1. Watch for Symptoms
Bacterial vaginosis is actually quite common. With vaginosis, the bacteria that are normally in small amounts in the vaginal area grow, replacing other kinds of bacteria that keep the pH of the vagina steady. Symptoms include itching, fishy odor, mild irritation during sex, white thin coating on the vaginal walls and cells infected with bacteria.
2. Use Antibiotics for Treatment
Treatment for bacterial vaginosis is easy, though not always successful. Once your care provider discovers you have bacterial vaginosis and not a yeast infection or STD, they'll prescribe antibiotics. These antibiotics are either oral or topical. Treatment is usually 7 days with oral and 5 days with a topical cream. Some evidence shows the oral treatments are slightly more effective than the topical treatment.
3. Bacterial Vaginosis During Pregnancy
Bacterial vaginosis is very common during pregnancy since pregnancy hormones tend to change the pH of the vaginal tissues, allowing bacteria to grow. Treatment is effective and safe, and you need to treat bacterial vaginosis during pregnancy since it may put you at a higher risk for amniotic fluid infection, premature babies, ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage. In addition, women with bacterial vaginosis who have a C-section for delivery may have a higher risk of pelvic inflammatory diseases.
4. Natural Treatments That Work
If you want to avoid antibiotics to treat bacterial vaginosis, you can try some natural treatments, including garlic, tea tree oil, black walnut and coneflower. You can take these herbs orally, topically or some of them (like garlic) you can insert into the vagina. Talk to your care provider for more information and ways to use these herbs and how long you can use them for. Other treatments include yogurt, both orally and vaginally, Vitamin E applied topically to treat itching, and cold compresses to the vaginal tissues.
5. Prevention is the Best Treatment
One of the best ways to treat bacterial vaginosis is with prevention. Make sure you wear loose cotton clothing to keep moisture away from the vaginal area. Change out of wet clothes as soon as possible. Wipe from front to back after urinating or bowel movements. Try to keep your vaginal area as clean as possible, but avoid douching. You should also avoid bubble baths, scented vaginal products and scented toilet paper.
