ABOUT BACTERIAL VAGINOSIS
Some of you may have experienced bacterial vaginosis – BV- previously called gardinerella.
BV is a vaginal infection more common than yeast but not as
well known. The symptoms are a white or gray discharge with a fishy
odor. If you are a busy person who doesn't have time to analyze such things
you may not notice anything at all until you have sex,
and then you may be slightly sore and notice the odor.
The causes are all related to changes in the
vaginal environment caused by douching, stress,
partner change, special soaps, creams and lotions, perfumed products or sprays used in
the vagina - anything new introduced into the area or
that could cause a chemical change.
Although usually not dangerous when not pregnant, it
has been implicated in premature labor and
inflammations that could cause fallopian tube
problems.
Throughout history and in most cultures of the world,
folk medicine has suggested that women put some
chemicals, usually in foods, inside the vagina to
resist infection by increasing the acidity of the
vagina. The thought was that in that acid environment
bacteria can't grow to cause an infection.
So some
women are told to put yogurt, vinegar, garlic cloves,
lemon or orange juice, honey or acidophilus tablets in
the vagina to stay "clean". A naturopathic
treatment is actually a clove of garlic (peeled, I assume) put
into the vagina for a period of time (this does not
smell, the books tell me, and most certainly will keep
the vampires away).
DON'T DO THIS!!!
(You all knew that was coming, didn't you?)
These practices probably wouldn't harm us, but they are time-consuming and
probably don't help, either. Our bodies have powerful defense
mechanisms - don't interfere!
The vagina is a self-cleansing organ. The estrogen in
our bodies changes glucose in our systems to lactic
acid by bacteria called lactobacillus. By maintaining
an acid environment, other bacteria can't grow.
This acidic environment is maintained throughout a
woman's reproductive years. Practices such as douching
or placing yogurt or chemicals into the vagina can
disturb this delicate balance.
Women who douche
wash away this protective vaginal flora and BV can
occur and become worse. What to these ladies do then,
to get rid of the odor? Yup, they douche again!
And eating yogurt to replenish the lactobacillus population does not work because there are several strains of lactobacillus . The types found in
normal vaginal fluid (lactobacillus crispatus and
L.jensenii, if you want to be technical!) are not the
strains found in active culture yogurt and
over-the-counter acidophilus supplements (L.
acidophilus).
The usual treatment is a rather nasty
tasting pill called metronidazole or Flagyl. If there
is a reoccurrence (seen in 30% of cases) an acidic
vaginal gel may be used.
Lynne Fiore, NP
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