I have been using yeast arrest(which contains boric acid) and for me the smell went away after the first full day application. I have been bv and odor free since April . The only side effects that I have experienced was itching at times but for me it was not bad and I put up with it because it works so well. For some the itching may be a problem or some may choose not to deal with it. Everyone's body is different and some may experience side effects that are harsher than most. I am just happy that it works. For me it is working so well that I do not worry everyday about bv and the smell of bv. Boric Acid is a great product....Let us know when you start using it how you are doing...

Thanks for your input: Lori, and BV Girl... =)

Um, just one more question, I'm kind of anxious to start the boric. Will I be able to start while on my menses or do you recomend me to wait until after it's over with?

Yes.. you can start while on your menstrual(at least that is what the yeast arrest states). As a matter of fact according to the yeast arrest it states that after the first month or so (to continue to maintain(a maintenence procedure)) use while on your menstrual for 4-5 cycles(or months).. Yeast arrest contains 600 mg of boric acid along with a mixture of ingredients. If you are using pure boric acid without any mixture you may want to call your nurse or the pharmacist to see how exactly when to use it.. Because I have read where some have used the pure form or something rather and I just do not know what the directions are for that formula strength. I pretty much know about the yeast arrest..

Hi, PLEASE, PLEASE, I can not stresss this enough, PLEASE be very careful in regards to growth hormone injections, or any growth hormone what so ever!

Here's why:

My brother-in-law was born without a functioning pituitary gland and was less than 4 feet tall most of his childhood. Standford University began a study on 100 of America's most growth challenged children, and had recruited my brother-in-law, Matt, to participate.

So, to cut it short- Out of 100 children participating in the study, 78 were given GROWTH HORMONE INJECTIONS and all 78 given hormones died of cancer before they turned 18. ALL OF THEM!

Just before Matt was to receive these shots, his Mom decided to hold off for two weeks in order to think it over and

BOOM!

Puberty hit and he began to grow so fast that his joints grew apart because they couldn't keep up with his bones!

So Lucky for him!



BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL WHEN MESSING WITH HORMONES! I'D LEAVE THEM ALONE!

THIS IS ALL 100% TRUE.

I've been reading up- doing some research- and I came across an interesting possibility. Has anyone ever heard of a bacterial infection called a Mycroplasma infection? I think it is worth looking into.

mycroplasma Infection Info

Look into it a little more and let me know what you guys think!

I have already came to the conclusion that nothing at this forum can be "off the topic" regarding to bv....discussing hormones, for some, is a pretty damn big issue.

I have thinking about the hormones & antibotics that animals are injected with (that we eat) (very interesting).
Also, as far as hormones..our liver forms the cholesterol for our sex hormones. Another possibilty, that should be considered, as liver dysfunction IS a possiblilty and should not be taken lightly.

Also, if your BV is in fact hormone related..did you all know that most doctors won't use hormone therapy if you smoke? (I didn't)

I had gonnorhea, but like I said, I had NO symptoms and neither did my fiancee.

Alright you just freaked me out with that one! That's very interesting. I never have heard of this infection before....

Do you think you had the BV along with the gonnorhea, or got it afterwards?

Ilovehim...very interesting information....thank you.. Makes sense now....

Hello for the birds. We've actually already covered mycoplasma/ureaplasma infections as one of the possibilities. Some members had bacterial cultures to look for this, and other possibilities. I also wrote about this on my blog to get the word out (rather hastily, however).

But the info. about PCR test is interesting, so thanks for sharing. This article is 10 years old, so some of the research is outdated (e.g., they no longer use Zithromax to treat it, because it's ineffective). But it's still one of those good things to have on our radars.

And ITA about the hormones. Not something to be messed with, for sure!


You're welcome ilovehim. But the answer is neither. You said you had burning piss for a while, and your partner's penis smells bad. YOU NEED TO GO TO THE DOCTOR. No ifs ands or buts!

So make an appointment ASAP so you can go as soon as you stop bleeding. Until then, do not use boric acid or anything else.

If you don't have a regular doctor, go to Planned Parenthood. (Here's their website.)

AFTER your doctor's appointment - I agree with bvgirl. There was some confusion (in this thread) about the proper strength of boric acid (some people used the pure form, some used diluted), etc. So I would just get Yeast Arrest.

Ilovehim: I had BV before, during, and after treatment of the gonnorhea. Nothing really changed, besides that the STD was cleared.

Hello everyone!

Does anyone know where the research lab is located that are studying, and or producing lactobacillus-L and L jensenii? Our probotics don't have these included..and they are needed in our vaginal flora.

Who is interested in putting on their cat women suits with me and sneaking into the place to steal them? lol.
They won't hold us in jail to long as if we were to get caught, we would stink them out of the place.

I don't think our doctors are understanding of how bad our stinch is, I wish we could box it up for them to take a real "wiff" test. For instance, the pain scale...rate it from 1-10...how bad is your pain? how about a stinch scale...rate from 1 to 100. (mine as a 100). (Not really, at least not right now anyway..no yeast or bv.) (This is a record for me, first period in two years when it didn't come back.

Also, I have never taken flagyl, (as I am paranoid of antibotics anyway)....Does metro-gel not treat trich? Just curious..because other than the "C" word I have only used metro-gel.

Morphia, how much digging have you done in regards to mycoplasma genitalium? I did some snooping into that tonight..interesting..very interesting. (inflammatory actions....found in male and female reproductive organs...linked to UTI's....heart problems...linked to Crohn's disease...asthma...(fungi parasite orgin?) (Similiar scientist debates as whether they are cause or effect of these diseases..

Not that I am bi-sexual, but why can they prove or not prove if females can pass this and forth to each other. If they can't prove that, how do they get off saying men and women can't pass it back in forth..(assuming it's only bv, and not something else)

I am SO GLAD ilovehim..isn't knocked up..and I hope she gets her skinny ass into the doctor VERY SOON!

Who here has bv with no odor? I still think its odd that I have such a persistent and virulent case of bv and it doesn't smell. I don't want to jinx myself here but I have to say its strange. No smell, it burns, yet it keeps coming up as gardnerella on the Affirm. The only text book symptom I have is the thin, pasty, white, bubbly dishcarge. Any theories?

I don't think every strain of lactobacillus can be replicated in a lab like that. Activia yogurt contains "Bifidus Regularis" (ha ha, "regularis") and Dan-Active yogurt contains "L. casei Immunitas." These are lab-created and shown to have good effects, but they aren't naturally found in a healthy body.

This is why I'm so excited about Fem-dophilus.


Good for you for being BV-free (for now)! What do you think is helping you?

Also - metrogel does not treat Trich. You need to take the oral meds to kill it.

Here's a link: http://www.healthline.com/yodocontent/preg...homoniasis.html

Metronidazole is also available as an intravaginal gel, but this form is only recommended for treating bacterial vaginosis. Because trichomoniasis involves not only the vagina, but also nearby glands and the urethra, local treatments (intravaginal gel) often cannot achieve a complete cure.

Morphia, you should get The V Book by Dr. Elizabeth Stewart.

There's a chapter on other types of vaginitis besides the big 3 (yeast, BV, Trich):

atrophic - estrogen-loss, treated with vaginal estrogen
strep - caused by antibiotics for BV, treated with amoxicillin
mobiluncus - caused by antibiotics for BV (esp. metrogel), treated with IV gentamicin
desquamative inflammatory vagintis (DIV) - unknown cause, treated with hydrocortisone

(Personally, my mind is blown at the notion that you can get vaginitis (strep, mobiluncus) from the antibiotics we take for BV - and the doctors don't tell us about this possibility! Do they even know? And we just get the same old pills over and over again. What the fuck!?!? Okay, rant over.)

There's also a good section on skin conditions that could cause irritation.

Amazon.com has it. (I got mine at Borders.)

http://www.amazon.com/Book-Doctors-Complet...8951&sr=8-1

Morphia, how long have you been dealing with the burning issue? And where all does it "burn" inside and out? or just inside?
Is your vagina swollen?

I assume that you have switched laundry soaps, bath soaps, antiperspirant deodorants (that is a big can of worms that I would like to mention at some point),(as I'm sure most know that it has been linked to breast cancer) pads without perfume, and every other possible cause for this might being an allergy to something.

Do you use perfume?

This is just a "theory", of course I will look into it. If our bodies can absorb aluminum from the deodorants, then skin cells can absorb perfumes too??? (or at least increase risk for yeast infection?)

Lori, I wish I could tell you which one of my 5,834 changes I have made..as to which one worked. lol

P.S. The alkaline diet cookbooks are collecting dust. (But I still am interested in that)

I'm not pregnant! haha, but it was a scare for a bit. Anyways, I bought the Yeast Arrest and will start any day...hope i could get success with that!

I have burning on the inside. I know this is bv. Every time I have the Affirm test it always comes back showing that I have clinically significant levels of gardnerella bacteria in my discharge.

I already have The V Book. I ordered it a couple of months ago. It is a pretty good book.

Lori: Since you seem to be the expert, I thought I would ask you this. With all of these other infections you mention, some that can be caused by the antibiotics, and others that are sort of unexplained (ex-mycroplasa), how do we know if we really have BV? What should I ask for my doctor to do the next time I go to make sure I'm not suffering from one of these other infections? How are they supposed to be treated when some doctors aren't even aware of them? Ahh...I'm so confused!

What the fuck is wrong with you? You got some issues lady.


Question: Can I add water to the boric acid like a douche? Because I didn't have any capsules and this is what I did.Should I be worried?

Hi all! I am so psyched to find out about Yeast Arrest! I got some today -- I'd head about using boric acid to get rid of persistent yeasties, but was never sure where on earth to find it! I just have a quick question -- it says after the first 2-week period that you should use it for four days "during menstruation." How does this work if one uses, for example, menstrual cups? I was thinking I could wait till after my heavy-heavy flow days and do it at night whilst wearing a pad? Ideas?

Also -- I looked up the topic on PubMed, and the research cited in the Yeast Arrest says that a "full cure" for the yeast infection was achieved using 600 mg per day, but I noticed the Yeast Arrest is 600 mg/capsule, and it says to use 2 per day. I don't want to overdo it. Thoughts?

Again -- thanks sooo much for the tip. I've had bad luck with creams (the burning, you would not believe -- maybe an allergy???) or Diflucan, and it just. Keeps. Recurring. Keep your fingers crossed for me!!!!!

Oh no, I'm not an expert. Sorry if I sound like a "know-it-all cunt" sometimes. I'm just trying to share information that I learned, some of which is from members in this very thread! I'm just trying to piece it all together in a way that makes sense - to me, anyway. (Trust me, I'm confused, too!)

So to "regurgitate" from The V Book:

• strep - is diagnosed by a microscope - where you can see "little round streptococci lined up in chains"
• mobiluncus - under the microcope, you can see "mobiliuncus tumbling across the slide"
• desquamative inflammatory vagintis (DIV) - this is basically when everything else has been ruled out

Dr. Stewart says that these are a "challenge" to diagnose. Isn't that great?

Strep and Mobiluncus are rare, but both are typically caused by the antibiotics we use for BV. They are considered "superinfection" - because you are not being attacked by an outside bacteria, you're just dealing with an overgrowth of something that is always there, and isn't harmful in small amounts (just like yeast and BV).

I don't mean to muddy the waters and introduce a lot of far-fetched ideas in here, taking everyone on some wild goose-chase. But since many of us have taken these antibiotics many times, and our symptoms recur so often - I think it's something that should at least be on our radars. Especially when the symptoms are unusual - as in Morphia's case, she has no odor. That's definitely unusual, because the one thing *everyone* complains about in here is the nasty stench.

There are other possibilities as well - e.g., vulvodynia. Or it could be just other skin conditions such as lichen or eczema. Those are apparently misdiagnosed all the time as a gyno problem when they really aren't.

As far as how to ask about it with your doctor - hopefully your doctor knows you've been dealing with this for a long time, and is receptive to discussions about these alternatives. Even Dr. Stewart (who wrote the V book) admits that she gets a lot of patients who complain that their gynos don't listen to them and treat them like idiots. Having experienced dumb doctors like that myself, I really know that feeling.

(I've even had one doctor snap at me, "Are you telling me how to do my job?" Seriously. And I just watched the movie Knocked Up this weekend, and there was a doctor who said that and it made me so mad! Asshole. The movie was funny, though.)

So I don't know what you should do. I would recommend that you get The V Book and read it yourself - don't rely on my excerpts. And if you're concerned about any of these, you should ask your doctor. Bring the book with you, maybe? Hopefully you have a good doctor who at least listens to you, or insurance that lets you find a better doctor if you want to switch.

Hello.. I am not familar with menstrual cups but when it comes to using suppositories (in this case yeast arrest suppositories) to benefit most from the product you must make sure to insert the suppositories as far as you can go. Like I stated before, everyone responds differently to products so in regards to using 600mg twice a day as directed on the yeast arrest maybe you can benefit with just using one suppository a day. It really depends on how your body responds. As you read on it states somewhere (or on the website) that during the intital use some may have to use yeast arrest for longer than a month so it just depends. I guess the rule of thumb is if the bv and the odor is still there then you will have to use it longer (that is if you are not experiencing any harsh side effects from the yeast arrest ( like some may experience mild or heavy itching,dryness and or an allergic reaction to the boric acid which can irritate the skin)( for me I have had no major problems and I have been using it for a couple of months and took one whole month off from using it with no reoccurring bv and or bv smell at all)). Yes ,you can use it during your period. Are you asking if you can start your intital use now while you are your period? I don't see why not.. For me being consistent with the yeast arrest(taking it everyday and not skipping a dose until the bv got under control) really can help. Also, it says on the directions when it comes to preventative measures using it while on your menstrual is suggested after your initial use. Other than that you should make it a point to use it everyday until the bv is under control. That is if you are not experiencing any side effects. Also, make sure to monitor your progress whether good or bad and this should help you with regards to if you would like to continue with the yeast arrest and or is this product right for me, and or if you decide to discontinue the yeast arrest because of side effects and or because it has proven not to be effective enough for your bv and bv symptoms. Again, some people respond differently, some people will have a harsh reaction and or side effects,some will not,some people will benefit from the yeast arrest and there will be some who will not. Trial and error.

ILOVEHIM, My issues are in fact that I was very concerned that your female health problems had you on the verge of suicide. THATS MY ISSUE. Not to mention that proper treatment of vaginal infections are very important being that yes, in fact, it can fuck up your liver!!!!
Also, if you want to go BACK AND READ WHEN I FIRST JOINED THIS FORUM AND TOLD YOU TO GO READ A SEGMENT [b](from the V book)[/b] tHIS IS THE SAME BOOK i SUGGESTED to you that now LORI is telling everyone to get, and she jumped my ass for getting excited about information that could HELP US.

AND IF ANYONE DOES IN FACT WANT TO BE PLAYING THE BANGO STRINGS - GET THE BOOK IT IS GREAT. The author is/was a V Clinic specialist, and she herself has had problems diagnosed rare conditions that most doctors don't even know how to spell.

ILOVEHIM, did you really want to be pregnant? (Your 16?)

I also got another book about female hormones, for those of us that feel that is our undiagnosed problem. Haven't read much about it yet though....(but I will)

Morphia, I found some interesting things in both these books ...I'll PM you when I get time.

so if i have bv and fibroadenomas that my bv is more likely to be caused by hormones??? hmmm...

Worth digging into for sure.

Morphia, sorry about your burning..I don't know which would be worse..smell, or fire.
You don't experience pain with that as well? (not including the burning) And is sex painful for you? Sorry for all the questions, I'm just really interested, because your symtoms are strange...I'm not saying it isn't BV. It's just so damn weird how our bodies react differently to this. Are some days worse than others for you, or is it all the time non-stop burning?

Is any product helping you with your burning vagina?

Has anyone done any research into how difficult it is to diagnose rare yeast infections? (I'm pretty damn amazed that I didn't get a vaginal yeast infection after the double antibiotic dose I was recently prescribed. (hopefully I'm not bragging to soon.)

Thanks, Lori. I guess I will order that book! I'll probably read it and think I have everything in it, though! Haha...

Sorry if I said that, Arj75. But you recommend a lot of books, a lot of articles, and a lot of theories. And you don't even give us very much info. about them - just, "hey we should all read/consider this!" So it's hard to know which one of your suggestions is worthwhile.

But ... we should all get The V book! It's not a cure-all, it's not gospel, but it's good basic information.

Amazon link:

http://www.amazon.com/Book-Doctors-Complet...2478&sr=8-1


According to The V Book, it's not difficult at all. Most of the current OTC drugs (and diflucan) work very well at controlling the C.albicans type of yeast, so if you truly have a yeast infection (and not something else) that's not responding to typical treatment, then you probably have the resistant strains. Basic deduction.

She also explained how a yeast culture works.


Yeah, I know how that is. But the good thing about the book is that it helped me get some perspective, and it felt great to know that at least someone realizes BV is a serious problem. I usually feel much more crazy after reading a bunch of net research.

[quote name='lori' date='Jun 18 2007, 01:57 AM' post='157895']
I don't think every strain of lactobacillus can be replicated in a lab like that. Activia yogurt contains "Bifidus Regularis" (ha ha, "regularis") and Dan-Active yogurt contains "L. casei Immunitas." These are lab-created and shown to have good effects, but they aren't naturally found in a healthy body.

Lori, I truely understand your point about listing the sources of information, it is very important! (But I don't know how lol) But with that being said, (sorry ) I have read somewhere..have no clue as to where...maybe the V book?...that those strains of vaginal flora I mentioned earlier are being tried in women at a clinic as we speak..... (inserted vaginally?)... I don't know if it has proved any success or not.

Well, I'm all for that. I hope they do more research on this! But I also don't think we should hold off on probiotics until those particular strains are available commercially.

Actually, I think HLC Candaclear is a product that claims to have replicated healthy human lactobacillus. And I don't feel like going back to verifying this but ... I think their tests involved putting the lactobacillus from one vagina to another.

(Ewwwww.)

Question for you: have you been taking the Ultimate Flora?

Yes, I have been taking ultimate flora faithfully, except when I was out of town for 4 days.. and I then took Kyo-Dophilus, because they don't need to be kept in the cooler.

Yes, there is a connection between caffeine and hormone imbalance. Caffeine like all stimulants, if taken in excess, causes your adrenal glands to overwork. (I talk about this in a previous post.) Caffeine for most people is a pick-me-up. It gives you that 'feeling' of having more energy. And afterward, when the feeling wears off, you experience a crash. Well. Unless you are a chain coffee drinker, in which case you would just grab your next cup of coffee! Your adrenal glands have to adjust to stimulants, and tell the rest of your glands how to function. if you are always feeling 'up' and hyper with caffeine, then your adrenals are working hard to produce cortisol and adrenaline, and you throw off all your other hormones levels. In extreme cases it can cause adrenal exhaustion.

[ http://www.diagnose-me.com/cond/C17669.html ]

Do they have a pill for caffeine addicts? lol. Just joking, I have quit drinking coffee and soda, but it is/was not easy. OK so I did sneak and have soda the other day, but I couldn't even drink it, it was so sweet that it made me feel sick.
I drink only water through the week now, then have a few cocktails on weekends....

Thanks CanCan. A lot of things are overlooked in this board, I missed that.

Of course I did not want to be a pregnant 17 year old, I'm o.k. with one . lol That's crazy!



.*.*. Who here wears tampons?.*.*.

I have coffee everyday, and what I am doing to try to break the habit is change it up a little. Some days I have my morning cappuccino, and on other days, I have something different - like a chai latte. Or my new thing: Yerba Matte Latte. I love it! I found this amazing tea brand called Republic. And really I bought it because the tin was so gorgeous. But it is delicious. It still has caffeine, but not as much. So now I am not addicted to coffee. I still have my cappuccinos, but not as often.

I wear tampons, 'i love him' why are you asking?

My mom didn't want me to wear them when I first started, my mom had TSS at the age of 19 and got deathly ill and hasent worn them since...she is 47 now.

Alright. Tonight I got intimate with the bf (no penetration of course. That would be painful) and I took great care in noting any odor/odors that might be present. I've detected three. Pizza (while its still on me), chemical/urine smell (when its on my undies) and a sweet urine smell (after it has dried). I've also been keeping up with the consistency of my discharge. The stuff that actually comes out is clear and sometimes so bubbly that it looks like spit. (Ew). But when I stick my finger in there and pull it out under my nails is THICK, creamy, white stuff. This stuff is clinging for dear life to the walls of my vag. I'm also more red down there than I've ever been. As far as sensations are concerned, I burn on the inside when I'm not sexually aroused. But when I get aroused and the juices start flowing, my symptoms get 10 times better....and then I start to itch on the inside! This is all so damn WEIRD! I'm going to ask my internal medicine doctor (appointment on friday) and my gynecologist (appointment on monday) if they know of any specialists I can see. I need to get this shit figured out ASAP.

Yes you do Morphia! Good Luck in finding a doctor who can in fact spell. I do realize that yeast is not difficult to diagnose according to doctor Elizabeth G Stewart...but I have also read contradicting information to that as well. Also, it's possible that with your skin rash infection that you have recently suffered from has some kind of factor in this as well? You may have BV, but possibly other issues on top of this. There is no reason that you should be suffering from this 24/7. If you are, doctors need to realize this. It's good that you are a smart gal,, and have been noting these strange symtoms. Tell your doctor, demand resolution. Did you see the article in the V-book about getting skin samples for biopsy? Don't remember where it was at...but it's in there.

Hope you get some relief!!!!!!!

P.S. Make sure you remember to mention that you have bladder/urinary problems. And mention your work environment as well.

Ilovehim: I don't wear tampons. When I had BV I stopped using tampons and started using the divacup. I've read that tampons have too much crap in them unless they are organic.

hey ladies. i finished my last dose of yeast arrest monday night. the yeast arrest stopped coming out of me sometime on tuesday. it's now thursday and i have absolutely no discharge and no smell. i'm 100% dry, no need for a pantyliner!!! i feel great. i just have to hope it stays like this. this is what i did:

i used yeast arrest twice a day, every day for 4 weeks. (i just bought 4 jars of it and used all of them since 1 jar lasts 1 week.) i took fem-dophilus at the beginning of using the yeast arrest, i took 2 a day for about 2 weeks. when i ran out i didn't buy anymore but i think that i will now since i'm not taking yeast arrest anymore. now that i am done taking the yeast arrest every day i am going to be using it after sex and for 4 days every month when i have my period. (i'm not sure if it's twice a day or once a day, it's on the instructions though.) i will do that for 4 months. i don't know how long i'll use it after sex, right now i want to say forever because i don't want to take the chance of it coming back but maybe one day i won't have to do that. i hope i stay bv free!! i am right now and i feel so relieved.

i hope everyone keeps trying to find what works for them. just keep trying different things and eventually you will find what works for you. i know it's frustrating and discouraging, especially when something doesn't work, but you will find what works for you if you just don't give up. thanks bv girl for suggesting the yeast arrest.

Hello.I am so glad for you.. I am happy that you are responding great to the yeast arrest. I too am happy because I have been bv free since using the yeast arrest. I appreciate the thank you but actually if it were not for this board and all the valuable product and information from all of you on here I would not have known about the yeast arrest. For all who are trying to find a product to help them with bv.. Maybe yeast arrest may help...KEEP ON RESEARCHING(TRIAL AND ERROR) YOU WILL FIND SOME RELIEF..

Does anyone here know how to go about finding specialists in your area? I'm asking just in case my doctor's don't know of anyone to refer me too. And I won't be surprised if they don't. :-\

I'm so glad the Yeast Arrest is working for you all!!! HOWEVER...I'M SO PISSED THAT I CAN'T USE IT!!! HAHAHA!!

Everyone keep in mind...if you get a rash on your forehead, arms, legs...after using the yeast arrest..you MIGHT be having an alergic reaction...... I did...

Flagyl vaginally is still working for me...Glad to see WE ARE FINALLY GETTING SOME RESULTS!!!! Morphia...I'm so sorry things suck for you!!! DON'T YOU WISH THERE WAS SOMETHING LIKE VAGINAL REPLACEMENT PLASTIC SURGERY!!! HAHAHAHAHAH!!!! If only we were so lucky!!!

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to list an article from the V-book (Dr. Elizabeth G. Stewart..she's talking about how are vagina's bacteria's are kept in check.... Maybe a lot of you already know this, but not all of us, and I think this will us help greatly for knowing when to prepare for the battle...

The yeast arrest sounds great by the way, I have ordered it for back-up plan 4,356 lol
(Elizabeth says......
"The type and number of bacteria that live in the vagina are governed by many different factors. These range from the presence of sperm or antibotics to such things as douching, immunosuppression caused by drugs to treat diseases, (and my logical assumption, street drugs, ciggs) surgery. Diseases such as HIV, diabetes, and cancer may influence vaginal bacteria.

Probably, the most important factor, however, is hormonal. Hormonal levels change throughout your menstrual cycle. The vaginal lining also varies considerably during the menstrual cycle. Cells lining the vagina multiply under the influence of estrogen but then become inactive at midcycle, when estrogen levels fall and progesterone dominates. At mid-cycle the lining is thick and rich in glycogen content; the top layers are shed during the second half of the cycle, resulting in a much thinner lining. Then the cycle begins again.
Vaginal ph varies a lot during the cycle too. At the start of menstrual flow, the ph is already increased, peaking at around 7 (alkaline). The ph then drops sharply to between 4.0 and 4.5 over the next three days and remains constant until day 21, although it may rise slightly with ovulation.


I also wanted to mention something in regards to how long our bodies can take to recover from illness (which effects everything in our bodies pretty much lol) It takes your body one full year (on average) to recover from mono. I'm not sure how long it takes for things such as colds, flu, and whatever else. It's just something to keep in mind when your getting discourged...

Things are looking up in here, that's for sure. Morphia-things will get better for you...just be patient..I know it's hard. Are you taking probotics?

Thanks for the info arj75! I'd just say that a pH of 7 isn't alkaline, it's neutral. The pH scale goes from 1 to 14, with acids below 7 and bases (alkalines) above 7. So your vagina is more alkaline than before, but it's not alkaline on an absolute scale.

I'm on day four of the Yeast Arrest, and I've already noticed a decrease in the external itchiness, especially when I'm trying to fall asleep. I don't know if it's psychosomatic or what, but I don't care -- any relief is good, right? I've also noticed, not to get too icky and TMI (but then, this is a thread about BV, so I'm sure this isn't the ickiest thing!), that when I insert the capsules, when I pull my finger out, it no longer looks like I've got cottage cheese on my finger. I view this as a positive step As far as odor goes, I've had so many weird ones it's a relief to just smell vaguely of herbs!! Although, I think the Yeast Arrest instructions could warn you that your discharge will be GREEN for a little while! Hahah....

Anyway, thanks sooooo much for the tip on Yeast Arrest again my darling Busties! I'm also going to steal anitsirhc's idea of using the Yeast Arrest after sex; I've defintitely noticed more itchiness after sex, so thanks for the idea.

Morphia -- do you have health insurance? Depending on what plan you have, you may not need a referral, and can just call them up and have them find you someone. The plan I have right now doesn't require physician referrals, which is nice. Be advised though that a lot of specialists will have long waiting lists. When I was first diagnosed with my thyroid problem, it probably took me three months to see an endocrinologist, so good luck!

[quote name='phobia' date='Jun 22 2007, 06:44 AM' post='158495']
Thanks for the info arj75! I'd just say that a pH of 7 isn't alkaline, it's neutral. The pH scale goes from 1 to 14, with acids below 7 and bases (alkalines) above 7. So your vagina is more alkaline than before, but it's not alkaline on an absolute scale.

Yes, you are right, (sorry I'm on day 5 without any sleep. lol) 7 is neutral. But hell, I don't even want to see seven..lol

Morphia, something else to consider when choosing a doctor...just an idea. You know "that practice makes perfect"...I kinda look at this the same way as to when choosing a doctor, I found out that the doctor that will be doing my colpo....graduated top of his class, and is old as hell. lol

Some women prefer to see females, I understand that, I doesn't make a difference to me.....

I pushed my colpo back for two weeks , afraid to get one done being that this is the first month, and record of consecutive days without bv returning. (Two years) I just really want to enjoy this for a couple more weeks. lol

Speaking of PH, (I have many phobia's lol) My water at my apartment measures 7.7?? Maybe my ph strips are inaccurate.

I called up a hospital in my area, and they have a clinic that is affiliated with them - across the street from the hospital - and I was able to make an appointment to see an endocrine doctor there. I had to wait a long time though. Two months. And they didn't need a referral either. But they allowed me to pay cash, and I will pay cash as well for all the blood work they did for me.. when I get the bill in the mail. They're not charging me that much.

Will let everyone know what the lab results are later when I get them.