Bacterial Vaginosis: Everything about Symptoms, Causes, And Treatments

People with a vagina, please be alert! Wondering why? Well, your vagina can sometimes give you a tough time, especially when you suffer from bacterial vaginosis (BV). Before we get into the details of BV, let’s consider a general view of women’s health.

Women’s health, especially when it comes to their private parts, stands as a crucial component of their lives. Unfortunately, most women do not bother to take care of their private parts. As a result, they suffer from various illnesses related to their private parts. Not taking care of your health and well-being can be life-threatening at times.

One of the most common and unnoticed problems of women is the deposition and development of bacterial infection in the vagina. This can happen due to various reasons. However, tight wearing of inner garments daily for a long time can lead to the development of these bacteria. So, whenever you notice slight itching and redness in your private parts, make sure to visit a gynecologist soon. You might discuss such female problems with your girlfriends. But know that what worked for them, may not work for you.

In this blog, we will share with you everything that you need to know about bacterial vaginosis. Right from its symptoms to its causes, diagnosis, and treatment, this blog will cover everything about bacterial vaginosis in details. So, let’s learn more about the deadly disease.

What is bacterial vaginosis?

Every woman’s vagina is filled with both good and bad bacteria. When there is an imbalance in these good and bad bacteria in your vagina, it leads to bacterial vaginosis. This is one of the most common problems that women between the age group of 15 to 44 suffer from. One of the most surprising factors is that pregnant women are also not relieved from this disease. In the United States, almost 19% of pregnant mothers suffer from bacterial vaginosis.

Symptoms of bacterial vaginosis

How do you understand if you are suffering from bacterial vaginosis? Well, the symptoms of BV are here to inform you about their arrival. Surprisingly, most women with bacterial vaginosis do not experience any symptoms. Therefore, barely do women understand if they are patients of bacterial vaginosis.

Does that mean you will have to suffer from the disease for a long time? Certainly not. You need to look for these symptoms in your vagina:

• Change in the vaginal discharge that looks greenish or greyish
• Pungent odor in the vaginal discharge
• Foul smell in the vagina especially after having sex
• A burning sensation while urinating

In the first chance, the symptoms of bacterial vaginosis might appear like a yeast infection. However, both are very different from each other. In yeast infection, there will be no fishy smell in the vaginal discharge. The moment you notice such changes in your vagina, do not hesitate to visit a gynaecological clinic. Since these are infections in sensitive areas. So, the earlier you take action, the quicker you get the results.

When should you visit a gynecologist?

One of the potential reasons for which many people suffer from acute bacterial vaginosis is due to procrastination. The more you delay visiting a doctor, the more complicated the disease becomes. As a whole, this worsens your health. When you leave such infections in the vagina untreated for long, they can result in cancer.

You should visit your doctor in these conditions:

• When you have used an over-the-counter medicine but your condition has not improved.
• When you have sex with more than one partner or a new person all of a sudden.
• Notice a change in the color, texture, and smell of your vaginal discharge.

Causes of bacterial vaginosis

No health condition occurs all of a sudden. There ought to be some causes that led to the development of a particular illness. Likewise, bacterial vaginosis occurs due to some particular reasons. as we had already mentioned earlier in this blog, a vagina contains both good and bad bacteria. When the number of healthy bacteria gets surpassed by bad bacteria, it creates an imbalance and leads to bacterial vaginosis. The bacteria responsible for the development of this disease is known as Gardnerella vaginalis.

When there is a bacterial infection in your vagina, it changes the pH balance. As a result, we get weird symptoms like greenish or greyish vaginal discharge, foul smell in the vagina and many more. Here, you have to note that bacterial vaginosis is the result of sexual transmission. However, if you have sex with multiple people or with a new partner, you can be prone to bacterial vaginosis. Sometimes, when having sex, the pH balance of your partner can leave an impact on the pH balance of your vagina.

How to diagnose bacterial vaginosis?

To find out if you are suffering from the disease, first, the gynecologist will physically examine your vagina. He will then check out the color and texture of your vaginal discharge. For better examination, the doctor will then collect a sample from your vagina to put it under a microscopic lens. As a sample, you can provide vaginal discharge right in the morning.

Keeping this infection untreated for a long time can lead to severe conditions. The risk of bacterial vaginosis in a woman can be herpes, sexually transmitted infections, gonorrhea, chlamydia, etc. If such an infection occurs during your pregnancy, it can affect the health of your baby inside. So, when you get pregnant, make sure to stay away from such infections.

The moment you start the treatment of bacterial vaginosis and take antibiotics, it will not take much time to go away. However, the duration to cure bacterial vaginosis will vary from person to person. This is because it largely depends on the severity of the infection. The more infected your vagina is, the more time will it take to get cured. So, be very much aware of your vaginal health.

Conclusion

Therefore, bacterial vaginosis (BV) can be a serious health condition for women. Never leave it untreated for long. Your vaginal health can impact your overall health. So, be careful and aware of your private parts. You can consult with a gynecologist to clarify all your doubts.