3 Ways to Treat Vaginosis

1. Antibiotics Are the First Step

Before treating your for vaginosis, your doctor will perform a thorough physical examination to make sure you actually have the condition. Once the diagnosis is made, you'll receive a prescription for antibiotics. Some doctors prefer oral antibiotics, while others will prescribe an antibiotic vaginal suppository. If your antibiotics don't work or if you have a bad reaction, your doctor can prescribe alternative antibiotics. The course of treatment will run from 5 to 7 days.

2. Refrain From Sexual Intercourse

You must refrain from sex, which would be uncomfortable anyway, while taking your antibiotics, or you'll probably pass the infection to your partner. Abstain for as long as you have any symptoms, even after you've finished the course of antibiotics. As long as you're presenting symptoms, you still may be contagious.

3. Ask Your Partner to Get Treatment

Even though this is a vaginal infection, men can contract the disease. Although they rarely present symptoms, men can carry vaginosis and give it to other women during intercourse. They also can reinfect you. In the past, doctors usually didn't prescribe antibiotics to the male partner unless the first round of antibiotics didn't cure the female. Today, doctors are more inclined to treat both men and women at the same time. This reduces the likelihood of the man getting infected and the woman needing more than one round of antibiotics.