recurrent bacterial vaginosis

[Anonymous]

just finished a 7 day course of antibiotics and it seems like its back. i looked on line and what i read suggests that recurrent is fairly common. when i called my gyn to make an appointment to come in again the nurse practitioner i spoke with suggested that it's not that common, suggesting it might be something else. wondered if others have had this issue?

[Anonymous]

Is this the first recurrence or have you had it often before? If it has been a chronic thing I'd see a specialist, otherwise perhaps you just have quite a resistant strain of something?

[Anonymous]

Also, are you absolutely positive it isn't yeast? Sorry, not trying to be condescending.

[Anonymous]

And back again, sorry. Did you have a culture? Did it improve in the middle?

[Anonymous]

acupuncture works!

[Anonymous]

going to the gyn to get it cultured again. had it cultured before and it was bacterial which is how i got antibiotics. this is the first time it recurred. not sure it's not yeast...but i did do the yeast test you can buy at cvs and the ph level was high. those tests can't diagnose but the ph level suggests that it is not yeast...more likely bacterial. and since this started again within a week after getting off the antibiotics seems likely to me that it's the same infection.

guess i'll see...

[Anonymous]

Have you tried switching to all natural hygiene products -- not using Kotex, Stayfree or Always, but Seventh Generation or the other product (Natura?) from Whole Foods? I did that on the advice of my OB and helped considerably. She said OBs have a nickname for it -- Always Vaginosis because you always get it from those brands.

[Anonymous]

haven't tried switching brands but i'll try that. i actually had just recently bought some name brand minipad (instead of my usual cvs brand) and found them irritating. wonder if any of this is related to that....

[Anonymous]

I read online once (after having bacterial vaginosis myself) that you are not supposed to use tampons for at least 2 cycles after you take the antibiotics.

[Anonymous]

went to the gyn. she said it looks like a recurrence but she's doing a culture to make sure it's not something else (or something else in addition). said it can become a recurrent thing. apparently they think probiotics might help. also they put you on a longer term antibiotic. no one really knows why people get it.

[Anonymous]

Did you take oral antibiotics? That can actually cause a yeast infection. Or were you on a 7-day cream? If so, it might be irritating your skin. Finally...is it possible to pass this back and forth between partners (though I imagine you weren't sexually active while taking the meds)?

[Anonymous]

BV thrives in an alkaline environment so try to eat acidic food, and also there is a topical rx called aci-gel which I found to be helpful several years ago for recurrent BV.