[neverending]

I actually do know what's going on in this forum. I've read through most of the posts starting on the 207 page. Boric Acid isn't a holistic treatment. You seem to be very sure of what will and won't work. You've probably tried everything yourself and got no results ... or did you ...
I had actually been on this forum for a while but I forgot my password and had to create a new account.
Sweaty in Social Studies aka SweetSimplicity

Remember?

SweetSimplicity? Girl, where have you been? Happy to see you back. Where is Sassy and Jewels and Konphusion and the list goes on and on right? LOL......I hope all is well.
Peace!

[Sweaty in Social Studies]

Yes, there are people in here who have rid themselves of BV.

You don't know what's going on in this group, you don't know what it's like to have BV - basically, you don't know what you're talking about. But you have had problems with symptoms "similar to BV," so that means you can give us advice about BV? And what you think causes it?

Your presumptuousness is pretty incredible.
I do agree with this part (although, isn't boric acid a kind of "holistic" treatment?) A lot of people in here rely on what I call "deodorant" or "maintenance" solutions, and all they do is control the symptoms. I'm constantly advising everyone to not waste their time with shoving all manners of potions up their vaginas, and focus on the proven approaches, but there's only so much one person can do. But I do put the information out there, and plenty of lurkers seem to appreciate it, so as long as it's helping people who want to know it, I guess it's worth it.

The analogy I've used multiples times is: if you have bad breath because of a health problem, thoroughly brushing your teeth and gargling with mouthwash - will make the smell go away for a little while. But it will keep coming back until you do something about the health problem that's causing it. (And BV really is a health problem!)
That's not new information for any of us in here. Most of us know how to google. Your superficial research efforts are not welcome or useful.

I actually do know what's going on in this forum. I've read through most of the posts starting on the 207 page. Boric Acid isn't a holistic treatment. You seem to be very sure of what will and won't work. You've probably tried everything yourself and got no results ... or did you ...
I had actually been on this forum for a while but I forgot my password and had to create a new account.
Sweaty in Social Studies aka SweetSimplicity

Remember?

[DiceKitten]

Ok my period just ended and I have that familier buring sensation again!
I hate being a freakin female!

I have been fighting this since I gave birth on June 25th, 2007 I havnt had sex since may 7th, 2008 and I am separated by miles from my fiancee by choice...His sperm has ph balance problem cause he make his own kids. it may be a problem for my vagina. he may be causing this! He wont go for help to the dr tho! GRRRRRR!
(I'm going to end it with him, but he doesnt know it yet)

I've been a good girl under tremendous amout of stress no sex

I even called the famous Dr Laura Berman in Beverly Hills and spoke with her about my problem
if by the 1st of theyear if this does not go away, Im flying to L.A. to see her to get rid of this

[lori]

Please Lori, don't assume I'm accusing everybody on this forum of being promiscuous just because I said,"it's mainly caused by unhealthy eating habits, drinking/smoking, several sex partners, poor immune system, pollution and so on" . That's what I read from an educational forum. Just relax. And no, Dr.Stewart did not diagnose me with Bacterial Vaginosis, which is why we never talked about it in the first place. But from what I've read on this forum nobody has rid themselves of Bacterial Vaginosis.

Yes, there are people in here who have rid themselves of BV.

You don't know what's going on in this group, you don't know what it's like to have BV - basically, you don't know what you're talking about. But you have had problems with symptoms "similar to BV," so that means you can give us advice about BV? And what you think causes it?

Your presumptuousness is pretty incredible.

Maybe things to hide the odor or reduce the symptoms. In the end, holistic treatments don't put up much of a fight against bacteria.

I do agree with this part (although, isn't boric acid a kind of "holistic" treatment?) A lot of people in here rely on what I call "deodorant" or "maintenance" solutions, and all they do is control the symptoms. I'm constantly advising everyone to not waste their time with shoving all manners of potions up their vaginas, and focus on the proven approaches, but there's only so much one person can do. But I do put the information out there, and plenty of lurkers seem to appreciate it, so as long as it's helping people who want to know it, I guess it's worth it.

The analogy I've used multiples times is: if you have bad breath because of a health problem, thoroughly brushing your teeth and gargling with mouthwash - will make the smell go away for a little while. But it will keep coming back until you do something about the health problem that's causing it. (And BV really is a health problem!)

http://www.cdc.gov/STD/BV/STDFact-Bacterial-Vaginosis.htm

That's not new information for any of us in here. Most of us know how to google. Your superficial research efforts are not welcome or useful.

[Sweaty in Social Studies]

And ... you're just talking about YEAST.

Boric acid is a cure for YEAST. That is well-known and no one has disputed it.

Dr. Stewart should have told you that regular acidophilus doesn't have any effect on BV - because that's what she wrote in her book.

Did she diagnose you with BV? Just because you had symptoms similar to BV, it doesn't mean that you had BV.

And none of us have continuing BV problems because we sleep around and don't take care of ourselves, as you previously alleged.

This is a BV group. There is a separate yeast group if you want to share your experiences there.

Please Lori, don't assume I'm accusing everybody on this forum of being promiscuous just because I said,"it's mainly caused by unhealthy eating habits, drinking/smoking, several sex partners, poor immune system, pollution and so on" . That's what I read from an educational forum. Just relax. And no, Dr.Stewart did not diagnose me with Bacterial Vaginosis, which is why we never talked about it in the first place. But from what I've read on this forum nobody has rid themselves of Bacterial Vaginosis. Maybe things to hide the odor or reduce the symptoms. In the end, holistic treatments don't put up much of a fight against bacteria.

http://www.cdc.gov/STD/BV/STDFact-Bacterial-Vaginosis.htm

[lori]

But ... keep in mind everybody is different. What may work for one person won't work for another. And I have spoken to Dr.Stewart myself. She is the one that diagnosed me with 3 different non-albican yeast infections. How I got it, I don't know. I narrowed it down to two factors ... continous use of a really strong topical steroidal cream for my eczema and wearing a swimsuit with underwear underneath for too long. In my case Boric acid worked like a charm. My yeast infection(s) had very similar symptoms to BV, strong smell and yellowish whitish discharge. I found some things that helped me on this forum but in the end what really worked was the Boric Acid that I took at bed time for 14 days.

Non-albican yeast infections are more stubborn than regular yeast infections. And some do have an odor, not really fishy but like a ripe yeasty smell that lingers in the air even after you leave a room.

And ... you're just talking about YEAST.

Boric acid is a cure for YEAST. That is well-known and no one has disputed it.

Dr. Stewart should have told you that regular acidophilus doesn't have any effect on BV - because that's what she wrote in her book.

Did she diagnose you with BV? Just because you had symptoms similar to BV, it doesn't mean that you had BV.

And none of us have continuing BV problems because we sleep around and don't take care of ourselves, as you previously alleged.

This is a BV group. There is a separate yeast group if you want to share your experiences there.

[Sweaty in Social Studies]

There are ladies in here who have had BV when they were virgins. So several sex partners is not always a cause.

And while I'm sure that healthy living and strong immune systems is a factor, simple lifestyle changes really isn't a magic bullet.

So I don't think either of them are "main" causes of BV or yeast.
We're getting into been-there-done-that territory. Regular acidophilus (taken orally or vaginally) has not, and does not work for BV.

And boric acid is a maintenance solution, not a cure for BV. (It is a known cure for yeast, however.) People should be careful with it, because it should not be used during pregnancy, and at least one person was allergic to it and got severe rashes that left scars.

Bottom line: your suggestions have been discussed. And then hashed, and re-hashed.

If you're interested in doing further research on this matter, please read The V Book, written by Dr. Stewart. It contains a good foundation of knowledge about women's health.

But ... keep in mind everybody is different. What may work for one person won't work for another. And I have spoken to Dr.Stewart myself. She is the one that diagnosed me with 3 different non-albican yeast infections. How I got it, I don't know. I narrowed it down to two factors ... continous use of a really strong topical steroidal cream for my eczema and wearing a swimsuit with underwear underneath for too long. In my case Boric acid worked like a charm. My yeast infection(s) had very similar symptoms to BV, strong smell and yellowish whitish discharge. I found some things that helped me on this forum but in the end what really worked was the Boric Acid that I took at bed time for 14 days.

Non-albican yeast infections are more stubborn than regular yeast infections. And some do have an odor, not really fishy but like a ripe yeasty smell that lingers in the air even after you leave a room.

[sooo sad]

LORI

hi hon .........

yes, he got treatment. then after that we've just been having sex with a condom because i can't even get rid of the bv in the first place. i've been on flagyl about 4-5 times, one time it went away but came back in about 2-3 weeks. then i found this site and did flagyl + femd, it came back again. we've been using a condoms cause i don't want to pass it back and forth....again. but i did notice that before he was treated, the bv was FULL BLOWN, especially after we had sex, but now with the condom it's not as bad, no itching, burning, or pain....just annoying discharge, but not that much since i've been on femd. i hope this information helps ladies in battling bv!!!

sooo sad

[lori]

yep...swabbed his little pee hole and came back with gardnerella(?). affirm is a test that dr's do to test for bv,yeast, and trich in one swab. it's sent off to the lab and you get results in about 3 days. you would just need to get a sample of vaginal discharge and so the doc swab his pee hole cause that's kinda a equivalent to our vagina . insist on it if that's what the doc needs to do to treat him, kinda like a confirmation that he does have it. but some doc won't do it and just write the script.

sooo sad

Thanks for sharing that, sooo sad.

So guys can carry BV. This is definitely interesting.

So did your guy get treatment? Any improvement afterwards?

[lori]

I've been reading up on Bacterial Vaginosis and Yeast Infections and I heard that it's mainly caused by unhealthy eating habits, drinking/smoking, several sex partners, poor immune system, pollution and so on. And from that blog there have been several people that say they're infections went away on their own when they changed their lifestyle. Which I think could be true.

Have any of you tried eating healthier and had you infection go away?

There are ladies in here who have had BV when they were virgins. So several sex partners is not always a cause.

And while I'm sure that healthy living and strong immune systems is a factor, simple lifestyle changes really isn't a magic bullet.

So I don't think either of them are "main" causes of BV or yeast.

Other than that, there was a study that said a daily lactobacilius acidophilus douche helps restore the vagina to its natural flora (because lactobacilius acidophilus is naturally found in the vagina). And then of course there's another alternative, which would be, boric acid capsules each night for 7 days or 14 days depending on how bad the infection is.

I've tried the boric acid and it works like a charm. I bought it off of Amazon.com and I also ordered the capsules from there too.

We're getting into been-there-done-that territory. Regular acidophilus (taken orally or vaginally) has not, and does not work for BV.

And boric acid is a maintenance solution, not a cure for BV. (It is a known cure for yeast, however.) People should be careful with it, because it should not be used during pregnancy, and at least one person was allergic to it and got severe rashes that left scars.

Bottom line: your suggestions have been discussed. And then hashed, and re-hashed.

If you're interested in doing further research on this matter, please read The V Book, written by Dr. Stewart. It contains a good foundation of knowledge about women's health.

[sooo sad]

So, I gotta ask, how did your lady doctor test your guy?? I know you said "affirm" but I don't know what that means and how did they do it - a urethral swab or somethin'? I'll be surprised if my GYN will do it. Thanks, Girls, for replying.

yep...swabbed his little pee hole and came back with gardnerella(?). affirm is a test that dr's do to test for bv,yeast, and trich in one swab. it's sent off to the lab and you get results in about 3 days. you would just need to get a sample of vaginal discharge and so the doc swab his pee hole cause that's kinda a equivalent to our vagina . insist on it if that's what the doc needs to do to treat him, kinda like a confirmation that he does have it. but some doc won't do it and just write the script.

sooo sad

[Sweaty in Social Studies]

I've been reading up on Bacterial Vaginosis and Yeast Infections and I heard that it's mainly caused by unhealthy eating habits, drinking/smoking, several sex partners, poor immune system, pollution and so on. And from that blog there have been several people that say they're infections went away on their own when they changed their lifestyle. Which I think could be true.

Have any of you tried eating healthier and had you infection go away?

Other than that, there was a study that said a daily lactobacilius acidophilus douche helps restore the vagina to its natural flora (because lactobacilius acidophilus is naturally found in the vagina). And then of course there's another alternative, which would be, boric acid capsules each night for 7 days or 14 days depending on how bad the infection is.

I've tried the boric acid and it works like a charm. I bought it off of Amazon.com and I also ordered the capsules from there too.

[damselindistress]

So, I gotta ask, how did your lady doctor test your guy?? I know you said "affirm" but I don't know what that means and how did they do it - a urethral swab or somethin'? I'll be surprised if my GYN will do it. Thanks, Girls, for replying.

damona

hey hon..........you should try trojan ultra thin condoms, feels like you're not even using one. it's super duper thin . and yes spermicide ones are harsh to the vagina and i recommend a lube with low ph, like sylk...kinda expensive but worth it.

damselindistress

hon....it depends on your doctor. some doctors will write a script for you and partner, some will want to see your partner before writing a script. i know that the bv can grow and stay in the hole of the penis cause it's dark and moist at the tip. my boyfriend was tested with the affirm, which is for females only but the dr did it for me because i kept insisting and guess what.......it came back positive!!! lol

hope this helps

sooo sad

[sooo sad]

damselindistress, when my partners were treated my gyn wrote prescriptions for them as well as me.

dani, i tend to have issues with condoms (pain, rash, general misery), but i'm thinking that was from the spermicide on them, or the lube. we have some unlubed ones that we will try. and yes, the ickiness only comes back after sex with my hubby, but not my other partner. i had my tubes tied and the three of us are "multi-monogamous" so we do unprotected sex most of the time.

lori, i know that there are others who have it way worse than i do, but it was rather a shock to get it back full-blown after so long without it.

btw, i'm sure it didn't get rid of the underlying infection, but i treated it like a yeastie with yogurt, inside and outside, tons of water, no sugar, and raw garlic (i cut a clove into 3 pieces and swallowed it like pills!) and by the next day the smell, at least, was neutralized.

damona

hey hon..........you should try trojan ultra thin condoms, feels like you're not even using one. it's super duper thin . and yes spermicide ones are harsh to the vagina and i recommend a lube with low ph, like sylk...kinda expensive but worth it.

damselindistress

hon....it depends on your doctor. some doctors will write a script for you and partner, some will want to see your partner before writing a script. i know that the bv can grow and stay in the hole of the penis cause it's dark and moist at the tip. my boyfriend was tested with the affirm, which is for females only but the dr did it for me because i kept insisting and guess what.......it came back positive!!! lol

hope this helps

sooo sad

[damona]

damselindistress, when my partners were treated my gyn wrote prescriptions for them as well as me.

dani, i tend to have issues with condoms (pain, rash, general misery), but i'm thinking that was from the spermicide on them, or the lube. we have some unlubed ones that we will try. and yes, the ickiness only comes back after sex with my hubby, but not my other partner. i had my tubes tied and the three of us are "multi-monogamous" so we do unprotected sex most of the time.

lori, i know that there are others who have it way worse than i do, but it was rather a shock to get it back full-blown after so long without it.

btw, i'm sure it didn't get rid of the underlying infection, but i treated it like a yeastie with yogurt, inside and outside, tons of water, no sugar, and raw garlic (i cut a clove into 3 pieces and swallowed it like pills!) and by the next day the smell, at least, was neutralized.

[damselindistress]

Question for those of you who say your partner was treated too:

Does your man have to go to the doctor too, or did your GYN give them something? My guy's doctors said that there was no bacteria in his semen analysis and that BV doesn't get passed back and forth. Of course, he says he doesn't have to be treated and doesn't want to go back to the doctor. If my GYN could be convinced somehow to treat him, then it would be easy and maybe he'd comply....to humor me, of course.

there is hope!

Hi everyone

I have not posted here for awhile, but I have returned with good news. Just as a recap: I went to the doctor about 2 months ago for the first time in a year. I was not sexually active at the time. The doctor prescribed me Flagyl (again, ugh), for 10 days, plus Clindesse. I told him I had not been sexually active in over 6 months, and he said that the bacteria can hang around for that long. So, I went ahead with the treatment. I was skeptical.

I obsessed about every little itch, tickle, or hint of odor for several weeks. I sporadically took FemD. I was constantly checking my discharge and checking for odor. I was pretty sure it was gone, but not positive. Then, about 2 weeks ago, I had sex with someone. I was terrified, but just went with it. There was NO odor, NO weird discharge...and he even gave me oral and everything. I could not BELIEVE it!

I still have been obsessively monitoring and checking myself, but I am 90% confident that my BV problem is GONE. It is such a great feeling.

Like you all, I felt like I tried everything. I thought my problem would never go away. But my experience has revealed to me that my (at the time) sexual partner was the root of the problem. Even after I completed treatment and we had sex, the bacteria were still "hanging on" to him. The doctor only treated him once. IMO, they don't put enough emphasis on the fact that your partner NEEDS to be treated. If you have sex with your partner when you are BV free, there is a chance the lovely gardenella are clinging to him for dear life.

This may or may not help anyone out, but I wanted to share my experience. I wish you all the best of luck and you can be sure I'll return if I run into any problems, Thanks, you all have been so supportive.

[dani1983]

there is hope!
Like you all, I felt like I tried everything. I thought my problem would never go away. But my experience has revealed to me that my (at the time) sexual partner was the root of the problem. Even after I completed treatment and we had sex, the bacteria were still "hanging on" to him. The doctor only treated him once. IMO, they don't put enough emphasis on the fact that your partner NEEDS to be treated. If you have sex with your partner when you are BV free, there is a chance the lovely gardenella are clinging to him for dear life.

This may or may not help anyone out, but I wanted to share my experience. I wish you all the best of luck and you can be sure I'll return if I run into any problems, Thanks, you all have been so supportive.

Oh congratulations girl! im so happy for you! I kno I started getting thr BV symptoms when I started having sex qith my ex bf.... We broke up like 4 months ago, and 2 treatments with flagyl afterwards, i still have it! so treating the partner too is not always the solution....i think my problem is a mental one

[mg86]

there is hope!

Hi everyone

I have not posted here for awhile, but I have returned with good news. Just as a recap: I went to the doctor about 2 months ago for the first time in a year. I was not sexually active at the time. The doctor prescribed me Flagyl (again, ugh), for 10 days, plus Clindesse. I told him I had not been sexually active in over 6 months, and he said that the bacteria can hang around for that long. So, I went ahead with the treatment. I was skeptical.

I obsessed about every little itch, tickle, or hint of odor for several weeks. I sporadically took FemD. I was constantly checking my discharge and checking for odor. I was pretty sure it was gone, but not positive. Then, about 2 weeks ago, I had sex with someone. I was terrified, but just went with it. There was NO odor, NO weird discharge...and he even gave me oral and everything. I could not BELIEVE it!

I still have been obsessively monitoring and checking myself, but I am 90% confident that my BV problem is GONE. It is such a great feeling.

Like you all, I felt like I tried everything. I thought my problem would never go away. But my experience has revealed to me that my (at the time) sexual partner was the root of the problem. Even after I completed treatment and we had sex, the bacteria were still "hanging on" to him. The doctor only treated him once. IMO, they don't put enough emphasis on the fact that your partner NEEDS to be treated. If you have sex with your partner when you are BV free, there is a chance the lovely gardenella are clinging to him for dear life.

This may or may not help anyone out, but I wanted to share my experience. I wish you all the best of luck and you can be sure I'll return if I run into any problems, Thanks, you all have been so supportive.

[LisaL79]

Hello everyone! New here and I must say, I'm so glad I found this.
I was googling BV and natural ways to try to treat it and came upon this thread.
I hate saying it, but I'm glad I'm not the only one who suffers this.
You just can't help but feel so alone when you have to constantly worry about if other people can smell you or not. So yeah, even though it's weird to say, it's nice to see that there are other women out there going through the same thing.
I've been suffering BV for about hmm..8 years now (I'll be 29 on Sept 20th) & nothing has worked for me so far.
My main problem is the smell. The god-awful, run for the hills, mostly fishy, sometimes ammonia smell.
I hate it and it's embarassing as hell to have it.
The smell will actually go away for 2 days after my period, but then comes back full force.


Right now I'm trying Garlique. Read that garlic can help, so yeah.. I'll try almost anything.

Anywho, that's my intro! lol.... There are a ton of pages in this thread, and I still have alot more reading to do... so.. yeah. Hope to post often and get to know everyone better

[sooo sad]

hey sooo sad!! thanks for your kind words the problem with me is that i have never had any itching whatsoever in my hoohah, and I had a weird smell before, but that smell stopped when i took flagyl for the first time(this was like in june). Now I only get a discharge, and its not a lot though, but its still discharge. its yellowish but no smell. none at all. so that's why i was wondering if i still had BV or maybe it's something else.
I wanted to ask the Busties, if I should still keep taking two capsules of fem-d per day or if i should reduce it to only one per day??? what do you girls think? ( i still have the yellowish discharge but not that much, and no smell)

hey hon

it's not normal to have yellow discharge, if i were you, i would get it check out to see if it is bv, yeast, etc. and tell the doctor that you want a test to be done for confirmation, like the affirm test that test for bv, yeast, and trich with one swab. tell the dr that just by looking will not do, i was diagnosed with yeast for about 4 months straight and when she decided to do the affirm test it came out to be bv......lol. i would also still take femd 2 per day, until everything is resolved, my advice.

hope this helps!!!

sooo sad