Posts Tagged ‘Bacterial’

Bacterial Vaginosis – Causes, Symptoms and Treatments

October 20th, 2011

What is bacterial vaginosis?

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most general cause of vaginal infection known as vaginitis. Normally it is not considered to be a ‘sexually transmitted infection’. It is the imbalance of naturally happening bacterial flora that causes bacterial vaginosis.
 
What are the symptoms and signs of bacterial vaginosis?

The most common sign is an unusual vaginal discharge especially after having sex which has an unpleasant fishy smell. Some women don’t experience any symptoms, while many other experience intense swelling, itching and irritation (often misdiagnosed by patient or even health practitioner as yeast infection), also stomach pains, which feels like severe cramps. By contrast, a normal discharge should be odourless and vary in amount and consistency with the menstrual cycle.

What causes bacterial vaginosis?

Normally, a healthy vagina should contain many microorganisms; Lactobacillus crispate and Lactobacillus jensenii are the common ones. The microorganisms involved in bacterial vaginosis are very diverse. Reduction of lactobacillus and any other changes in normal bacterial flora, due to use of antibiotics or pH imbalance or other reasons, lets the more resistant bacteria to multiply and gain foothold.

There are a variety of causes for bacterial vaginosis. Bacterial vaginosis is more common in sexually active women aging 15 to 44 especially after changing in to new partner.

Although bacterial vaginosis might be related to sexual activity, there is no strong evidence of sexual transmission. But virgins can get infected with bacterial vaginosis.

Women with sexually transmitted infections and pregnant women are more at risk. Sometimes Bacterial vaginosis affects women after menopause. A study has shown subclinical anemia the iron shortage is a strong cause of bacterial vaginosis in pregnant women. Also it’s proven there is a link between bacterial vaginosis and psychosocial stress.

There is a theory mentioning that sexual exchange of vaginal secretions in sex between women is a possible mechanism for acquisition.

In young girls, strep or bacteria from the anus due to none hygiene wiping after bowel movement may cause bacterial vaginosis.

What is the treatment for bacterial vaginosis?

Since the disease is caused by bacteria therefore treatment for bacterial vaginosis is using antibiotics. Not many antibiotics are used routinely. Metronidazole (Flagyl) is a very affective antibiotic which is taken either by oral (pill) or by vaginal metronidazole gel (Metrogel). The vaginal clindamycin cream (Cleocin) is also available.

The oral metronidazole is believed to be the best and most effective treatment but may cause minor and unpleasant side effects. Typically the gel does not cause side effect, but yeast vaginitis can happen as a side effect of the medication.

If you are looking for an antibiotic with fewer side effects then tinidazole is the one, an antibiotic that appears to have lesser side effects compared with metronidazole and is effective in bacterial vaginosis treatment.

There is the possibility of bacterial vaginosis Recurrence even after a successful treatment. Recurrence happens in more than half of the treated patients within 12 months. The reason is unclear. Due to appearance of recurrent symptoms, second course of antibiotic treatment is recommended.

To Your Health!

Vaginal Infections – How to Know If You Have Bacterial Vaginosis

October 11th, 2011

Bacterial vaginosis or vaginitis is a mild infection of the vagina that is brought about by an imbalance in the naturally-occurring bacteria that is present in the vagina. Just like any other form of infection, bacterial vaginosis is bound to leave some tell-tale symptoms on the body. An infection is commonly characterized by any of the following: localized redness, heat, pain, or even swelling.

Cured Your Bacterial Vaginosis in 3 days the Natural Way

Infections may also result in the production of pus, a whitish-yellow, yellow, or yellow-brown substance which is often characterized by a foul odor. In the case of bacterial vaginosis, what comes out form the vagina is not pus, but a peculiar discharge, often accompanied by an unpleasant, fishy odor. This discharge may either be colored or clear, and may be either watery or viscous in consistency. This may very well be an indication that you may have bacterial vaginosis.

Not all cases of bacterial vaginosis, however, manifest this distinctive fishy odor or vaginal discharge. Other women suffering from bacterial vaginosis may complain of intense itching, swelling and irritation, and even severe cramp-like stomach pains. These may also be clear signs that you have bacterial vaginosis.

Women who are generally infected by bacterial vaginosis have been observed to be the ones between 15 and 44, although some women well past menopause have also been reported to have been infected. Some studies seem to point to increased sexual activity or contact with new partners to be a trigger or even source of bacterial vaginosis, although there have no been conclusive data to back this speculation. Recent studies show that particularly susceptible to bacterial vaginosis are pregnant women and those who have had, or currently have sexually transmitted infections.

Another possible vehicle of infection is transmission through homosexual encounters between women, that is, women who engage in sexual acts with other women. Studies are being done to confirm if indeed the sexual exchange of vaginal secretions is a viable source of infection. In younger women, bacterial vaginitis is attributed to improper hygiene, mainly by wiping after defecation, thereby contaminating the vagina with strep, or bacteria normally associated with the anus. Thongs and other forms of underwear that tend to cause abrasion and severe rubbing against the vagina and anus are also being looked at as a very likely source of contamination.

Women suffering from bacterial vaginits are strongly advised to seek treatment as soon as possible, as untreated bacterial vaginitis may inflict serious complications on the body of the infected, and even make the person particularly susceptible to other forms of sexually transmitted diseases.

Bacterial Vaginitis can be treated with antibiotics but these will kill of the vagina’s own good bacteria as well as the bad bacteria and will not stop the Bacterial Vaginitis coming back.

You really need to get smart with your body and build you own bodies natural bacteria balance to help prevent bacterial vaginosis. This can be done with probiotic supplements such as Lactobacillus Acidophilus and natural yogurt containing live cultures amongst other things.

After suffering with recurrent bacterial vaginitis (BV) for over 3 years I eventually found a totally natural cure that did not involve any antibiotics or creams. If you have bacterial vaginitis for the first time or have had recurrent bacterial vaginitis for some time this is something you really should consider looking at Bacterial Vaginosis Help

Cured Your Bacterial Vaginosis in 3 days the Natural Way