[Metamorphose]

Hi Guys!! I'm new here. Well I suffered the same fate as many of you. The following steps helped me tremendously and (touch wood) I haven't had this problem for years.

- Wear panties ONLY when there's no other option ( like your nose, your vagina likes to breathe) NEVER EVER sleep, wearing panties.
- Do NOT use soap in your pubic area - water was good for many years before soap and will remain good after soap. Do not use a washcloth or any other clothy thingy ( it will trap bacteria) - nothing wrong with using a bare hand.
- Stay away from condoms with spermicide - it may kill sperm, but is to yeast as chocolate is to cellulite. Use a condom though, since your boy's juices may be reacting with yours, then the ph goes all haywire and we begin allover once more...... Oh yes, avoid friction. In other words, lubricate well. Lubricate using only water based lubricants, or however gross this may seem, saliva is best (again the old ph thing)
- Eat lots of yogurt with live cultures - bacterial yeast do not like yogurt much.
- Trim the hairs down there - it acts as an anchor for bacteria, Hell go all out and do the Brazillian (take gas mask along for beautician, or better yet, make booking at a town at least an hour's drive away. You are least likely to bump in to the beautician again, using that route)
- Drink water, and I mean plenty!!!! At least 12 tall glasses per day - clean water, nothing added, nothing subtracted. Not only will it dilute all bad bacteria, it will also help with any skin condition. If you don't like water, sorry, but drink it none the less....
- Get interflora, or probi-flora, or flora by any other name at your pharmacy or health store. This neutralises ph and will lift symptoms tremendously. All doctors in South Africa prescribe this immediately along with any other medication related to BV.

- Last, but by far not least. If you are REALLY REALLY at your rope's end, fly out to South Africa. Our doctors are excellent in this field. You get an ultrasound with every check-up (we are prone to uterus problems); they take vaginal swabs every 6 months and do cultures on them; they call you back within 36 hours and ask which pharmacy they can fax your prescription to. They will even put you on anti depressants if your condition affects your mood too much. I'm telling you, apart from what CNN shows, South Africa is light years ahead in the medical field. I can speak from experience - I lived in New York for 7 years and came back home. Like a lot of you, I too struggled to find a doctor who would take time to listen to what I had to say. Best of luck to all of you, and I hope the small input helps at least some of you.

[lori]

*

[lori]

[topic="Bacterial Vaginosis http://www.cdc.gov/STD/Trichomonas/STDFact...asis.htm#HowGet[/topic]
This is my first blog, and I would like to say HI! TO ALL. I had a strong fishy odor years ago when I had gotten an IUD. My husband and I both had to take, I believe it was flagyll, because initially I took the flagyll only and the problem kept arising. The doctor told me my husband had to take the flagyll at the same time I did, or the problem would continue because he would pass it back to me, and vice versa. The web site link I have included above talks about the diagnosis my doctor gave me,Trichomoniasis. I have been long since divorced but had my appendix removed while married. I still am not happy with the strong odor I get and am wondering if my appendix being removed has anything to do with it. I am concerned because as odd as it seems the smell is even fishier when I eat sea foods, which I love dearly. My delima, eat my sea foods and be alone, or think about getting re-married again by giving them up. I am presently celibate for over a decade but still am not comfortable with my vaginal odor, especially after eating sea food. Please only intelligent responses to this life altering problem. By the way my doctors currently always says everything is normal, even when pap smears are taken. Thank You!!!!!!

Trich is an STD, BV is not. However, the symptoms for the two are similar, and can be confused.

Since you had Trich in the past, even though you have been treated for it, I would suggest that you ask for a Trich-specific test from your GYN. Pap smears and wet preps are only about 60% accurate for diagnosing Trich, so you want to make sure.

Have you ever been diagnosed with BV by your GYN?

Anyway, ruling out Trich and other STD's is very important, and the first place to start. Once you figure out exactly why you're getting the odor, then you can figure out your next move.

[ESINED]

[topic="Bacterial Vaginosis http://www.cdc.gov/STD/Trichomonas/STDFact...asis.htm#HowGet[/topic]



This is my first blog, and I would like to say HI! TO ALL. I had a strong fishy odor years ago when I had gotten an IUD. My husband and I both had to take, I believe it was flagyll, because initially I took the flagyll only and the problem kept arising. The doctor told me my husband had to take the flagyll at the same time I did, or the problem would continue because he would pass it back to me, and vice versa. The web site link I have included above talks about the diagnosis my doctor gave me,Trichomoniasis. I have been long since divorced but had my appendix removed while married. I still am not happy with the strong odor I get and am wondering if my appendix being removed has anything to do with it. I am concerned because as odd as it seems the smell is even fishier when I eat sea foods, which I love dearly. My delima, eat my sea foods and be alone, or think about getting re-married again by giving them up. I am presently celibate for over a decade but still am not comfortable with my vaginal odor, especially after eating sea food. Please only intelligent responses to this life altering problem. By the way my doctors currently always says everything is normal, even when pap smears are taken. Thank You!!!!!!

[sooo sad]

man!!!

i did metrogel for one day and i have a really bad yeast infection now....damn!!!!! i don't know anymore. i guess i'm gonna do boric acid for a few days then tto to see how that goes.... any suggestions?

thanks in advance....sooo sad

[jewelscando]

Hey all, I put my blog back up. (link is in my sig) I was going to move it elsewhere, but the re-formatting is taking a looong time.

Some of the info. needs updating, and I'm still working on it. But since we have so many newbies around (hi ladies!) I thought it would still be useful as is.

THANK YOU LORI!!!! If you haven't checked out Lori's blog, please do so!!! LOTS AND LOTS OF GREAT INFORMATION!!!

Lori is good you all!! She knows her stuff!!!

TTO still workin for me... The last time I was here, I was feeling a little strange down there. Had to take some Penicillin for a tooth infection, so to be on the safe side, I used 1 TTO. Still no smell, and still going strong.

I also found out that the more I read these boards, the more I stress!! HAHAH, that's why you all don't see me very often. I still love you all, but have to force myself not to constantly be thinking about itty bitty fish heads crawling around my lower body!!!

Anyways, that's my short and sweet update!!

[sooo sad]

Hey, there! I've been taking the Femdophilus, but not religiously. I'm not sure I'm such a believer, at least not for me. I tried taking that with and after both Flagyl and Clindesse and it didn't keep the BV away, even with two a day. Oh well. If it weren't so expensive, I'd keep taking it, but I might just finish out this bottle and stick with buying the big tubs of yogurt and using TTO for maintenance. Let me know what works for you....when you find it....I'll keep you posted on this tea tree thing.

hi again hunnie!!!

i will keep you posted...hopefully we can beat this darn thing. i'm gonna do metrogel this week but i was thinking about doing the non-diluted tto first to see if that works (i'm still taking femd cause it makes my discharge less but yes hun...it's so darn expensive!!!!) keeping my fingers crossed for all of us......

sooo sad

[damselindistress]

hi damselindistress!!

thanks for sharing....are you also taking femd while doing the tto?

sooo sad

Hey, there! I've been taking the Femdophilus, but not religiously. I'm not sure I'm such a believer, at least not for me. I tried taking that with and after both Flagyl and Clindesse and it didn't keep the BV away, even with two a day. Oh well. If it weren't so expensive, I'd keep taking it, but I might just finish out this bottle and stick with buying the big tubs of yogurt and using TTO for maintenance. Let me know what works for you....when you find it....I'll keep you posted on this tea tree thing.

[sooo sad]

I will share. I was planning to wait a little longer before I shared any news, but so far so good. My last venture was with tea tree oil. I found the suppositories online and used them for 5 days. They were these little waxy bullet-like things. I didn't have any burning or big mess or anything. The smell came out in the wash. Like Jewelscando said, "you smell it when you pee, but that's about it". On the sixth day I made my own gelatin capsule with TTO like she suggested just to see (the suppositories were 14 bucks for 6 - expensive). It was super cheap to do it that way. The TTO started to melt the capsule b4 I inserted, so I had to hurry. I felt the slightest sensation from the tea tree being stronger, but no problem at all. I haven't had any discharge, smell, anything for a week, then just got my period. After the monthly friend, gonna use a TTO cap for good measure and see what happens! Good luck, hope your MO changes to sooo HAPPY soon!
By the way, my doc said none of the usual vaginal suspects showed up on culture, but I still had a bacterial infection. She said it could be a different strain of bacteria from my body, intestines, rectum, whatever that's plagueing me. She said that's why the standard vaginal medicines weren't working and that I needed to try a different antibiotic b/c they aren't all for the same thing. Even though I haven't had any problems (even after sex, BTW), I am taking CIPRO for a week orally. CIPRO is what my fiance took for prostatitis. We'll see.

hi damselindistress!!

thanks for sharing....are you also taking femd while doing the tto?

sooo sad

[damselindistress]

hi ladies!

can anyone give us a bv update? would like to know how ya'll are doing!!!

for me... i'm gonna start metrogel this week for 7 days + femd (4pill per day until finished and probably for a couple more weeks after)...and do maintenance with tto. hopefully this works.....keeping my fingers crossed...

sooo sad

I will share. I was planning to wait a little longer before I shared any news, but so far so good. My last venture was with tea tree oil. I found the suppositories online and used them for 5 days. They were these little waxy bullet-like things. I didn't have any burning or big mess or anything. The smell came out in the wash. Like Jewelscando said, "you smell it when you pee, but that's about it". On the sixth day I made my own gelatin capsule with TTO like she suggested just to see (the suppositories were 14 bucks for 6 - expensive). It was super cheap to do it that way. The TTO started to melt the capsule b4 I inserted, so I had to hurry. I felt the slightest sensation from the tea tree being stronger, but no problem at all. I haven't had any discharge, smell, anything for a week, then just got my period. After the monthly friend, gonna use a TTO cap for good measure and see what happens! Good luck, hope your MO changes to sooo HAPPY soon!
By the way, my doc said none of the usual vaginal suspects showed up on culture, but I still had a bacterial infection. She said it could be a different strain of bacteria from my body, intestines, rectum, whatever that's plagueing me. She said that's why the standard vaginal medicines weren't working and that I needed to try a different antibiotic b/c they aren't all for the same thing. Even though I haven't had any problems (even after sex, BTW), I am taking CIPRO for a week orally. CIPRO is what my fiance took for prostatitis. We'll see.

[sooo sad]

hi ladies!

can anyone give us a bv update? would like to know how ya'll are doing!!!

for me... i'm gonna start metrogel this week for 7 days + femd (4pill per day until finished and probably for a couple more weeks after)...and do maintenance with tto. hopefully this works.....keeping my fingers crossed...

sooo sad

[lori]

First, everybody has a schedule. Before your husband comes home or whenever your going to be around your husband, take a sitz bath. Put either apple cider vinegar (and I know that it smells bad but once you get out and dry off, you'll hardly smell it), If you just can't put up with apple cider vinegar, try squeezing a couple of lemons in the water. Sit down and hold the lips open. Do this for about 10-15 min. That should help make the vagina more acidic. When you get out of the tub, the first thing you should do is dry the vagina first. Then take a q- tip and dip it in the SYLK lubricant and swril it around the inside of the vagina. The sylk will help you keep the ph of the vagina longer. wipe off any excess around the vagina. Ok, there is this stuff you can use to keep the heat down. It's called moistat intinmate care= chafing relief powder gel =fragrance free. Put this on the vagina on the outside. Then your ready for sex. He should have no problems. If you know your not going to have sex, do the above but add an extra step. on your underware, use vagisil deodorant powder=talc free= odor blocking protection. If you use the powder and he wants sex that day, go to the bathroom and wipe the powder off. If you don't, it may turn him off which will result in him not being able to keep it up.

Reagan, please don't do any of these things.

If you take a bath while holding your vaginal lips open for 10 minutes, it is the same as douching - worse, actually. Every source, and every clinical and anecdotal evidence ever written, all say that douching is bad for BV. Many ladies in here have posted that douching caused BV, or made it worse. It can even lead to Pelvic Inflammatory Disease.

I recommend that you read The V Book, written about women's health by a Harvard professor. One of the things she recommends is avoiding douching and baths if you're dealing with BV. So don't just take my word for it.

The rest of neverending's advice is pretty much useless, too. Keep in mind that BV is not just about the smell, it's about making you healthy - untreated BV can lead to health complications. And when you're healthy, the smell will go away, too. So you need to work on restoring the balance in your vagina, and not stuff your vagina full of powders and sprays just to cover up the smell, which only make the situation worse.

Also, definitely do not let any crackpot on the internet with her own agenda diagnose you with a hormonal imbalance.

As far as your husband goes, if he doesn't appreciate you, sexy clothes won't solve anything. Focus on valuing yourself, and making yourself healthy.

[wanabfresh]

short term fix: kick him in the balls

long term cure: divorce the bastard

seriously.
i hate it when any man acts like its YOUR problem that your vag is acting up when HE PUTS THE SHIT IN THERE!!#@%$

I SERIOUSLY THINK EVERYONE'S MAN SHOULD GO ON THE ACIDOPHILUS SHIT!!!! oh and make them drink a SHITload of water and juice a day so THEY get to bitch about something.

seriously all these winy men can come kiss MY ass. UGH

not sure if im posting right its only my second post an I dont wanna speak 2 soon, but I really have to say that FEM DOPHILUS really works
I began about a week ago an seen such amzing results no discharge, no smell, no nothing an I just want to thank u guys for this suggestion
thanks alot an I'll be posting soon for later results
THANK GOD FOR THE MAKERS OF THIS PRODUCT

[neverending]

Hello ladies. I am suffering with bv since my youngest son was born 8 years ago. I have been misdiagnosed on many ocassions. The smell is so bad during sex, my husband hates having sex with me. We only have it when he gets drunk so about three or four times a year. Then he can't keep it up. He hates talking about it and when we argue he tells me in a very crude way that I stink. What are the short term fixes with the smell and long term cure?

Ladies we are leaving tomorrow and I am soooooo happy. I hope we like it there. If not, we'll still check out Chicago, Seattle, Denver and maybe even Boston. I can't wait to move!

Anyway, I was lurking and I saw this post by you mrs. Reagan. This might be a little long but hopefully worth it.

First, everybody has a schedule. Before your husband comes home or whenever your going to be around your husband, take a sitz bath. Put either apple cider vinegar (and I know that it smells bad but once you get out and dry off, you'll hardly smell it), If you just can't put up with apple cider vinegar, try squeezing a couple of lemons in the water. Sit down and hold the lips open. Do this for about 10-15 min. That should help make the vagina more acidic. When you get out of the tub, the first thing you should do is dry the vagina first. Then take a q- tip and dip it in the SYLK lubricant and swril it around the inside of the vagina. The sylk will help you keep the ph of the vagina longer. wipe off any excess around the vagina. Ok, there is this stuff you can use to keep the heat down. It's called moistat intinmate care= chafing relief powder gel =fragrance free. Put this on the vagina on the outside. Then your ready for sex. He should have no problems. If you know your not going to have sex, do the above but add an extra step. on your underware, use vagisil deodorant powder=talc free= odor blocking protection. If you use the powder and he wants sex that day, go to the bathroom and wipe the powder off. If you don't, it may turn him off which will result in him not being able to keep it up.

On another note, I don't know if you shave or not but I would suggest trimming the bush if you know what I mean. Shaving is not more hygenic but it will help you keep the heat down. Either shave it all or trim it real low. Heat is a bad idea when you have to deal with something like this. It will multiply the bacteria.

OK, soaps! Most women like Dove soap but I like to go to the health food store and buy brand name: Auromere, it's Tumeric/ Sandlewood with Neem or try Peppermint Soap. These will help keep bacteria away.

Ok, underware! All I have to say is cotton will be your best friend until you can keep this away.If your problem is not that bad, cotton thongs will be ok, but if it's bad, cotton granny panties will have to do. Again, if you think you will get some (if you know what I mean) then slip in the bathroom and change into something sexy.

Ok, Sex! I'm not trying to get to personal but what you will have to do is entice (sp?) him again. I'm not trying to corrupt you (lol) but try going to the sex shop and finding something that will play into his fantasy. Hmmmmm...... Something he can't resist. Like, naughty school girl, hot teacher, a kitty outfit, Something. You should light candles or incense (sp?) and if you can, buy some sylk sheets. That should help. Also, use the Sylk Lub. during sex because again, it will help keep the PH in the right place which is what you want.

Last but not least, sit down with your husband and tell him if he can't be respectful/ supportive, you will delete him from your life. No one should put up with mistreatment AT ALL. Tell him you don't need his verbal/ emotional abuse. Marriage should be about teamwork and lifting each other up not down. Tell me who can function properly in an harsh environment. You don't need his childishness! There was a guy that came in here a while ago (jason44 or jason 34) and he gave us a little info on his wife and told us about how he found her cure, I thought "HE found her cure". Now THAT is LOVE! I wish more men were like him. He is a dream!

As far as long term treatment: I think you may have a hormonal imbalance. I know one of my high school friends had BV after every child she had but hers went away with meds everytime. Lucky her right?! I think with some ladies, the hormones never bounce back for some reason. I've noticed that most of the ladies here either had a child, hysterectomy (sp?), started/stopped birth control, or are in menopause when the BV started for them.

Anyway, I know this is long but I hope this helps!
Chiao!

[lori]

short term fix: kick him in the balls

long term cure: divorce the bastard

seriously.

I have to agree with this.

A man who acts like this is probably someone who is selfish and mean in other ways, too.

I SERIOUSLY THINK EVERYONE'S MAN SHOULD GO ON THE ACIDOPHILUS SHIT!!!!

Probiotics really wouldn't hurt them in any way. Probably good for them, too. I'm not sure if it would help the BV situation, though.

[Kpasa]

Hello ladies. I am suffering with bv since my youngest son was born 8 years ago. I have been misdiagnosed on many ocassions. The smell is so bad during sex, my husband hates having sex with me. We only have it when he gets drunk so about three or four times a year. Then he can't keep it up. He hates talking about it and when we argue he tells me in a very crude way that I stink. What are the short term fixes with the smell and long term cure?

short term fix: kick him in the balls

long term cure: divorce the bastard

seriously.
i hate it when any man acts like its YOUR problem that your vag is acting up when HE PUTS THE SHIT IN THERE!!#@%$

I SERIOUSLY THINK EVERYONE'S MAN SHOULD GO ON THE ACIDOPHILUS SHIT!!!! oh and make them drink a SHITload of water and juice a day so THEY get to bitch about something.

seriously all these winy men can come kiss MY ass. UGH

[hellotampon]

I have BV again. I felt it brewing right after my last pap. It's probably the lube they put on the speculum. I don't use lube in my personal life because it gives me yeast and/or makes me feel "off." So now I have to schlep back there and they'll say they have to examine me again and I'll have to track down some lube that doesn't have fucking glycerin in it and ask them to use that... such a pain.

[lori]

Hey all, I put my blog back up. (link is in my sig) I was going to move it elsewhere, but the re-formatting is taking a looong time.

Some of the info. needs updating, and I'm still working on it. But since we have so many newbies around (hi ladies!) I thought it would still be useful as is.

[newlife69]

Hello Ladies,

I have not logged in for quite a long while. In my initial post I thought I had found somewhat of a "cure" with folic acid. It alone did not work. Like a lot of us, I went back to Metrogel in desperation. What a mess. I also tried the peroxide rinses which temporarily helped with the odor and discharge but left me rather dry during sex. One day I was catching up on this blog and read about the Fem-D. I couldn't find it anywhere. However, I did find something with similar ingredients (Primadophilus Reuteri by Nature's Way). I bought it at The Vitamin Shoppe. I began taking it on the first of May. With all the talk referencing imbalances I began to think that possibly I had a hormonal imbalance as well. Since my initial post I also had a vaginal hysterectomy (kept the ovaries). Yes, my periods were just that bad. Anyway, I googled hormone imbalances and began to read all about it. I took a couple of online surveys which surmised that I was suffering from estrogen dominance. So of course, I ran to my local GNC and purchased Femgest, a natural progesterone cream. I began using it on the fifth of May. Today things are much fresher below. I don't know if it is the synergy of both products or what. I am just thankful that something is working. I also take all of the recommended vitamins, minerals, and supplements. The progesterone has done wonders for my moodiness and energy. I am anxious to see what the long term results will be. I'll keep you posted.

Newlife

[sooo sad]

I had asked this a couple days ago, but didn't get a response. Does the tea tree oil sting/burn your male partner? Do you use the TTO every night or what. Can someone tell me their regimen please. Also which is better for bv, tto or boric acid? This is great information, but it's information overload...

lupe,
sorry, i don't know too much about ba or tto. but what i do know is that when i used ba awhile back it helped but when i stopped that damn bv crap came back. i'm gonna try tto as maintenance so i don't know about that too much. look on jewelscando's blog. she cured herself from bv with just tto, but remember....everyone is different and what works for her might not work for you and vice versa.

sooo sad