BV CURED!

Can you update on your condition using the vitamic c? Thanks!

Which pills are you talking about? The vitamin C?  What finally worked for you? Thanks!

Sounds like her birth control pills were being taken irregularly giving her an irregular pH....and when she got an a schedule the regularity of hormones gave her a regular pH thus solving her BV.

Gotcha thanks! Do birth control pills help with BV? I am not on them, been off for over 5 years now, but always thought I'd read they can make it more likely!?

It depends what kind of pills you're on. Because low progesterone is linked to BV the combination pills will progesterone In them can help. The other thought is that generally birth control will lighten and shorten your period so your vaginal pH will be higher for a shorter amount of time. Now, the noncombination pills can make it worse....why that is, I'm not quite sure.

Try boric acid google it

I can't figure out how to private message on my phone but it looks like you're struggling right now. I know you said your diet is cleaned up....but how "clean" exactly. The idea behind a clean diet is removing the bacteria's food source bc they eat what you eat. They eat sugar. Sugar is found in cookies, donuts, cake (all the delicious things I miss),....but it's also found in fruit, vitamin water, dairy products, etc (the other things I miss). Simple carbohydrates (white breads) will also break down into sugars quickly. More complex carbs will take longer so your blood sugar won't spike. You have to think of the sugar aspect as a diabetic diet. You don't want foods that will make your blood sugar spike. I don't know where you live, but in the US a lot of sugar free products will be replaced with "sugar alcohols"...those also make blood sugar spike and are no good. The other thing that has been linked to BV incidence and BV severity is saturated fat and also monounsaturated (but the major one is saturated fat). So eating "good" fats like avocado, nuts, peanut butter,....those ALL have unsaturated fats in them.

So you see how cleaning up your diet you can still be hindering yourself? Stick to a high protein, low fat, low carb diet. I've been doing it for about a month and it's HARD. I'm on a regular antibiotic that keeps my BV controlled but every time I go off it it comes back. I'm scheduled to go off it again next month so that's when I'll know if changing my diet helped of not.

Also, look at your Probiotics. What strains of bacteria are in it? You want lots of lactobacillus. Be aware that lactobacillus acidophilus is not good at making it from your GI tract to vagina. Also be aware that high L. reuteri populations are associated will smaller G. vaginalis populations. So, check out your probiotics and use a vaginal support mix if you don't already.

Feel free to PM me. I can check them And respond....just not initiate apparently. Good luck!

Bridget1229- I have used Boric Acid for about 10 months now. It helps if I use it literally every.single.day. If I stop, symptoms are back. I have read how long term use is not recommended; more than 6 months can be unsafe with repeated use. And it's helping the symptoms, but I don't think it's killing the BV, if it comes back the day after I stop using it. Any suggestions?

Thank you for the fast response. In regards to my diet, I eat a TON of fruit, veggies, leafy greans, green smoothies (celery, spinach, water, lemon juice, apple, banana), nuts, and lean meat. I don't eat much (if any really) saturated fats except for the healthy kind found in avocados, nuts, etc. I don't eat a lot of beef or fatty meats, very minimal sweets (every once in a while, if we are at someone's for dinner and they have made dessert, I'll have a piece), I eat NO white flour products, only eat gluten-free bread every other week or so, etc. I am down to drinking just water, water with lemon, green tea, oat milk (non-dairy), and an occasional cup of coffee. I was drinking about 2-3 cups of coffee per day for the past 10 years or so, so this was a hard habit to break, but I did it right away. I drink a glass of red wine once a week if that. I don't do any dairy except for greek yogurt every once in a while for the probiotics. I drink Kefir every couple of days (YUCK! Haha), take probiotics which are LOADED with the lactobacillus strain. I may need to try the Vaginal strain again, but was on those for a couple months and didn't have total relief from those either. 

I NEVER had any problems vaginally at all for 30 years. Nothing. I had a yeast infection one time from antibiotics for strep throat. Other than that, nothing! I've never used douches (until this past week), scented products, soaps, anything down there. Nothing but Dove soap (until the BV, now I use only warm or hot water to cleanse) and water to wash with.

I have been using only pads during my period, as a tampon feels like hell inside since I've had BV....it makes me feel so uncomfortable and itchy.

I've also been inserting vaginal prebiotics on a pretty regular basis, which helps, but the second I stop, the symptoms return full force. It doesn't kill or rid of it. (And they are really expensive.) I am spending over $100 each month (probably more!) on vitamins and probiotics, which I know are great for my system, but don't seem to really be kicking it.

Any suggestions? I hope your next visit brings you good news!

You have to find out whar are your triggers. Mine are my cycle (bloods pH is like 7) and semen (semens pH is like 8) and most soaps. So I use only during those time and really avoid my husband finishing off in me. I have been free for years now.

try changing your diet even more. A study specifically linked saturated fat to not only BV incidence....but women with higher saturated fat intake had more severe infections. That means no more good fats bc they still have saturated fat (nuts, avocado etc). And fruit is LOADED with sugar. You mentioned banana....bananas have approximately 14 g of sugar in them. The americna heart association reccomends a woman's sugar intake to be 20-25g per day. One banana puts you at over half of that and you're trying to maintain a low sugar diet. See what I mean by even good foods can not be good-for-you foods? Bacteria eat both the natural stuff in fruit and the refined stuff we put in cookies. Stick to leafy greens, lean meats, and the other stuff you're already doing. Have you ever inserted probiotics vaginally? You could try that too. Bacteria only need so much to live. If you're starving them and then treat yourself every once in a while...that once in while could be enough to energize them and keep them alive longer. I know it's hard...but try to be super strict about it. It'll be short term.... And then when you reduce the colony you can be more flexible. Just a suggestion.

Thanks for the fast response. I don't use any soaps or scented products anywhere near there and never have. I used to wash with Dove plain soap for most of my life, but stopped that last February 2014 when I had BV for the first time. I only use water now. I never let my husband finish in me; but the act of intercourse alone seems to set it off. I even use probiotics vaginally inserted plus the boric acid inserted for a couple of nights after intercourse. I feel good until I stop using them; then BAM! How long of doing all this did it take for you to get over it? I feel like it'll never happen.

Have you been free of it before? Or have you always suffered from it? 

Thank you for the tips. I'm not going to give up, just need the encouragement and ideas from others. Doctors are mostly clueless about this!

I've had it for 2.5 years. My symptoms flare up every 2-8 weeks unless I'm on a regular antibiotic (then I get yeast infections). prior to 2.5 years ago I wasnt having sex. Between boyfriends....no flareups. Ill have mild symptoms after sex (condom, no condom, finish inside, finish outside, oral, no oral...doesn't seem to matter) and then it gets bad after my period.

It makes sense that it would be bad after your period the ph of blood is  pH of 7.4, so during your period, vaginal pH becomes elevated and can cause bv.

 

It would make sense that the act of sex would cause a problem as most men have pre-cum.  Immediately after sex I pee and wash. I use vagisils ph balance wash because even plan water has a high ph. Once I found out what triggered my issues, which took time due to the meds the dr. would give (they also cause a problem) maybe a week.  I still use boric acid but only around my cycle and if my husband finishes in me which is rare.

Yes....I'm quite aware of that. And high pH levels do not cause BV. Bacteria causes BV. High pH levels create an environment that the bacteria proliferates in. An alkalinic vagina sans G. Vaginalis (and the other strains associated with BV) isn't gonna be exhibiting BV symptoms.

You are correct not cause but create the perfect breeding ground.  Bacterial vaginosis is caused by an imbalance of the organisms (flora) that naturally exist in the vagina . Normally, about 95% of vaginal flora are lactobacillus bacteria. (These types are unique to humans, different from the lactobacillus in yogurt.) These lactobacilli help keep the vaginal pH level low and prevent overgrowth of other types of organisms. Women with bacterial vaginosis have fewer lactobacillus organisms than normal and more of other types of bacteria. So if the pH level is high it allows the bad bacteria to flourish....and boom!

Through many years of research some say....cause....even the cdc. check it out

Thank you for telling me I'm right. That was helpful.

No probem just trying to help others like I said some say cause some say create so the would make you right and your comment was also sooo very helpful. which ever you choose its all to help.

Just curious...I've been reading about possible links between estrogen dominance or low progesterone and higher risks of BV. Have you had your hormone levels checked? I'm curious to have this done.

Haven't had them checked recently. I'm on a combination birth control pill so the chances of that being my problem are slim.