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Lady Macbeth (Toronto, On, Canada) on 09/10/2009
3 out of 5 stars

Worked Temporarily

Hi all,

So I haven't been diagnosed with BV, but have been to 3 doctors in the 6 months that I've been having problems. The problem began with a thin, milky, profuse discharge for the first month and a bad smell that never got overwhelming, but was always present. All 3 BV tests I had came back negative, but I'm certain that's what I've got since I've ruled out all other problems (got STI tests done at the same time and am in a monogamous relationship with my partner).

So the smell has ebbed and flowed. The discharge went away after the first month. I've been taking" _____ Multi-Probiotic", which was the most complete probiotic I could find. The smell goes away when I take this capsule consistently, but if I miss a day or two, the smell is right back, like it never went away.

I'm confused about this boric acid vs apple cider vinegar debate. As I understand, vaginas are naturally on the acidic side of the pH scale. A fluctuation in vaginal pH usually means things are getting alkaline, and that's what's causing problems. So why douche with boric acid and make things even more alkaline? I thought that sperm was sometimes problematic for vaginas because it's alkaline and vaginas are acidic? (I don't sleep with men, so I don't know about that personally.) I don't understand how boric acid can help, but all of these doctors are prescribing it to the people in this forum! I also don't want to start messing around with drinking vinegar because I've had candida problems as well as acid reflux in the past and vinegar/acidic foods don't do well in my body.

Does anyone have any good, scientific links to supply more information on either boric acid or ACV beyond just "it worked for me"? I'd like to know WHY it's supposed to work.

Also, folic acid. Why is it supposed to work? Beyond just the supposition that it's a "woman's vitamin" because it's a (very good) prenatal supplement for neural tube defects in fetuses. Please be careful about taking too much folic acid- I've seen some posters here detailing the amounts of folic acid they are taking- and it's a lot! Too much folic acid can mask symptoms of other B vitamin problems so be careful.

So. Other than my questions, I can say that I:

- Eat an extremely healthy diet, rich in leafy greens, colourful veggies, whole grains, very little dairy, no processed foods whatsoever, and no meat, other than fish maybe once every two months.

- I don't smoke, though I drink socially

- I take a multivitamin and a B 100 complex daily, as well a very strong probiotic, and a bowl of natural, organic yoghurt with breakfast (the B complex and multi are more than enough too cover my folic acid levels and I remain skeptical that folic acid does work until someone tells me why! :)

- I don't eat sugar, and have switched my caffeine source down from coffee, to black tea, to green tea. I've been drinking green tea now for a while, with no honey or sugar in it.

- I'm in a monogamous relationship with a person who I trust. And we're not even having regular sex due to this problem, so it's not getting re-aggravated by sexual activity.

- I use unscented bath products, don't overwash (once daily with natural, unscented soap), never use scented menstrual products (organic cotton tampons are all I use).

I'm living like a bloody saint! But the second I miss a dose of the probiotics, the stank is back!! If the probiotics work while I'm taking them, why don't they change the problem permanently? Is it only masking the problem? Is the problem wreaking havoc under that mask?

So why should I do the boric acid or the apple cider vinegar? If you've taken them, where did you get the directions/information to do so? I'm not sticking boric acid up my cooter without hard evidence that I'm not going to burn a hole into bowel-ville by doing so.

Likewise, the ACV. Drinking vinegar is not good for my body (candida) either.

The probiotics work, but only while I'm taking them! What to do people! What to do!

Good luck to you all!

Replied By Kathy (Dubois, Pa) on 09/10/2009

I've only had BV once, but I tried the "acidify the vagina" route on the supposition that it was simply a matter of too-alkaline condition, but to no availe. My case of BV didn't go away until I killed the the bacteria (whatever kind they were) with colloidal silver douches.

That said, is it possible that your diet is too alkaline, or too alkalizing? You seem to eat mostly veggies with very few protein sources of any kind. This is just a hunch, but maybe you need to put some meat and eggs and raw dairy back into your diet, just as an experiment to see what happens. Maybe you are one of the few people who need more acid-forming foods in their diet to get back into balance instead of the other way around.

I agree with you though that sticking boric acid up your "cooter" (that is going to be my newest favorite word for awhile) is very extreme. Have you tried putting pro-biotics "up there" instead of just taking them by mouth? When I get a yeast infection, which is rare for me, I shoot some active-culture yogurt up there with a turkey baster. In other words, maybe some probiotics right at the source of infection would help.

Replied By Anne (New York, New York) on 09/11/2009

I just saw a post on here where someone stated to "acidify" the vagina to get rid of BV. NO NO NO! Ladies you want to have a balanced diet ofcourse, but you want a diet higher in ALKALINE forming foods -NOT- foods that are high in acid. You want to eat more green veggies and less sugars/dairy products. Lemon water is a good drink, as lemons are high alkaline-forming, etc. After years of doctors visits, numerous medications and tons of research I have completely stopped having BV. What got rid of this condition for me was eating foods higher in alkaline but the main thing is 800 Folic Acid daily along with the B-series Vitamins. Just try it ;)

Replied By Kathy (Dubois, Pa) on 09/11/2009

That was me, and you completely mis-read and misunderstood my post. BV causes, or can be caused by, an alkaline condition in the vagina. When I had BV was trying to re-establish the correct vaginal pH so that the correct vaginal flora could re-establish itself and crowd out the pathogenic bacteria, so that I wouldn't have to resort to stronger measures. When that didn't work, I used colloidal silver douches to kill the pathogenic bacteria and then repopulated myself with lactobacilli by douching with yogurt.

The person I had replied to mentioned in her post that she eats mainly veggies, with very little protein from any source. That leads me to wonder if her diet isn't TOO ALKALINE for health, and that her unbalanced diet is showing itself in a too alkaline vagina, which is causing an overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria (some of which are always present in the vagina). Health is a balance of alkaline and acid, and too alkaline isn't any healthier than too acid. Any condition that causes the vagina to become too alkaline can result in a candida (yeast) infection and/or a BV infection (sometimes both are present together). She also said that when she takes probiotics faithfully, the problem is not manifest, but that as soon as she stops for even two days, the smell, etc returns. This also leads me to wonder if the problem isn't a too alkaline diet. Probiotics acidify the vagina, which leads to the growth of a proper vaginal flora of lactobacilli. My reasoning is that perhaps if she added acid foods (mainly protein) to her diet, her vagina would become acid again like it is supposed to be. She has nothing to lose by trying what I suggest, and much to gain if I am correct. It could be that I am entirely wrong, but sometimes the answer to a problem is counter-intuitive.

Replied By Kathy (Dubois, Pa) on 09/12/2009

p.s. In other words, her diet is ALREADY HIGHLY ALKALINE...PERHAPS TOO MUCH SO, which might be causing her vagina to be alkaline, resulting in an overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria, some of which are always present in the vagina, but over-grow and cause a problem when the vagina becomes alkaline. If you had read her post carefully, you would have seen that she describes a diet that is already highly alkaline. If she tries to make her diet even more alkaline than it already is, it just might make things worse, not better.

Replied By Anne (New York, New York) on 09/12/2009

Kathy, I didn't want you to take offense to my post. The woman with the highly alkaline body could have something entirely different. Yes I agree with you that too much of anything is NOT good. However, I didn't want other female readers to think that they needed more acid in the body/vagina when it is quite opposite of what they need. Just for an example, sperm is highly acidic and can irritate things down there. I have read many studies and all I am simply saying is that most woman with BV do not want to be on a high acid diet. Most foods high in acid are the "bad foods" which are not good for BV. A good, balanced diet is best in my opinion. Everything in moderation! However, I personally believe that lowering the acid in your body will help with this condition, at least it has for me. Like I said, overall I feel my body was lacking Folic Acid (the birth control pill can deplete FA from your diet). Since I started taking the Folic Acid/Vitamin B series every day at the same time I have not had BV.

Replied By Kathy (Dubois, Pa) on 09/12/2009

It is your misunderstanding of the science involved that bothers me. In point of fact, normal semen is alkaline, NOT acidic, with a pH of between 7.2 and 8.0, while a normal vagina is acidic, NOT alkaline, with a pH of between 3.8 and 4.5. These facts are available by typing "seminal ph" and "vaginal ph" into a search engine.

Replied By Kathy (Dubois, Pa) on 09/12/2009

So, where in the world did you get the idea that semen is "highly acidic"??? And what makes you believe that all the acid foods are bad foods??? I agree that all "bad" foods are acidifying, but it does not follow that all acidifying foods are bad! Are organic, free-range eggs bad? Is organic, grass-feed meat bad? Is wild-caught salmon bad? And who recommended that she eat a "high-acid" diet??? Certainly not me!! I said that it might benefit her to add SOME protein (acid) foods to her diet, NOT that she start consuming a "high-acid" diet!! So, I do not know where you got the idea that semen is "highly acid", but you are 100 percent wrong, and display a serious misunderstanding of human physiology to boot. If semen irritates the vaginal canal, it does so because it is alkaline, NOT...I repeat...NOT because it is "highly acid".

Replied By Kitty (Fremont, Ca) on 11/04/2009

LADIES PROBIOTICS WORKS!!! MAKE SURE ITS THE KIND THAT HAS TO BE REFRIGERATED. i HAVENT HAD A YEAST OR BV FOR 6 MONTHS AND I used to get either or every month before or after my mentrual cycle!
No more stress and sleepless nights over vaginal issues!

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