Hello everyone!

I'm not trying to cause a big "probiotic scare" here (I'm actually on the pep squad for them), but I found some information at Wikipedia regarding a strain of bacteria that is in the fem' pros' some of us are taking...

I think it was the L rhamnosus strain...it has been discovered in some certain circumstances to be pathogenic. However, it didn't state what the circumstances were. Does anyone know anything about this? I think we should be aware of what was discovered.

I liked in the article how it mentioned that some people don't have these "good bacteria's in the body ..either wiped out from antibiotics, stress, or being a bottle baby and never getting these bacteria needed from our mothers breast milk....

The strain of L. rhamnosus in question was the "GG" strain. The one in Fem-Dophilus, Ombe, etc. is L. rhamnosus GR-1, developed by Dr. Gregor Reid.

I will try to contact him regarding this to see what he says.

Maggie

Hi Everyone I am SO happy that I just found this site. I have had reoccurring BV for the last few wears. I have seen my midwife a million times and she has no answers. I do have an appointment with a specialist next month that is a believer of BA. I have tried a bunch of creams and none of them work. The Flagyl does work but I just don't feel comfortable about taking it over and over since it is only a temp fix.
So here is the situation. It may sound crazy but it is what it is and I just need advise from someone! I had an IUD put in 5 years ago after my son was born. I had my first case of BV shortly after it was put in and then did not have it again until about 2 years ago. At first I thought it was the IUD so I had that taken out about 6 months ago. I did not have another case until about a month ago and my mw called in a script for me. It knocked it out and then a few days after I was done with the treatment it came back. Ok, now I have to back track. My husband and I have another sexual partner (this is the crazy part). We have been sexually active with her for close to 2 years. She is my best friend so we have very good communication and she knows about my problem. Through all of this she has never had any symptoms of BV. When my BV came back this last time I started putting 2 and 2 together. The last time that we had all been together was the day after I had finished the Flagyl and then my BV started coming back 2 days later. There are times when my husband will have actual intercourse with just her, just me or sometimes both. This last time the 3 of us were together he had had sex with both of us (me after her). After my symptoms came back I started thinking that maybe when her body fluids are mixed with mine, it causes the BV. Could it be that some how my body is reacting to her even though she doesn't have symptoms of BV? I haven't called my mw yet and asked her but I have NO idea how I would even begin to tell her about this.

I was going to call my mw tomorrow to get another script, but I am thinking of tying other things. I picked up some BA and put it into an empty capsule. I am going to put that in before I go to bed and do it twice a day for the 2 weeks. I also purchased Enzara. Does anyone have experience with that?

Any comments/suggestions will be appreciated!!

Thanks!!

"i'vehadenough"

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.

Wow, Jason that's a totally interesting tale of healing. I don't have bv now but did for years on end and believe what you are saying. Americans tend to be deficient in the bvitamins, and inositol, a b vitamin, has cured my polycystic ovaries. It is wild to think that something so simple could make such drastic changes--hope it works for those who try it!!
It also seems like there's some logic to it because of the whole hormone b vitamin connection--for example, women on the pill tend to be deficient in folic acid, another b. And it would link up with the stress/bv hypotheses sinces bs are always helpful for stress...

Just throwing out some other examples of how this could make sense as a treatment...Since lots of folks seem to suffer from it postpartum, bv's back on my radar...

Jason- Great research...That takes a real man to do something like that.
I'm off to buy those B6 Vitamins today!

Hi, accidentally found this place whilst looking up jama sticks.. wondering what the hell they were and whether they were safe to use. But from what i gather from your posts, they can really dry you up...? I've always had too much natural discharge (prior to BV) since I was little so maybe this might not be much of an issue for me....? Sorry, it's 3.26am here and I have not been able to read too many previous posts so I haven't been able to work out the answer for myself.

Anyways.. a little about me, 27 and far away in the land of Oz... or Aus in the real world. Had one episode of BV for a couple of months and took Flagyl (3 tablets a day for 7 days.. why the difference in script...? Diff country, perhaps?) which made the smell disappear but the light yellowish discharge didn't completely go away. Then I had my period and four days after the period ended, I think it's starting to smell a little suspicious again.. not too sure though due to becoming accustomed to the strong fishy odour (can't remember what it used to smell like). I've also been diagnosed with HPV in my PAP smear early last year.. the same abnormality in cells was not detected in the next PAP though.

In any case, VERY EXCITED to have found this thread and all of you here!!! Just from reading four pages of posts, I'm beginning to feel as though you've all become my sisters! :^)

Enduring through BV for a couple of months was a nightmare.. i had no desire to have sex, felt too conscious to let my boyf do anything on me, could smell in sitting and standing, my pants reeked (is this the right spelling..?) of the foul odour and had to wash everyday, etc etc.. very very stressful. Truly feel for you guys and minutely comprehend why some of you tend to not even think about sex anymore..... you guys are such fighters. Seriously inspirational.

JASON - You are a SUPERSTAR CHAMPION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Your wife is a very lucky woman!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I will go out and buy B6 tablets, first thing on Monday (too lazy to go out on a weekend). One question though, the helpful article that you linked up to your post said something about having to take B Complex together with B6 as some type of vitamin B activates the substance in B6.... since you definitely know more stuff than any Doctor or person around me, please answer this question: do you think it would be even better to follow the advice in the article? Or just B6 would do??

I really do think that you are right.. it all makes sense.. at least in my case anyway. I've experienced a lot of stress for the past year anad have been on anti-depressants (Effexor-R.. 75mg? I think) since January this year. Since ongoing depression is linked to a malfunction(?) in the brain and hormones, it's not surprising that BV might be a side effect either of the initial imbalance in hormones or the balancing act of the anti-depressant. I have also gained about 5 pounds in the last month or so for no clear reason, which may also be indicative of a hormonal imbalance in my body.

Phew...... so that was just "a little" about me. I'm sorry I wrote so much..... please read it ALL in your spare time.... lol

WELL DONE/SAID JASON! BRAVO

I'd be playing the banjo right now if i knew how....b vitamins..asthma? anxiety? heart problems? ezema? BV?

Guess I need some fiddle lessons..maybe my sugar daddy pay for it. lol

6efox,
To answer your question about taking b6 with a b vitamin complex....Truth is, I don't really know. What I DO know is that my wife just takes 100mg of b6 with a good multivitamin (and a FULL bottle of water, key thing) and it works great. The key is LOTS of b6 and since it is water soluable, you MUST drink the water. 100mg of b6 is about 5000% of the recommended daily dose. There is a risk of b6 overdose, but only when you get up around 2000mg, so it's perfectly safe at the 100mg level.

BTW, good shopping tip, all those expensive hormone balancers on the shelf at the store are nothing more than a multivitamin with anywhere between 50-100mg of b6. Nothing else. Yeah, it all makes sense now, doesn't it? B6 is the key to hormonal harmony. Check it out for yourself. So don't waste your money. Just get a good One-a-day, some bottled water, and load up on the B6.

Hope that helps.

Please let me know how things work out for you.

Your friend,
Jason

I also went out and bought the b6 yesterday. I am going to try taking that once a day along with the BA for 14 days. I am still curious about Enzara. Has anyone tried it? I bought it off of ebay but have not received it yet.

Enzara doesn't work... Several girls, including myself, have tried it. It is a scam.

If Jason is correct, and I believe he is!
Do you all think that if we really want to get better we need to
A. quit drinking (it stops vitamin B absorbtion)
B. Quit taking birth control (it effects B absorbtion)
C. Quit smoking (loss of vitamin B"s)
D Maybe quit taking the anti-depressants (they effect vitamin absorbtion, and alter our chemistry...(the only reason I was on antidepressants was BECAUSE of BV..if that is not the reason any were taking them in the first place..then obviously, not a good choice to stop.
Everything he has said..adds up..for me, I know.
Since I have been taking sublingual B-complex....I have been able to sleep (lack of B = insomnia)
Since I have taking sublingual B - my chest pains and heart palpitations have almost disappeared
Since I have been taking sublingual B- I have not had an asthma attack
Since I have been taking sublingual B- my anxiety has been lifted GREATLY
Since I have been taking B Complex- I have not been stinking, nor any discharge.

I have the feeling the mini blog will need to be posted very shortly.

I am now convinced that the anti-depressants has been the culprit.... I do want to go off it but probably not a good idea to do it right now. I need to take them for at least 6 months for it to be effective or something...? It's now been 6 months.. maybe I need it for a month or two.. my mum thinks they'll do me more damage than good but I think they are helping... I get nasty side effects when I forget to take them for a day or two though.....

Anyway.. I'm definitely going to have trouble with "A"....

arj75 - how long have you been taking the B-complex tablets for...? And is it absorbed better if you take them that way...?? (I've always wondered why and how that worked..)

J4son - You are seriously a saviour to us all. Thanks for all your work and advice!!

[quote name='6efox' date='Jul 22 2007, 06:35 AM' post='162623']
I am now convinced that the anti-depressants has been the culprit.... I do want to go off it but probably not a good idea to do it right now. I need to take them for at least 6 months for it to be effective or something...? It's now been 6 months.. maybe I need it for a month or two.. my mum thinks they'll do me more damage than good but I think they are helping... I get nasty side effects when I forget to take them for a day or two though.....

Anyway.. I'm definitely going to have trouble with "A"....

arj75 - how long have you been taking the B-complex tablets for...? And is it absorbed better if you take them that way...?? (I've always wondered why and how that worked..)

6efox

I have been taking B-complex since the day I joined this forum...I don't remember when that was though. lol But, in the very beginning..I was only taking 1 tab a day...which wasn't doing jack-shit. Furthermore, when I did decide to increase my supplements....I still wasn't taking them with a full glass of water. However, I do drink a whole hell alot of water. I think, that for some women...100 mg..might not be enough..depending on your stress level. I take 800 mgs daily. I decided to go to sublingual because i have digestive problems as well, and I thought I would benefit more from sublingual because it's liquid or can be in found in louzenes (sp lol) too. And I thought it would easier for my body to absorb. I switched from tabs to sublingual ONE WEEK ago.

Hey girls, here's some more great info on B6:

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/vitaminB6/

Looks like the FDA has set a tolerable upper limit of 100mg per day and further research shows that going beyond that amount has no added benefit, either. I would just stick to 100mg a day (with water and a multivitamin). Bear in mind that my case study consists of exactly ONE person, but she had chronic BV for 7 years straight and now it's gone (it looks like arj75 may be a success story also).

Sure beats yogurt and rat poison ;-)

Best wishes,
Jason

Here's the piece of that article that has me convinced that B6 is the answer:

"Vitamin B6 must be obtained from the diet because humans cannot synthesize it. PLP plays a vital role in the function of approximately 100 enzymes that catalyze essential chemical reactions in the human body."

Enlightening, isn't it?

UPDATE:

I've done 12 nights of the 14 nights of Cleocin and my symptoms are still the EXACT SAME. It has done jack shit. I'm just has burny and red and inflamed as I was in the beginning. Its as if I never used the shit. It looks like I need to rule out herpes next...

I bought Enzara about 3 months ago, i started suffering from bv about 5 years ago. It has truly helped me out. I have to swallow 4 pills a day but it's worth it. Sometimes i smell but nothing compared to before. I can come home from work and have sex and not have to worry because I don't smell anymore. I have eliminated sugar from my diet cause as you know bacteria feeds of of sugar. I notice that when I eat alot of sweets I smell. Another reason for the smell is cause of yeast. It grows in your body and is very hard to kill. it also makes you smell. I have tried my best not to eat anything with alot of sugar and combined with Enzara it's almost unreal. You do not have to have a yeast infection to have yeast in you. Normally when you suffer from bv you also suffer from a yeast overgrowth. I also take probiotics on a regular basis. I believe that Enzara is just to treat bv not to cure bv.

I bought it. it works great for me. It has changed my life. I hate to sound like a drama queen but it's true. But if I stop taking it I smell again.

Joanna--I'm glad it worked for you, but I know several girls on here used it with no results whatsoever. Someone also found out that the company itself has been in trouble (I don't remember why...it was a million pages ago in this thread) and that they are a bit shady. I personaly think boric acid would work just as well and it's super cheap.

This is from the Rip-off Report about the makers of Enzara:

http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/137/ripoff0137787.htm

They have an unsatisfactory record at BBB:

http://search.bbb.org/Results.aspx?n=Selme...&st=&z=

(I'll update my blog with this info. later.)

I don't know if any of you had read the article that neverending had found...but when the women that were hospitalized to treat their BV (what country was that I don't remember Sweden?)....vitamin B1 and vitamin B6 were administered into their IV's. Also, in one of those articles...I don't remember which one, it was stated that some women with BV did have higher yeast counts than their controls. And they did claim that no testing was done in regards to yeast found in their biofilm.

From a lot of case studies I have read, it said women with BV, or vaginal problems period...were always low in vitamins B1 and B6. But I don't understand this....how can you test for water soluble vitamin defiencies...when they are excreted on a daily basis.....it would vary from day to day....... I have been told by countless doctors that you cannot test for water soluble. (I'm not saying that they were right) we already know most are dumbass's anyways.
B12 (considered water soluble..but actually the body can store this one (in liver?)..) it is the only one that I was aware of you could test for........

I have been taking one B-Complex Vitamin everyday for the past 4 months. So looking at the label that would be only 50mg per day. I will buy the extra B6 and see what happens... Thanks!

I am going to take extra B Vitamins and see what happens. I really hope it helps with my heart palpitations. They keep me up at night, which is not a good feeling.

I just bought some B-6 sublinguals today. But I could only find something called Coenzymated B-6, 17 mg (from 25 mg pyridoxal-5-phosphate). That's what's written on the bottle. So is that 17 mg or 25 mg? And has anyone found a higher mg pill? Or should I just pop four of them at a time to get the 100mg?

For those of you that are trying to fight off depression, or anxiety from this bv battle....

The B-complex vitamins..not only are they destroyed by alcohol, nicotine, birth control, anti-depressants, and stress..but also caffeine? and refined sugars?....but you don't have to take my word for it.....

http://depression.about.com/cs/diet/a/vitamin.htm


This article also stated vitamin B5 (pathothenic acid) is needed for hormone formation.

Good Article
How is everything going for you arj75?

Hey guys, I know you havent seen me in a while, sorry. been busy i guess.

So ive been taking the boric acid treatment for almost 2 months now, nearing the end of the treatment it seems like its not responding anymore. I dont know whats going on, everything is getting worse. I started smelling strongly again and have some digestive problems. constipation and some blood and mucus in my stool. I've been eating activia yogurt which helps alot. I'm still not able to see my doctor. I'm going to pick up some b complex vitamins tomorrow, sounds like those really work and are essential. I dont know what treatment to try, I wish i at least had insurance to keep seeing a doctor. My kidneys also hurt sometimes, I hope i dont have stones. I wish i had the money just to get everything checked out. It's depressing that I have to live with this right now. That or just let medical bills go to collection. I feel so lost and depressed about it.

Italianwife,

The state I live in has a program called "Cardinal Access" basically, they base your doctor fees on your income. Check and see if your state has a program like that, many do.

I'm still BV free for now, couldn't be happier. The fact that I can sleep and I'm able to function is amazing in itself. I'm fearing now that I'm gonna turn into sleeping beauty and not wake until my prince arrives! lol

How are things going for you?

Hello Ladies,

I was doing some reading this morning.. I googled "high estrogen dominance" I found a very interesting article.

http://www.womentowomen.com/menopause/estrogendominance.asp

It doesn't only just discuss menopause.

"overall estrogen levels in men and women are too high because of xenoestrogens- chemicals in the environment that mimic estrogen in our bodies and act as endocrine disruptors even at minute concentrations"

Scientific study of wildlife - specifically, frogs and fish- is proving this unfortunate reality to be without doubt.
In an interesting twist, researchers worldwide have observed that fish in our lakes and rivers are actually switching genders due to high levels of effluent estrogens. Even though mainstream media has only begun to recognize this as "news" experts have been discussing the problem of pharmaceutical pollution for over 25 years, and have known about gender-bent fish for more than a decade. Some surmise these changes to be caused in part by excessive levels of steriods- largely excreted by humans using birth control pills and hormonal replacement therapy. Our water treatment facilities are not designed to remove hormonal pollutants.

A co-worker of mine brought up this for discussion yesterday.....Prozac (most widely used in America) secondly in Europe. Yeah, Prozac is in their water and I don't think you all want to know at what levels.

But on a happy note, there are still things one can do to protect herself from hormonal problems...good diet, reduce stress, exercise.

It's a good article too read in your spare time, very informative.

Drink green tea, mint tea, or oat straw tea. Once in the morning on an empty stomach and before bed. That's how I improved my digestion. You could also do lemon water in the mornings. I was told that if you drink cold drinks with food it puts the fire out. If you get what I'm saying?

If you have blood in your stool, please see a doctor and rule out colon cancer. I don't mean to scare you. Many years ago before I got rid of the bv, I also had blood in my stool but not all the time. I also use to see mucous. I went to the doctor and did the finger check (good gawd).

I also bought the b-6 100mg pills (just to be sure this crap never comes back) and I've been sleeping a lot. I thought OMG I'm pregnant again. I don't know if that is what it's supposed to do but good lord.

Hi everyone,

I was just reading some of the last comments and I see the B6 vitamin is working for some. I didn't get to read deeply so I was wondering of anyone could tell me exactly which one to buy and where. I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.

Hi all,

Just wanted to say I'm so glad I found this forum and to know that I am not alone. I've been battling this for quite while, but was to ashamed to go to the Dr., but finally went. Over the last few months, my Dr. has put me on 3 rounds of flagyl and told me to switch to Dove unscented, but it the horrible fishy smell still comes back within a few days-weeks. I'm 30 yo and not currently sexually active(I'd be afraid to let anyone down there). I'm afraid to use the restroom in public b/c I know someone will come behind and get a whiff. Even my roommate came out and told me that there is usually a fishy odor lingering after I use the bathroom.....How embarrassing!!! I'm still reading through all your old posts, but hopefully something on here will work for me. This is so frustrating!!!

Hello, I have used Enzara, tetrasil, and the today balance restore vit c tablets. For me, the vitamin c tablets have worked the best. Enzara was a hit or miss, and tetrasil was soothing for irritated vulva.
Vitamin C actually gets rid of the discharge and odor. In the morning you will have heavy discharge that normally comes out while you are standing in the shower. Good Luck Guys!

My BV seems to have gone away. Over night. I'm not sure why. I'm taking so many supplements. For the past few months I have been taking one B-Complex Vitamin everyday. And then I added two B-12 vitamins. And now have added the B-6 vitamin to my diet. (In total I am taking 100 mg of B6. Like Jason suggested.)

I also started progesterone cream this month. I've been on it for two weeks. It's supposed to correct my hormonal imbalance, and help eliminate the estrogen dominance.

Last week I also started taking extra inositol, which is by the way, yet another B vitamin. And taking Folic Acid. Which is a B vitamin too. Folic Acid I have been taking for three months already, but someone told me that 'FolaPro' L-5-Methyl Tetrahydrolfolate is the best kind to take for assimilation. I switched from taking regular folic to this brand last week. So perhaps everything is helping?

arj75 or anyone that can help . I know u might have been asked this 100 times by now but how long have you been taking the B-complex pill? when did u see results and do u think the CVS brand of b-complex is a good one to take? Here is a link to show u exactly what I am talking about.

http://www.cvs.com/CVSApp/cvs/gateway/deta...Query=b-complex

Thanks for all your help

I think it's a good idea to take the whole B-complex, and honestly I don't really know if "one brand is better than another"..but the B complex here, didn't seem to have enough of that B-6 (Jason suggested 100 mg). i would try to increase it to 100mg (it won't hurt anything) Don't get upset if you don't get results overnight either...I have been taking them since Feb. But I think they are a good idea to supplement with these regardless, this bv crap isn't so easy to cope with. Water soluble vitamins are lost quickly when stressed, and trying to manage the stress that this stinky snatch syndrome adds to a woman's life.....it can only help (I think)

CANCAN, Did your doctor seem to think that you will have to use that progesterone cream on a short term, or long term basis? I canceled my appointment for the endo. specialist, for a while....

Is there a better time during a women's cycle to have the hormone levels checked? Or were they checked on a weekly basis? Just curious..

Hi Arj,
Well, you know how doctors are. She didn't even want me to be taking the progesterone cream. She said it wasn't necessary - unless I got pregnant - at which point I would require progesterone shots. The first time she tested me for my hormones, I got my period three days afterward, which is NOT the right time to test. Because all of your levels would be dropping, and would appear low anyway. So she told me that she wanted to test my progesterone again, at 'Mid-Luteal' Phase. Which is when your progesterone should be at it's highest. Mid-Luteal is basically the mid-way point between ovulation and menses. And again, the test results came back low. It was exactly the same level as it was three days before menses. Which is not good. So right after she gave me the second test result, I started using the progesterone cream. I disregarded her advice, because my level was so low, why not raise it whether or not I was planning on getting pregnant? Afterall, having low progesterone contributes to imbalanced hormones and vaginal dryness. And the whole BV problem. It apparently doesn't work right away like the estrogen does, but why would I take estrogen if I already have a high enough level of it? And apparently progesterone cream works really well, and has no side effects. When you are pregnant, your progesterone level goes way up and a woman's body seems to be fine with that. And I am really glad I didn't wait to take the cream, because I just found out Friday that I am pregnant. And must have been pregnant when she tested me the second time! But of course the doctor didn't tell me I was pregnant, because she didn't test for that. And I sure as hell didn't know. If your progesterone levels are low during the first trimester, you have a high risk of miscarriage. In fact, many women who miscarry, and start progesterone treatment, save their next pregnancy.

So looks like I have to call a reproductive endocrinologist tomorrow to see what hormones I need to take - temporarily at least while pregnant. And I will probably have to have my hormones checked weekly. Which will cost a lot, but I need to do it. Especially because of the age factor, my thyroid factor, and the stress factor!

I agree! Take a whole B-Complex!! It is so good for you, and if you have stress in your life take extra! And if you are a high-strung personality type, take extra. If you drink coffee, take extra. Because coffee wears on your nerves. When I was living at home with my parents as a teenager, I was quite the highstrung bitch. And my mother one day casually left a health magazine open for me to read on my nightstand with an article in it about Vitamin B, and how it is good for your nerves. I started taking it, just because we had it in the kitchen anyway, and I swear to god I could feel the difference in how I felt. I was in a much better mood, and was much less bitchy. Not that anyone here has that problem, just telling you my personal experience with this vitamin. (With all my other vitamins, I can't really tell if they are working, I am just having faith that they are.)

hiii. i haven't been on here in a long time. i have been reading it though. i did go out and buy the b-6 vitamins, 100mg, but most of you are saying the complex is better? maybe i should get that instead. i also went out and bought that vagisil infection tester thing. it just tells you the ph of your vagina. is there something like this already? i just though you could only check the ph of your urine at home. well anyway i can't use it yet cause i have my period but i feel like the bv is there but i'm using the yeast arrest so it will go away. i haven't been taking the b-6 cause i went away for a while and forgot to take it with me. hope everyone is doing well.

Hey ladies, Jason here again. I'm glad to see that the B6 is producing success stories. Proof positive that BV is a hormonal problem. CanCan, BV gone overnight? Hallelujah!! I'm so happy for you.

I have seen some talk about the B complexes and just wanted to chime in.....

Yes, the B-complex is a great idea. However, check the amount of the B6. With the way your systems are out of whack, you really need to load up on the B6. It controls over 100 different chemical reactions in the body (on the plus side, it also encourages the flow of dopamine to the brain, the same stuff released during sex. Meow).

After doing some more reading, I would suggest that maybe 100mg may not be enough for some of you. Bear in mind that you CAN overdose on B6, but you've got to take like 2000mg to do it. So maybe try kicking it up to 200mg and see what gives. But, please, oh please, DO remember to take lots of water with the vitamins. (In case you all haven't read my posts from farther back, my wife takes a good multivitamin and 100mg of B6 each day with a bottle of water and her BV is gone.)

But, indeed, some women may require more than others, so play around with the B6. It looks like this thing is finally gonna get licked (get your minds out of the gutter, you know who you are). ;-)

Keep writing sharing those success stories and make a note to call your doctors and cuss them out for "thinking inside the box" (again, minds out of the gutter).

See ya,
Jason

Congrats CANCAN!

It's sad that we are forced to self-diagnosis our health problems, but from my own experience, that is exactly what I have had to do. And finally, after two years straight of severe insomnia, then the anxiety, and then BV..I am feeling so much better. Every doctor that I had seen....all they want to do is throw you some prozac, effexer, zoloft, and whatever antidepressants they get the most kick back most from...and send you on your way.

I knew, because I know myself, that my anxiety and insomnia were not not gonna be fixed by any of there magic pill remedies. Actually, it was only worsening my symtoms. I have everyone of those prescriptions, that I refuse to have filled. I was stupid enough to take Prozac.. (for 3 weeks..(It makes me feel really dumb for even taking them). I had mentioned to you all that I had an EKG...and that my T-waves were flat...side effect of prozac..

I have switched from stress tabs (B-complex) to sublingual....but I just wanted to list what the mgs were for the brand that I was using.

Stress Tab B-600 Nature's Life
Vitamin C 600 mg
Calcium (as calcium pantothenate) 50mg
Thiamine (B1) (as Thiamine mononitrate) 60mg
Riboflavin (B-2) 60 mg
Niacin 60 mg
vitamin B6 (only 60 mg
Folic Acid 600mg
Vitamin B-12 60 mg
Biotin 600 mg (remember this one good at killing yeast)
Pantothenic acid (it doesn't state on the bottle) but I believe this is B5 - which is required for hormone formation 600 mg
Choline 60 mg
Inositol 60 mg PABA ( para-Aminobenzoic Acid) 60 mg

Those mg are with taking 2 of these tabs....

Hi again ladies (and gents) I have a question about BA. I have been using it twice a day for almost 2 weeks and have also been taking B-6. So far so good. My question is how long do I use to BA for?

Hmm...I'm worried that I might have some sort of infection, but I can't be quite sure. I noticed a few days ago that it was smelling rather odd, but I was on my period at the time, so I wasn't really sure what was going on. Also, I was completely dry and having difficulty with that. The smell's basically gone now, and I'm able to get wet again, but the whole is area still seems kind of sore or something. I'm hoping that I had something and my body just took care of it, but I'm not really sure what's going on. Any idea?

I had seen that product ad on TV. Who makes that? Vagasil? I don't remember. I want to get one just to see what the makers are claiming it can test for. I was under the impression it would show if you had an infection or not..but that's not the case? I'm curious... I hadn't watched TV for about two years, but recently started watching it again, and I seen that commercial. I though it was interesting. Anitsirhc, you are on birthcontrol right? I would up your B- vitamins, in some articles we have found, it was mentioned to increase dosage if on birthcontrol. There are test strips already to test vaginal ph. There are also tests you can get to screen yourself for UTI's, but I believe your doctor has to get those for you...not sure.

I was reading an article somewhere, and I would really like to find it again...this doctor said he felt that women with BV were getting treatment for UTI"S when in fact, there wasn't one in the first place? I'm gonna try and find article again. The less often we have to go on antibiotics, the better.

I have been trying to find somewhere online where I can buy viles of b-complex... and just give myself injections ..surely if one can order every other drug under the sun off the internet, I could buy this online too? The liquid sublingual tastes like shit, and I would rather just do that, and not have to go to the doctor for them. I mean if junkies can find their vein to shoot-up in ..then I think I can manage to give myself B injections.

So if anyone comes across that let me know......

Jason

I logged on specifically to ask about the water I have been taking the b6 for a day and I remembered something you mentioned about water but could not remember... thank you so much.... WE ALL APPRECIATE YOU