The Superhero in the Vagina

Can researchers harness the power of protective bacteria to guard against a common infection?

 Preventing & Treating Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) Naturally

The mainstay of conventional BV treatment is antibiotics, but as you’ll learn in this article, as my patient Sam did, treatment isn’t foolproof – there’s a high recurrence rate, and on top of this, conventional treatment carries medical risks. Conventional antibiotic treatment is not a long-term solution for BV. It’s a bandaid, albeit sometimes necessary in the short run, for what’s really going on: disruption in the vaginal microbiome, otherwise known as vaginal dysbiosis.

 Women may soon get vaginal fluid transplants to treat common condition

Women who suffer from a common vaginal infection that makes them more vulnerable to sexually transmitted infections may soon be treated with vaginal fluid transplants. Scientists in the US are currently researching the technique, which would involve taking vaginal bacteria from a healthy donor and transferring it to the patient, in treating bacterial vaginosis (BV).

The Most Common Vaginal Infection Is Not What You Think

Yeast infections get all the attention, but bacterial vaginosis is actually more common among women of reproductive age. Here are six things every person with a vagina should know.

Bacterial Vaginosis: a common reason for irregular vaginal discharge

The lack of understanding of what causes BV means treatments still have a long way to go to be effective in the long term. The FDA estimates the post-treatment “cure rate” is under 4 in 10, with between 3 and 8 people having recurrence within several months (16–18). Limiting risk factors after treatment can help—talk to your healthcare provider about options.

Health Check: what is normal vaginal discharge and what’s not?

Adult vaginas contain a range of active glands – mini-organs that make sweat or oils. They also contain lactobacilli – microorganisms that live in the healthy adult vagina and maintain an acidic pH (4 – 4.5) which protects the vagina from infection. Natural vaginal discharge is a rich cocktail of these components: transudate, mucus, sweat, oils, lactobacilli, menstrual flow and cells from the vaginal lining.

1 in 3 women will get bacterial vaginosis but are unlikely to know what it is

Although the causes of BV are not very well understood, it develops when the normal environment of the vagina changes, when there are less of the normal bacteria (lactobacilli), an overgrowth of other types of bacteria, and the vagina becomes more alkaline.

Acute and Recurrent Bacterial Vaginosis

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most common cause of vaginal discharge in women of reproductive age. Although the condition is often asymptomatic, those with BV have an increased risk for complications during pregnancy and the postpartum period and for sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.

Antibacterial treatment of bacterial vaginosis: current and emerging therapies

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a common cause of malodorous vaginal discharge in women of reproductive age.1 Women’s awareness of BV is low and often they self-medicate with antifungals before presenting very late when symptoms have become intolerable.

Are Vaginal Probiotics Necessary?

If you’re someone with a vagina, then you’re already very aware of all the products we’re constantly told that we need to keep ourselves fresh and healthy down there, and probiotics are on the list. But do we really need them, and if so, when? Could they do more harm than good? Are they a waste of money or a valuable way to prevent yeast infections? As it turns out, it’s not that straightforward.

Bacterial Vaginosis: What It Is, How to Recognize It and How to Overcome it and Avoid it for Good

According to the CDC, bacterial vaginosis is the most common vaginal infection in women of childbearing age. This may surprise you because many women believe that candidiasis, also known as a yeast infection (or vaginal thrush in some regions of the world), tops the list. This is not to say that candida, trichomoniasis, chlamydia and gonorrhea are not a growing concern... but bacterial vaginosis is the most common.

Essential Oils Might Be the New Antibiotics

Faced with increasingly drug-resistant bacteria, scientists and farmers are now looking to plant extracts to keep people and animals healthy.

Here's What You Need To Know About The Bacteria In Your Vagina

And just like having the right healthy bacteria in the gut is important, having the right bacteria in the vagina can have an effect on health, too. While research on the vagina’s microbiome is still in its early days, there are some things experts do want patients to understand about the bacteria down there.

How Your Vagina Is Supposed to Smell

This is not to say that all vaginal odors are normal. If you actually smell like fish, it is a sign of bacterial vaginosis, and you should go set a watchman down there. If your vagina smells rotten, there may be a tampon or tampon bits lodged deep within. See a doctor; they've dealt with it before.

Prevalence of Bacterial Vaginosis and Its Association with Risk Factors among Nonpregnant Women: A Hospital Based Study

Many cases of BV remain asymptomatic or present with only malodorous vaginal discharge with no inflammatory complaints; thus BV is therefore referred to as “vaginosis” and not “vaginitis”.

TMI about the vagina?

"But not EVERY woman can have this problem," I protested, "most of them don't even have symptoms! Could you be over-reading the specimens?"

What is bacterial vaginosis?

BV can be easily treated with antibiotics. The most common antibiotic treatment for BV is a course of Metronidazole tablets. Metronidazole is available as: •a 400-500 mg tablet taken twice a day for five-to-seven days •a single 2 gram tablet taken only once

What To Do When You've Got BV

There are two problems with BV: (1) all the misinformation that’s out there and (2) the stigma, which is a result of all that misinformation. So I thought it might be a good idea to bust some myths, give you the truth, and provide you with a natural alternative to make your vagina happy once and for all.

Why Your Thong May Be Bad For Your Health

It really depends on your propensity for infections, Dr. Rabin says. "If somebody's healthy, there aren't really any dangers," she tells us. "The issue is if you have a predisposition to getting infections, either urinary or vaginal, it may be harder to get rid of it if you're wearing a thong."