10% .04billion
Bifidobacterium longum- 5% .02billion
Bifidobacterium bifidum- 5% .02billion

Shortly after I started taking these supplements routinely, I had my period and afterward my symptoms were gone entirely. I have been symptom free and feeling great for over a month. I know some girls ask if they have to keep taking the supplements after the symptoms go away, and from my experience, I have not been taking them everyday or even regularly and my symptoms have not returned. I do try to take them whenever I remember because I believe they are great for your vaginal health, but personally I did not find that I was forced to continue taking them forever.

Other things to note are that I have not had intercourse in a while after getting better, this could be part of the reason for not relapsing yet as this was one of the most aggravating factors for me.

I also continued to have some issues with bouts of painful and urgent urination that was sometimes cloudy after my BV felt better. I cannot be certain, but I believe what wiped out this problem entirely for me was when I started to drink 2TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar with 2TBSP Molasses and 1TSP of Cayenne pepper combined together in hot water (in a very large mug) and drank like a tea. I don't know if the actual amounts are that important, my reasoning for those measurements were that it tasted the best to me that way. I have been drinking this every other day or so now, because the taste sort of grew on me. I drank it with a straw most of the time to avoid teeth sensitivities. I wanted to try taking these supplements after what I read on this site about how they are good for your overall health. I wasn't intentionally trying to help my bladder issues but I strongly believe it did. I also seemed to have a shorter period with a reduction in the severity of cramps (these were becoming problematic due to my copper IUD). I believe this is because of the iron and magnesium in the molasses. I was not using blackstrap molasses btw, it was the Crosby brand of "fancy" molasses that is common here in Canada. I will keep an eye out for the blackstrap stuff.

Thanks again to everyone who wrote here and the admins for having such a helpful site. I wish the best health for all of you.

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