[JJ27]

I do them but not religiously. Yes, I' not as JJ (juicy juice) as when I was a youngin. Singing "how dry I am...hiccup! " I'm in menopause.

Have you ever tried Kegal excersice. That should help. As far as lubricate I use sylk . Do you have dry vag issues too? or do you use it for other purposes?

[neverending]

Hi everyone I'm a new poster to this thread so I apologize if I am repeating something or I have missed something.
I JUST had a somewhat upsetting conversation with an ex who told me that he hardly ever went down on me when we were going out because I smelled bad down there. I was with him for 6 years and during that time I went through so many different types of birthcontrol (Pill, ring, patch, but mostly I was on Depo).
My previous BF loved going down on me and told me I tasted great, but I wasn't on birthcontrol with him. Since the last boy and I broke up (over a year ago) I've been off hormonal birthcontrol and have since gotten a copper IUD. I've just started seeing someone after a year of no sex and now I am freaking out that if he goes down on me he'll think that I smell/taste terrible.
I try and check myself and I *think* that it's usually smells ok....although after a day of activity it's understandably not so good. But now I'm wondering if it's even possible to be able to tell yourself? Is it possible that the hormonal birthcontrol was the culprit? When I was on the hormones I had a hard time getting wet (read never!) but now it happens all the time when Im aroused, could that help with the smell?
I'm sorry for the rambling post, I'm just really upset about what he said (and the fact that I haven't had oral in years ).
Thanks for any help/advice you can give!

1. He was with you for 6yrs. so you couldn't have smelled that bad. What an asshole!
2.Birth control, in my opinion, causes BV. I never had problems with my body until I started birth control.
3. If your freaked out about the way you taste/smell, why don't you shower before sex with your partner or if you can't why don't you carry around wet wipes. That way you can freshen up before sex.
4.Yes, you can tell yourself. Some women smell like sea water, sea salt, slightly vingerish,etc(normal smell). If you don't smell like cheese,shit,dough,ammonia,fish, &crab. Your fine. If you can't smell anything then your pretty much fine.
5.I'm off estrogen lowering birth control (i'm on the nuvaring now which boosts estrogen) but I still have dry vag issues and I refuse to do more estrogen. So your not the only one hormones have messed up. As far as getting wet when your aroused, I would think it helps with the so called smell you have or the smell you think you have. If you don't smell anything, others don't either. Don't be paranoid because of an asshole.

[neverending]

You guys keep talking about the smell but does anyone out there feel a burning sensation, swelling, and soreness after sex? I feel it's coming back so I just ordered the Femdophilus. This totally sucks a big one! What do you think...I plan to get another dose of Clindesse and then after that use the Fem D after sex. Is that a good plan? I've been having a little urnine leakage and I feel the BV is aggrevating my bladder. The bladder specialist recommended I use a bacterial soap to help with the bv and she said the BV is causing the leakage and told me to do some other crap that I already do so I feel I wasted my $$. I don't believe her cause I have a friend who has been celibate for five yrs (not by choice) and she has the leakage too! At the time I only used ivory soap and I guess I"ll go back cause I'm still getting these stupid infections + it's cheaper! My user name should have been DAZED AND CONFUSED! LOL

On another note thank you all for your participation. It has been so helpful!!!!!

Has anyone ever used Astro lube as a lubricant? I'm wondering if that's what's conributing to the BV....Things that make you go hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Have you ever tried Kegal excersice. That should help. As far as lubricate I use sylk . Do you have dry vag issues too? or do you use it for other purposes?

[LilMissStrange]

Hi everyone I'm a new poster to this thread so I apologize if I am repeating something or I have missed something.
I JUST had a somewhat upsetting conversation with an ex who told me that he hardly ever went down on me when we were going out because I smelled bad down there. I was with him for 6 years and during that time I went through so many different types of birthcontrol (Pill, ring, patch, but mostly I was on Depo).
My previous BF loved going down on me and told me I tasted great, but I wasn't on birthcontrol with him. Since the last boy and I broke up (over a year ago) I've been off hormonal birthcontrol and have since gotten a copper IUD. I've just started seeing someone after a year of no sex and now I am freaking out that if he goes down on me he'll think that I smell/taste terrible.
I try and check myself and I *think* that it's usually smells ok....although after a day of activity it's understandably not so good. But now I'm wondering if it's even possible to be able to tell yourself? Is it possible that the hormonal birthcontrol was the culprit? When I was on the hormones I had a hard time getting wet (read never!) but now it happens all the time when Im aroused, could that help with the smell?
I'm sorry for the rambling post, I'm just really upset about what he said (and the fact that I haven't had oral in years ).
Thanks for any help/advice you can give!

[JJ27]

You guys keep talking about the smell but does anyone out there feel a burning sensation, swelling, and soreness after sex? I feel it's coming back so I just ordered the Femdophilus. This totally sucks a big one! What do you think...I plan to get another dose of Clindesse and then after that use the Fem D after sex. Is that a good plan? I've been having a little urnine leakage and I feel the BV is aggrevating my bladder. The bladder specialist recommended I use a bacterial soap to help with the bv and she said the BV is causing the leakage and told me to do some other crap that I already do so I feel I wasted my $$. I don't believe her cause I have a friend who has been celibate for five yrs (not by choice) and she has the leakage too! At the time I only used ivory soap and I guess I"ll go back cause I'm still getting these stupid infections + it's cheaper! My user name should have been DAZED AND CONFUSED! LOL

On another note thank you all for your participation. It has been so helpful!!!!!

Has anyone ever used Astro lube as a lubricant? I'm wondering if that's what's conributing to the BV....Things that make you go hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[konphusion26]

OMG totally off topic but Kinkaju-- i'm loving your lil animated doggy. LOLLLLLLLL

((((Jewels)))) missed ya, but glad your monster is gone!!! I've been using dove body wash and ivory bar soap on my bits. Good ol' ivory!!!

I'm really sure the Fem-D, folic acid, and boric inserts are helping (until i get my weird lil period). I was having great success with it till then. I can't use the TTO for anything except a douche and only a few drops at a time. I think its too strong for me and the smell stays in my nose forever. I don't like that part of it.

[jewelscando]

I do understand that it is reoccurring or else none of us would be here
I guess my question was more if the BA was just covering up the odor some how. When I was using the BA the smell came back the day after I stopped using it. Now if I do Flagyl (sp?) a few months will go by before it comes back. In the past, I have always ran to the dr as soon as I had any symptoms. So what can be used with out a prescription to get rid of it and what are the best preventatives?

I'm only using TTO. Nothing else. I've tried Folic Acid Pills, Acidophilus, orally and vaginally, Flagyl, again orally and the pills vaginally, cause I'm a rebel! lol, B6, Vitamin C orally and vaginally, and the list goes on. Boric Acid, same for me, the smell came back when I stopped using it, but, I had a bad alergic reaction to it.

TTO I only use the day after sex. I say the day after, because if you use it the same day, and you are irratated down there, it doesn't feel good. So, I use it the day after, and not again, until I have sex again. And it stays away. I don't have to use it daily.

[i'vehadenough]

Boric Acid, is only preventative. Not a cure. If you stop using it, and you have ACTUAL re-occuring BV, it will come back. TTO, is not a cure either. It's just working. I have to use it after sex, or I'm sure the BV will come back.

There is no cure. If you have re-occuring BV, you have to live your life with preventative maintenance, until they find a cure.

I do understand that it is reoccurring or else none of us would be here
I guess my question was more if the BA was just covering up the odor some how. When I was using the BA the smell came back the day after I stopped using it. Now if I do Flagyl (sp?) a few months will go by before it comes back. In the past, I have always ran to the dr as soon as I had any symptoms. So what can be used with out a prescription to get rid of it and what are the best preventatives?

[jewelscando]

Ok so here is my plan. I am going to continue with the MG until I see the Dr at the end of March. In the mean time, I ordered the Sylk and I am going to go to whole foods tomorrow and get some Femndoph. I am going to take B6 and garlic everyday and I am switching to just water to try to cut some of the sugar out of my diet. I am also thinking about doing to TTO in the empty caps maybe 2 times a week. I love TTO for everything else but I never thought to use if for the BV. I do have one question about the BA. I did try using it before I saw the specialist but as soon as I stopped the odor came back. Does the BA actually help to get rid of the BV or does it just get rid of the smell?

Anything else I should be taking??

Boric Acid, is only preventative. Not a cure. If you stop using it, and you have ACTUAL re-occuring BV, it will come back. TTO, is not a cure either. It's just working. I have to use it after sex, or I'm sure the BV will come back.

There is no cure. If you have re-occuring BV, you have to live your life with preventative maintenance, until they find a cure.

[jewelscando]

I'm really curious. What kinds of soaps/cleansers/etc do you all use to wash that area on a regular basis? I would love to be able to just stick with ONE soap/cleanser that made me feel clean but also was gentle and that I could feel confident wouldn't aggravate my BV. I feel like I've tried everything, and for the last few months I've been using Cetaphil because it claims to be totally non alkaline, so I thought it might be a good choice. I totally notice, when the BV symptoms are flaring up that if I use regular soap, which is a base, that the smell is VERY strong while I'm washing, and often I get out of the shower feeling itchy and disgustingly not clean. But if I wash with the Cetaphil there is no smell while I'm washing with it. I guess I will stick with the Cetaphil (or generic version) unless something better comes along, but I am wondering what you all use, and if you find it irritates you further, or if you are happy with it etc.

I used Dial soap down there my entire life, until someone on here, made a comment about using soaps with anti bacterials, or something, and then it dawned on me that I was not helping myself by using it. I too, when BV was flaring, would have horrible smells when washing down there with Dial... Even my 7yr old daughter said, Mommy, why does it smell like fish when you wash down there!!!!! So, I only use Ivory soap on my face, therefore, I started using it down there as well, and DO NOT HAVE THE SMELL WHEN I WASH!! So, I've used it all these years on my face, because I always felt it was pretty natural soap with not alot of crap in it. And it's working down there too. I looked for Cetaphil, but I wanted like a body wash. I saw the soap, maybe I will try that. And I never use any sort of Body wash at all. I'm afraid it will run down into my vagina, therefore, I use the Ivory soap bar on my body.

[i'vehadenough]

Ok so here is my plan. I am going to continue with the MG until I see the Dr at the end of March. In the mean time, I ordered the Sylk and I am going to go to whole foods tomorrow and get some Femndoph. I am going to take B6 and garlic everyday and I am switching to just water to try to cut some of the sugar out of my diet. I am also thinking about doing to TTO in the empty caps maybe 2 times a week. I love TTO for everything else but I never thought to use if for the BV. I do have one question about the BA. I did try using it before I saw the specialist but as soon as I stopped the odor came back. Does the BA actually help to get rid of the BV or does it just get rid of the smell?

Anything else I should be taking??

[kinkaju]

I'm really curious. What kinds of soaps/cleansers/etc do you all use to wash that area on a regular basis? I would love to be able to just stick with ONE soap/cleanser that made me feel clean but also was gentle and that I could feel confident wouldn't aggravate my BV. I feel like I've tried everything, and for the last few months I've been using Cetaphil because it claims to be totally non alkaline, so I thought it might be a good choice. I totally notice, when the BV symptoms are flaring up that if I use regular soap, which is a base, that the smell is VERY strong while I'm washing, and often I get out of the shower feeling itchy and disgustingly not clean. But if I wash with the Cetaphil there is no smell while I'm washing with it. I guess I will stick with the Cetaphil (or generic version) unless something better comes along, but I am wondering what you all use, and if you find it irritates you further, or if you are happy with it etc.

[mfc10]

Where can I get Sylk?

You can order here: http://www.sylkonline.com/cart/



From their website:

What is the pH of Sylk?
<<The pH of SYLK is 4.7. The pH of the vagina is also around 4.7 for most of the month, although at the time of a woman's fertility period, the pH of the vagina can increase to around 7.0. This is average, "normal" range. A unique characteristic of female anatomy is that vaginal pH changes depending on the time of the month and the prevailing conditions.

The moist nature of the vagina makes it a prime area for yeast and fungal-type growths, such as thrush, to develop. However, yeast and molds will not survive under acidic conditions and therefore will not develop in an area where the pH is at 4.7. In addition, sperm will not survive in such acidic conditions, thus the change from 4.7 to around 7.0 during the fertility period creates an atmosphere within which pregnancy can occur. Isn't nature amazing! The low pH outside of the fertility period also ensures that sperm does not survive and carry over into the fertile period.

At a pH of 4.7, you can understand why SYLK is the best choice of personal lubricant. Many other lubricants have a pH of 7.0 and rely totally on the preservatives that are added to them to keep yeast and mold infections at bay.>>

This stuff is great! I use it every other day to help keep BV & yeast at bay.
Maggie

[jewelscando]

OK scratch last question, reading more and figured out the tea tree oil.............however i am reading that undiluted it can cause burns, do you dilute it before dipping the fem dolph caps? and still confused over the boric acid?
thanks so much

btw.......the peroxide has worked as well as the RX meds, I would say for me it helps control it but not cure it if other methods helps control it better I am willing to try it.

Does anywone else feel completely run down and have lower back soreness when BV flares up?

I use a 00 gel cap, and fill it half way with TTO (Tea Tree Oil) and insert. My BV is gone. I only use it now, as preventative the day AFTER sex. But, if I go weeks without sex, which sometimes I do, then I don't use it at all, and the BV is not there when I have sex. I do NOT dilute mine. I think by putting it in the gel cap, it releases slower, and mine never burns. It only sometimes feels like a cold menthal down there, which I guess you could confuse that with "burning".

In the beginning of trying out TTO, I filled the cap all the way. I can still smell it coming out of me 2 weeks later.... And, I would much rather smell TTO then Itty Bitty Fish Heads!!!

Also, with the Boric Acid, remember, if you are alergic to any Sulfa type products such as the antibiotic "Bactrim" do not use BA!! I developed a horrible bleeding rash all over my arms, chest and forehead from the Boric Acid!!!! FYI!!

[neverending]

I've been reading this message board, on and off, for close to a year now. After suffering from the same exact symptoms as most of you and trying the flagyl and metrogel (and totally losing faith in mainstream medicine's ability to tell me anything useful at all) multiple times, and losing my mind from the smell, I started trying the different alternative treatments women here have recommended. I started by taking the femdoph (available at Whole Foods or Fairway here in NYC) and extra folic acid supplements, which helped A LOT but didn't completely work.

Then I started reading about boric acid and decided to try it. Since I've been using the boric acid, I've had almost no symptoms. Sometimes, after sex or right before my period, I'll start to notice the smell and I'll use a boric acid capsule and that will take care of it. I bought a bag of empty gel caps at a health food store and used boric acid powder I already had (my mom used it for years to treat eye infections in me as a kid; it sounds a little scary, but it's actually a common home remedy for yeast infections and an ingredient in most eye washes). I just fill a capsule and pop it up there as far as I can get it. The capsule dissolves pretty quickly; be careful about discharge if you use it during the day. I think it works best before bed. A few times, I've noticed the smell after sex, but after one boric acid capsule, it subsides. It seems like it's only just emerging as a possible treatment for bv in addition to yeast infections, but whatever it's doing to my pH seems to be working, so I'm believing in it so far.

I know this thing is hell! I went through a stage where it was so bad that I was sure people could smell it through my clothes. I'm lucky I have a steady partner with a good sense of humor - he jokes that we could just wear those old school nose clips for swimming when we want to have sex - but this thing has still driven me crazy on and off for over a year now.

Hope the boric acid solution gives some of you some hope. I thought nothing would ever work and this is so far...

Ah honey, its always good to try to keep a good sense of humor. Don't worry, this is becoming such a big problem (I think I've read that almost 50% of women have BV) that they will try to find a cure very soon. I bet you all, they will figure out bv is hormonal and provide some type of estrogen /progesterone mix.

WHATEVERFITSYOU: you can buy boric acid at Walmart.

[whateverfitsyou]

Hey I read that you can purchase Boric Acid from a drug store in the eye care department. Is that true?

[cynthia_k]

I've been reading this message board, on and off, for close to a year now. After suffering from the same exact symptoms as most of you and trying the flagyl and metrogel (and totally losing faith in mainstream medicine's ability to tell me anything useful at all) multiple times, and losing my mind from the smell, I started trying the different alternative treatments women here have recommended. I started by taking the femdoph (available at Whole Foods or Fairway here in NYC) and extra folic acid supplements, which helped A LOT but didn't completely work.

Then I started reading about boric acid and decided to try it. Since I've been using the boric acid, I've had almost no symptoms. Sometimes, after sex or right before my period, I'll start to notice the smell and I'll use a boric acid capsule and that will take care of it. I bought a bag of empty gel caps at a health food store and used boric acid powder I already had (my mom used it for years to treat eye infections in me as a kid; it sounds a little scary, but it's actually a common home remedy for yeast infections and an ingredient in most eye washes). I just fill a capsule and pop it up there as far as I can get it. The capsule dissolves pretty quickly; be careful about discharge if you use it during the day. I think it works best before bed. A few times, I've noticed the smell after sex, but after one boric acid capsule, it subsides. It seems like it's only just emerging as a possible treatment for bv in addition to yeast infections, but whatever it's doing to my pH seems to be working, so I'm believing in it so far.

I know this thing is hell! I went through a stage where it was so bad that I was sure people could smell it through my clothes. I'm lucky I have a steady partner with a good sense of humor - he jokes that we could just wear those old school nose clips for swimming when we want to have sex - but this thing has still driven me crazy on and off for over a year now.

Hope the boric acid solution gives some of you some hope. I thought nothing would ever work and this is so far...

[kinkaju]

I think I'm going to try the B6 with a glass of water and see what happens. I mean, what's the worst that could happen? It doesn't work? And if a $3 bottle of vitamins will help, well I'm all for it. Obviously I don't know for sure, but I have always had a nagging suspicion that mine could be due to hormones since it always seems to show up about 2 weeks before my period, yet once my period comes and goes, it's almost as if that causes everything to clean out and go back to normal, until the next time.

[i'vehadenough]

Where can I get Sylk?

[neverending]

I'll never douche again, because that was a factor for me when I first got BV. And I know that some women here talked about using a dropper to use the vinegar or to use the hydrogen peroxide. I tried that, but the dropper always leaked, and the tip of the dropper I have was pointy and kind of sharp, so I didn't have an easy time inserting it. It would get stuck in one of my folds! I went out and bought a larger dropper, the kind that they use for administering medicine to children, but I didn't have any luck with that either, because the edges were sharp.

So what I decided to try using is the applicator that Replens uses. I took one of them out of it's packaging, twisted off the tab, squirted out the contents down the drain (because I am certainly not going to use Replens, after what some of you said on this forum - no thank you - I don't want paper-like anything coming out of my vagina), and then put in water and rinsed it out completely. It took a while, but you can clean the thing out. The applicator tip is rounded, so it is SO much easier to insert. Kind of like how easy it is to insert a rounded end (pearl) tampon. I take a tiny cup, put in whatever I am using, and insert the pearl end of the dropper into the liquid, suck it up, then lie down on the floor insert and squish it in. Just like with the dropper, but this is easier, because the other end is totally sealed, so while you are moving around, the liquid won't drip out the other end. The Replens dropper has a hole at one end, but easy to just cover it with your finger. And it pretty easy to clean when done.

Also, I think using the dropper is better than using a douche, because a douche is not just administering the liquid, it is flushing everything out of your vagina. It's going to flush out the good bacteria as well. With the dropper you can just put a little bit of the ACV or hydrogen peroxide in there and stay on your back to let it work for a while if you want. And when you stand up and gravity takes over, just a little bit will drip out, because you didn't put in a lot to start with. The amount I use in the dropper is only about one teaspoon of liquid.

I also use the dropper for lubricant, to counteract the alkaline effects of ejaculate. I insert some Sylk lubricant before having sex. Or I use it after sex if I forgot to use the lubricant before or during sex. Or, what I have been doing also, is using it just whenever I feel it is getting funky down there, and the added acidity of the lubricant seems to balance it all out.

I'm posting jason's post again for those who think their bv is hormonal.

Dear ladies,
My name is Jason. I am the husband of a woman that had suffered from BV for 7 years. She developed it shortly after giving birth to our son in August of 1999. It is an absolutely frustrating condition. Our relationship became uneasy and stressed because of it. We were getting nowhere with treatments and lost faith in the doctors. So, I took it upon myself to find out the answer to this condition and make her better myself. I love her and I couldn't stand to see her suffer through this any longer. I have devoted literally hundreds of hours of research to finding what causes BV. And I am happy to say that in February of this year, I made her BV disappear, and it hasn't returned. I'm almost positive that I have identified the CAUSE of BV and it can be corrected. I want to share my discovery with you.

I felt it was important to join in on this thread and share my information with you because your 40 plus pages of posts helped me in my quest to beat this condition. I am grateful to all of you and I am anxious to help you in return.

Before I go any further, I want to assure you that this is not a joke. Her BV is gone. No smell. No discharge. Nothing. This is not another "fad" cure that everyone jumps on with the promise of getting better. This really works because it treats the source of the condition, not justs the symptoms. I will take the time to explain how and why it works, and I will also explain why everything else DOESN'T work. You deserve to know exactly what is going on in your body. I have probably done more research on this subject in the last 2 years than anyone else in the country. I will try to share my discoveries with you as briefly as possible, but I also want you all to be fully informed, so this could get a little long-winded. I apologize in advance.

First, I want you to know what treatments we went through. We tried:

Metronidazole oral
Metronidazole vaginal
Clyndamiacin
Vitamin C suppositories
hydrogen peroxide douches
lactobacilli acidophilus pro-biotics
iodine douche
iodine/hydrogen peroxide douche
abstinence

Nothing worked. I was treated with Metronidazole to make absolutely sure it wasn't me. I had to scream at the doctor to prescribe it to me. He said it wasn't caused by sexual contact so I didn't need to be treated. So I asked him, "Well, then what DOES cause it, smart ass?" He had no answer. I picked up my prescription on the way home.

Still nothing worked. We pretty much stuck with the h2o2 douches for the instant relief when we wanted sex or when the smell became overbearing, but nothing made it completely go away. That's when I became obsessed with figuring this thing out. I knew the medical community wasn't on my side (after all, if you all keep coming back to the doctor, they keep charging you, don't they? An easy cure is not in their best interest, financially). And so the research began.

I can't tell you how many articles and medical reviews I've read about BV. It must have been thousands of pages worth of information, but they all said the same thing........"the cause of BV is not clear." Gee, thanks for the insight.

I spoke with several OB/GYN's and even went as far as calling the head of the OB/GYN department at Baylor Medical in Houston (my brother went to med school there, so he hooked me up). But still I got nothing.

Early on, it didn't take me long to realize that virtually every one of the supposed "fixes" were merely treating symptoms, not the cause, which is obvious since the cause is not known. What else can you treat but symptoms? I was determined for my wife's sake to find and treat the CAUSE.

Now, I know that this is probably not necessary in this forum, but let's recap what we DO know about BV:

It occurs in women of child-bearing age
It is an imbalance of the vaginal flora
It occurs more frequently in women who have had multiple sexual partners
It can be acute and chronic
It can occur in women who have NEVER had sex
It is NOT an infection
It is characterized by a strong fishy odor and a milky discharge
It is an overgrowth of the Gardnerella bacteria
It is not an STD

Ok, now let's look at some of the traditional (and not so traditional) treatments:

Antibiotics (kills everything)
Hydrogen Peroxide (an antiseptic)
Probiotics (adds more "good" bacteria)
Iodine (another antiseptic)
Vitamin C (an acid)
Yogurt (another acid)
Boracic Acid (yet another acid)

These treatments don't work because they try to mimic what your body chemistry SHOULD be doing naturally. Once you stop the treatment and rely on your body chemistry again, guess what? The BV is back. The bottom line with these treatments is this---even when BV is present, the vaginal chemistry is composed of the same acids and organisms that occur in a normal vaginal flora (even the gardnerella bacteria is present in normal flora). So what are you trying to get rid of with these treatments?? The focus should be to change the chemical proportions of the vaginal flora at the source: your own body's chemistry. You don't need to "get rid" of anything, just change the recipe. Then I figured it out.

What is it that dictates body chemistry??? HORMONES. They give the body a chemical blueprint. Hormones dictate PH levels. Hormones regulate bacterial growth. Hormones are what make you menstruate. Hormones are in charge of maintaining the vaginal flora. Hormones define what is "normal". If your hormones are a little off, your chemistry will be a little off. If you douche with yogurt to get rid of the smell but do nothing to change your hormonal balance, your BV comes back. If you kill off your entire vaginal flora with Flagyl and rely on your imbalanced hormones to rebuild it, your BV comes back. If you shove Vitamin C tablets inside of you at night to promote acidity but ultimately leave your messed up hormones in charge, your BV comes back. You have to treat your hormones to make it go away. The treatments are temporary. When you stop them, ultimately your body will go back to what it thinks is "normal". But in the case of chronic BV, "normal" is wrong. So let's look again at what we know about BV and it's close relationship to hormones:

It occurs in women of child-bearing age (women of child-bearing age go through a hormonal change)
It is an imbalance of the vaginal flora (which is dictated by hormones)
It occurs more frequently in women who have had multiple sexual partners (my research indicates that most women with BV absolutely LOVE sex. I know my wife does. You could say that she's a "pack of raging hormones")
It can be acute and chronic (because the treatments don't address the cause, only the symptoms)
It can occur in women who have NEVER had sex (again, hormonal change brings it on)
It is NOT an infection (it is a hormonal fluctuation that produces a chemical imbalance)
It is characterized by a strong fishy odor and a milky discharge (but no foreign biotics are present in BV. It's all percentages)
It is an overgrowth of the Gardnerella bacteria (which occurs even in normal vaginal flora, there's just too much of it)
It is not an STD (there is no difference in the chemical composition of the vaginal flora, only a proportional difference)

So, armed with this knowledge, you begin to see why the treatments don't work. They do nothing to correct your hormonal malfunction. As long as your hormones are out of whack, your BV will be present because your body will continue to metabolize your vaginal ph level incorrectly, causing BV to occur over and over again. The simple answer is that something in your life caused a hormonal change (fertility, pregnancy,whatever) that altered your chemical recipe, and until that recipe is corrected you will have BV regardless of what you do.

Great!! So how do you change your hormonal balance?? That was my next adventure. I'm not going to go into the agonizing details about how I discovered the answer, just read the first few sentences in this article

http://www.anyvitamins.com/vitamin-b6-pyridoxine-info.htm

Vitamin B6 is by far the prevailing ingredient in virtually every "hormonal harmony and balance" pill on your pharmacists shelf. It balances hormones. It treats the CAUSE of BV, not the annoying symptoms. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I read what it does. I rushed right out to the store and bought a $3.00 bottle of 100mg B6 tablets and told my wife to take one every morning. Three days later her BV was gone and it hasn't come back since. So, there's your answer:

One 100mg tablet of B6 daily with a full glass of water = No more BV.

Now, I don't know if she'll have to take the B6 until menopause or not, but for now we're happy. I'm certain that all of you will have the same result. Please email me at j4sonl33@sbcglobal.net and let me know how it turns out for you. You are all very brave and wonderful women, and I thank you for the invaluable information that you have shared on this forum. This is my gift to you for your help. God bless you all.