Bacterial Vaginosis
You can read more about Bacterial Vaginosis here, I have listed the causes, diagnosis and treatments for this ailment so go ahead
and learn more. I have also compared several leading natural treatments available so check them out and decide which one is best for you. So head over to the TREATMENTS pages.
Bacterial Vaginosis, also known as BV and vaginal bacteriosis is one of the most common causes of infection in the female reproductive system. Very often, this medical condition is confused with other vaginal infections like candidiasis (yeast infection) or trichomoniasis (infection caused by Trichomonas vaginalis.) However, the two aforementioned conditions are not bacteria-based, and therefore do not qualify as Bacterial Vaginosis or BV. In physiology, a woman’s genital area has a healthy supply of naturally occurring bacterial flora that helps fend off unwanted foreign and potentially harmful bacteria. An imbalance of any kind (too much or too little) can result in BV. This condition is not a sexually transmitted disease; but it does tend to target women in their child bearing years.
In mild cases, women with BV do not show any outwards signs or symptoms. Except a fish-smelling vaginal discharge, (usually appearing after sexual intercourse,) mild cases showcase no other symptoms. It should be noted here that normal discharge should be clear and odorless. For women with moderate to serious cases, some of the more common symptoms include: intense itching, irritation, swelling and an increase either in the amount of the vaginal discharge, or the intensity of the smell of the liquid. Cramps and stomach pains are also common. It is therefore easy to see why this medical condition is very often misdiagnosed as something else.
As a rule, most cases of BV, whether these are properly diagnosed or remain undetected, do not pose as life-threatening hazards to the women who carry them. They can be embarrassing at times especially if the fishy smell increases. However, the foul smelling discharge in itself does not endanger the person’s health. Unfortunately, for sexually active women, having BV may mean increasing the possibility of being prone to transmission of sexually transmitted diseases like HIV. Again, it is the bacterial flora that remains responsible in keeping potentially dangerous bacteria away, and any imbalance can lower the woman’s immune defenses considerably. This in turn makes it easy for virulent STDs to infect the woman through sexual intercourse.
BV can also lead to complications regarding pregnancies. According to research, undiagnosed BV can lead to difficult birthing, miscarriages, and even fetal poisoning. Stomach cramps also become more intense when a pregnant woman has BV. PID or pelvic inflammatory disease also sets in when a woman with said medical condition undergoes any surgical procedure that has to do with the female reproductive system (e.g. abortion and hysterectomy.)
