How is bacterial Vaginosis treated 

Kaajal Gunputh Kaajal Gunputh Nov 7, 2018 954 0

How is bacterial Vaginosis treated 

How is bacterial Vaginosis treated 

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a common vaginal infection that needs to be diagnosed by a health care professional. Most women will experience a vaginal infection with discharge, odor, and itching at some point in their life. Symptoms and treatment vary depending on the type of infection and that is why it is important for diagnosis to be done by a professional and it is not advised to use over the counter drugs to help with vaginal infections.

Your health care provider will be likely to conduct a physical examination, ask questions about your personal life and medical history and may prescribe some pathological tests.

Symptoms of bacterial vaginosis

  1. Thin milky vaginal discharge
  2. Discharge may be white or gray
  3. Fishy odor
  4. Pain, Itching or burning of the vagina

Usually vaginal discharge had three main causes: bacterial vaginosis, trichomoniasis and vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC), commonly known as “yeast infection.” These may produce smilar symptoms but they are different and are treated differently.

Discharges due to vulvovaginal candidiasis looks like cottage cheese whereas discharge due to trichomoniasis is yellowish green. However, your health care professional won’t decide which treatment to put you on only by seeing, usually proper diagnosis and tests are done.

Many women usually do not seek medical help for vaginal symptoms but rather wait for the symptoms to subside or try to self diagnose their problems. A recent online survey conducted on 1,969 women showed that only 4 out of 10 women visited a professional while experiencing abnormal vaginal discharge. Others sought advice from family, friends or internet ending up using over the counter treatments natual and home remedies while some just waited for it to go away.
 

While some bacterial vaginosis resolve on their own, most do not. They can be easily and successfully treated with prescription medications but if left untreated, it can worsen, spread and increase the risk of sexually transmitted infections and pelvic inflammatory disease which may lead to infertility. This is one of the topmost reason you should see a professional for proper diagnosis if you have the above mentioned symptoms.
 

Bacterial vaginosis is usually cured by using antibiotics which can be oral or topical( vaginal route). Note that antibiotics should be safely used. Go for antibiotics only when prescribed by your doctor and be sure to complete the regimen prescribed to you. Most common BV prescriptions are either for five days when it comes to vaginal creams and seven days when it comes to oral medications. Many prescriptions may advise you not to take alcohol while on medication. Make sure to read all labels and instructions carefully.

 Vaginal creams tend to be messy and interfere with sex. For this reason, many women tend to prefer oral medications, however 9 out of 10 women do not complete the course either because of unwanted side effects such as drowsiness, the irresistible urge of alcohol or because the symptoms have disappeared. In case, if the course of the medication is not complete, there is a higher chance of the infection re-appearing. Even if your symptoms have subsided or completely disappeared, make sure to continue with the antibiotic till the prescribed time period.

If you suspect you have bacterial vaginosis, see a health care profession for diagnosis and discuss the treatment options.

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