Bacterial vaginosis (BV) can be an incredibly frustrating condition to live with. Luckily, some of the best probiotics for BV can be found easily and may be very helpful in dealing with this issue. More often than not, bacterial vaginosis is something that women deal with for months or years, with little help from their doctors. In this article, I’ll go over exactly what bacterial vaginosis is, the typical BV treatment, how to address recurring BV, and how probiotics for bacterial vaginosis can help.
In doing research for this post, I came across so many stories from women all over the Internet and it really broke my heart to read them. Women who experienced extreme pain during sex, said they were embarrassed to have any sexual contact, were constantly thinking about how “fishy” they smelled, or worried if they would ever find someone who could love them. There were many women who told their stories of living with BV for years, and could not find a solution.
So this article is dedicated to you – I hope using some of the best probiotics for BV allows you to find relief.
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WHAT IS BV (BACTERIAL VAGINOSIS)?
Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is an imbalance of good and bad bacteria (also referred to as dysbiosis) in the vagina. BV is thought to be a sexually-transmitted disease.
BV is the most common cause of vaginal symptoms and it is believed that ~29% of women of childbearing age have bacterial vaginosis. The rates of BV differ between ethnicities, with Black women being at the highest risk (51%), followed by Mexican women (32%), and white women (23%). (1)
Normally, the majority of the bacteria in the vagina are from the Lactobacillus genus. When Lactobacilli are in high numbers, these bacteria keep the vaginal environment acidic by producing lactic acid, which helps to prevent “bad” bacteria from taking over. This is also why taking probiotics for BV can be helpful in keeping the vaginal environment acidic enough to prevent dysbiosis.
When you develop bacterial vaginosis, there is a shift away from Lactobacillus bacteria toward a more diverse mix of bacteria. This imbalance of bacteria leads to an increase in the pH of the vagina, which can cause a number of symptoms.
Men cannot get bacterial vaginosis, though they may harbor some of the bacteria (Gardnerella vaginalis) that is thought to play a role in the development of BV in women. (2)
BACTERIAL VAGINOSIS (BV) SYMPTOMS
Despite how common BV is, it does not always cause symptoms. In fact, 84% of women with BV do not exhibit any symptoms at all. (1)
That said, there are some tell-tale signs of BV. Symptoms of BV are often chronic and usually fairly mild. They include:
- Thin, white or grey vaginal discharge
- A strong fishy odor, especially after sex
- Itching, burning, or pain in or around the vagina
BACTERIAL VAGINOSIS VS YEAST INFECTION
Despite the fact that yeast infections are talked about much more, they are the second most common cause of vaginal symptoms, beat out only by bacterial vaginosis.
So what’s the difference between the symptoms of bacterial vaginosis and a yeast infection?
Common symptoms of a yeast infection include itchiness or burning in or around the vagina, and a white discharge that often looks like cottage cheese. This discharge is typically odorless and might have a yeasty smell (like beer or bread). (3)
This differs from the thin consistency and strong fishy odor of the discharge associated with bacterial vaginosis.
Of course, the best thing to do if you have any of these symptoms is to visit your healthcare provider who can perform an exam and testing to determine which of these infections you might have.
BACTERIAL VAGINOSIS (BV) CAUSES
While researchers aren’t quite sure exactly what causes BV, there are certain lifestyle factors that may make you more likely to get BV.
Factors that may increase your risk of developing BV include (4):
- Sexual activity. Having a new sexual partner or multiple sexual partners increases your risk of BV. Women who have not had sex rarely have BV.
- Douching. Douching disrupts the balance of bacteria as well as the pH of the vagina, putting you at higher risk of BV.
CONVENTIONAL BV TREATMENT
Some doctors do not recommend treatment of BV, especially if you have no symptoms. This is because the typical antibiotic treatment for BV can cause you to develop a yeast infection, essentially trading one infection for another. Many cases of BV also spontaneously resolve on their own.
However, treating BV makes you less likely to contract other STDs, including HIV. In addition, you are less likely to suffer from infections after gynecological surgery like an abortion or hysterectomy if you treat BV prior to surgery.
Lastly, if you are pregnant, having BV can increase the risk of having a preterm birth or a low birth-weight baby (<5.5 pounds at the time of birth). (4)
Most practitioners will choose to treat women who complain of symptoms of BV, women with BV who are about to undergo gynecological surgery, or pregnant women with BV, especially if you’ve had a preterm birth in the past.
Typical treatment for BV is a course of antibiotics. Antibiotics for BV include metronidazole (oral or vaginal), clindamycin (oral or vaginal), tinidazole (oral), or secnidazole (oral). Thankfully, doctors are now starting to recognize that using some of the best probiotics for BV can also be useful!
RECURRING BV
Many women have recurring BV infections and find pharmaceutical antimicrobial treatment ineffective over the long-term. In addition to this, the side effects of antibiotics (such as yeast infections) can often make antibiotics seem not worth it.
If rings a bell, you might want to know how to stop recurring BV infections permanently or how to get rid of BV without antibiotics.
One thing to note here is that researchers believe that treating the sexual partners of those with BV may reduce recurrence rates. Early research in the field showed that this was not effective, but it was later discovered that this early research was not up to snuff. Researchers are now diving deeper into this topic and will hopefully have a definitive answer for us soon as to whether or not treatment of sexual partners can help reduce the recurrence of BV. (2)
In the meantime, there are numerous BV over-the-counter treatments as well as home remedies for BV that can make treatment a success and decrease the likelihood of a recurrent infection. One of my favorite options is probiotics – so let’s talk about some of the best probiotics for BV.
BEST PROBIOTIC FOR BV THAT INCLUDES LACTOBACILLUS RHAMNOSUS GR-1 AND LACTOBACILLUS REUTERI RC-14
Clearly, these two probiotics strains have some promising results for those with BV. If you’re looking for a BV treatment over the counter to help improve the efficacy of your medical treatment, probiotics are a wonderful choice. It’s an easy remedy that you can administer at home!
Fem-Dophilus from Jarrow Formulas is a great option if you’re looking for a probiotic supplement that contains these two strains.
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