Chronic BV (18 years on and off)

18 years. My God. Its stories like these that scare me so bad. I've had BV for over a year and fear I'll never cure it. Im soooo sorry lady. I hope we all day BV free asap one day....

Ah! It's odd you mention that during pregnancy the symptoms seemed to go away or at least not notice them as I thought that too with my pregnancy so I will may be doing some more research on this and maybe have my gyno do a hormone test if at all possible. I have been a sufferer for about 10 years and my most recent dr. suggested boric acid suppositories (I use Bori Cap as they're a fine powder and pure) and I think it might help a little but I notice a bigger difference in odor when I use boric acid in conjunction with depositing a probiotic inside as well as a normal (or even a double) oral dose. Having this issue sure is expensive, might I add!!....not to mention incredibly embarrassing and isolating (personally).

I wanted to share what worked for me, as I too suffered with chronic recurrent  BV for roughly a year. When I first started having symptoms, I tried all kinds of over the counter creams, wipes, douches, vitamins, etc. Nothing helped. I went to my gynecologist every 2 weeks for 3 months for a metro gel prescription. She advised that I use it every time after sex. I was also told to use condoms every time I had sex with my boyfriend. I just want to point out how completely unrealistic of an expectation that is. First of all, Metro Gel is gross and in the beginning I didn’t feel comfortable talking to my boyfriend about what was going on, so it was awkward and embarrassing to have to slip off to the bathroom every time we had sex to insert an applicator of gel. I always felt gross down there because of the gel and was in a constant state of fear that he would feel something weird down there. Secondly, it’s flat out not realistic for two adults in a monogamous long term relationship to use condoms every single time. It’s just not. So I set out to figure out what I could do. Please be aware there are people out here on the internet doing crazy things to try to cure their bv (I was one of them). They are inserting tampons soaked in this or that or mixing up douche concoctions (which is not good at all for your vagina and can just make things worse- I know from experience) or sticking vitamin C pills up there. I tried it all as well and none of it worked for me and I would like to save people from the disappointment of getting your hopes up that something like that will work when it wont. The only thing that got rid of my BV was:

1. treating the BV with the prescribed dose of Metro Gel (or whatever is prescribed) for 2 weeks (or how ever long I was supposed to take it) and abstaining from intercourse during that time 

2. After I took my last dose/application of prescribed medicine, I began a probiotic regimen twice daily morning and night. I tried probably 4 different probiotics and only one worked for me. It contained Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1 and Lactobacillus reuteri RC-14, and it’s refrigerated. I buy it from my local Organic/whole foods  store. I took it twice a day religiously and did not experience any BV symptoms. Now I will say that if you go from your prescription and immediately start having sex while taking the probiotic - you won’t have any symptoms but the BV will come back if you stop taking the probiotic. What worked best for me was abstaining from intercourse while treating with my prescription and then abstaining from intercourse for 30 days while taking the probiotic to allow the good bacteria to establish itself and balance out everything. I know going that long without sex is not ideal especially if you are currently in a relationship but I can tell you it is so worth it to have your health back and to be able to let go of the embarrassment and depression that BV brings. I know that sounds dramatic but I can remember literally being in tears with frustration that all the stuff I was trying and all the money I was spending was for nothing because it wasn’t getting better and I lived in a constant state of fear that someone would be able to smell me or that my boyfriend would find out what was going on. Please at least give it a try. Once the 30 days are up I would recommend continuing to take it at least one a day for a year just to make sure the bc doesn’t come back. I hope this helps. I hate the thought of people still suffering with this

I think what scares me the most is building up a resistance to antibiotics and their effects on my body with this cycle of BV and UTI'S....... someone has to find a cure for this some day. At this point its like having aids. Incurable and always with you....

Did you have any problems getting pregnant? I'm really finding it difficult with bv

Hi Cherryred,

Thank you so much for sharing your story. It sounds as if you've been through a lot, and that you're incredibly strong. It's interesting that your BV went away during your pregnancies. I noticed that my BV would come full force when my estrogen level was low (after my period). Some say that birth control is good for getting rid of BV because it helps boost your estrogen, although I haven't been on it for years. My BV is gone now after having it for two years. I was desperate and tried home remedies like yourself. If you'd like to watch my prezi video about my story and what I did, here is the link below. I hope it helps! 

Sarah

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