Can probiotics boost your vaginal health? How to avoid Bacterial Vaginosis
What is bacterial vaginosis? Bacterial vaginosis is a common condition that causes bad smelling vaginal discharge. The most popular method of how to treat bacterial vaginosis is with antibiotics.
What is bacterial vaginosis?
Bacterial vaginosis causes unusual vaginal discharge. Signs of bacterial vaginosis include discharge that can smell fishy and will be particularly apparent after sex. Discharge may become thin, watery and/ or greyish white. Bacterial vaginosis does not create any soreness or pain. Half of women who have bacterial vaginosis will not know they have it.
Bacterial vaginosis occurs when the natural balance of bacteria in your vagina changes. Vagina’s contain good bacteria called lactobacilli, which maintain the pH balance of the vagina. The pH balance of a vagina should be below 4.5 to ensure it’s acidic enough to fight off any infections from fungus or harmful bacteria. If the levels of bad bacteria outweigh the good bacteria, your pH balance will be thrown off. When the pH levels are thrown off, you are at risk of developing infections like BV. It’s unknown what exactly changes it, but it’s more likely to happen if you are sexually active, you use perfumed products around your vagina or if you have had a change of sexual partner. It can be passed on from woman to woman from sex.
Bacterial vaginosis is not a sexually transmitted infection, but it can make you more susceptible to contracting an STI. Experts think this is due to your vagina being less acidic when you have BV so your natural defences against infections are weaker.
In pregnant women, bacterial vaginosis can cause complications in rare cases so it’s important to get it checked out by a doctor.
If you are experiencing signs of bacterial vaginosis, self-tests are available such as Canetest Screening Test. These tests help to diagnose common vaginal infections, including bacterial vaginosis. A colour change on the test will indicate what type of infection you have, avoiding the need to see a doctor to get a diagnosis.
Recurrent bacterial vaginosis
In some cases, women may experience recurrent bacterial vaginosis. It’s relatively common for bacterial vaginosis to come back. This typically happens three months after first experiencing signs of bacterial vaginosis. In some cases, your doctor will prescribe you treatment for up to six months if you experience recurrent bacterial vaginosis. They may also send you for tests to see if something in particular is triggering BV, such as your menstrual period or having sex.
How to treat bacterial vaginosis
To treat bacterial vaginosis, you will need to be prescribed antibiotics. There are different types of antibiotics you can use for how to treat bacterial vaginosis. These can be in the form of gels, tablets and creams. To get a prescription for antibiotics, you will need to see your doctor or sexual health clinic. If you have been diagnosed with bacterial vaginosis by either a healthcare professional or a self test kit, you can start your free online consultation with us here in order to obtain a prescription. It’s important you let the antibiotics run their course to ensure you’ve correctly managed how to treat bacterial vaginosis.
How to prevent bacterial vaginosis
Bacterial vaginosis causes are unknown, but we do know that it’s down to changes in our pH balance. Your bacterial balance can be thrown off by things like having sex without condoms, using a douche or using scented soaps around your vagina. The best methods of how to prevent bacterial vaginosis are using condoms when participating in sexual activity, not douching and only using warm water to clean your vagina.
Even mild soap can throw off your pH balance and cause irritation, so only wash your vaginal area with warm water and a towel. Wearing breathable cotton or cotton-lined underwear is also a good idea in order to ensure the area is cool.
Probiotics are live microorganisms which can provide health benefits. Probiotics are bacterial vaginosis natural treatment, as they can prevent infection. Canesflor Probiotics Capsules can help prevent bacterial vaginosis. They are a bacterial vaginosis natural treatment, ensuring natural levels of good bacteria and creating a barrier to prevent against bacterial vaginosis and thrush. As well as preventing BV infections, it can also stop recurrent bacterial vaginosis.
When it comes to bacterial vaginosis natural treatment may be beneficial as whilst antibiotics kill harmful bacteria, they can also kill good bacteria too which your body needs. Taking probiotics vaginally has a higher chance of being effective than taking them orally. If you are not experiencing any symptoms of vaginal infection, you probably do not have to take probiotics as your body is looking after itself.
