Bacterial Vaginosis?

Raven
#1. December 31st, 2009, at 6:42 PM.

I must confess I’ve never heard of using yogurt to treat BV, but hey if you’re miserable, give it a try. After all, the prescription you’re being given is also prescribed to treat yeast infections, so it might just work. All yogurt labels plainly state that they contain live cultures…it’s just in tiny print hidden among everything else so you have to search. The only time I had BV was when I was about 8 months pregnant with my first child; the Metronidazole that you insert in there didn’t work for me either. It didn’t go away until after I had the baby.

october g
#2. December 31st, 2009, at 6:42 PM.

I have used yogurt before to try to end a yeast infection. For this purpose it worked for a few days but ended up coming back after a week or two.

I have apparently had bacterial vaginosis since I was around 11 or so. Around the time puberty hit. Unlike all the info I’ve looked up on the net mine *wasn’t* caused by soaps, STDs, douches, tampons, multiple sex partners, or sex in general. I didn’t have sex until I was 19. I didn’t use tampons and that was on a part time basis starting about 8 months ago, never douched. I went to the doctor back in 1997 or so when I was about 21 and whatever they gave me worked for a few months, but the odor came back and hasn’t gone away since. I’m actually waiting on the doctor to approve the insurance so I can get my prescription for the Metronidazole.

Tell your doctor that the medication worked temporarily but the infection won’t go away. I suppose you could try plain yogurt like I did. Even the generic store brand works just fine. It is the acidopholus in the yogurt which can kill yeast, but I’m not sure about the BV.

KAS_4_CA_BA_JES’_MOMMIE
#3. December 31st, 2009, at 6:42 PM.

Hey there……WOW! If I hadnt seen the attached that I am sending, I surely would have thought your question to be a joke.
I was especially surprised to hear that a DR advised this sort of treatment. I, myself, had never heard of it before?
Hmmm? Ya learn something new everyday.
Well…here is what I found.
GOOD LUCK TO YOU!

Bacterial Vaginosis
Home Treatment
If you have been diagnosed with bacterial vaginosis (BV), you can use lactobacillus (as in yogurt) to help restore the balance of vaginal bacteria, either along with or instead of antibiotic treatment. If you are pregnant, remember to avoid vaginal administration of any treatment.

Lactobacillus for bacterial vaginosis
Lactobacillus organisms stop the growth of harmful bacteria, boost the immune system, and increase resistance to infection.

Lactobacillus acidophilus is the active culture found in some yogurts and is also available in health food stores in liquid, powder, and tablet form. For decades, women have used L. acidophilus to treat BV and yeast infection, with some success and without treatment side effects. This practice is thought to help recolonize the vaginal tract with lactobacillus organisms, reversing the conditions that allow harmful bacteria to thrive. Only small lactobacillus studies have been done thus far, so effectiveness data is sparse.

To treat BV with L. acidophilus, you can do one or more of the following:

Eat at least 8 oz(226.8 g) of yogurt with live L. acidophilus cultures as part of your long-term daily diet. In one small study, women who ate L. acidophilus yogurt for 2 months showed a drop in rates of BV.5
Providing that you are not pregnant, you can directly treat the vaginal area with lactobacilli by inserting lactobacilli in gelatin capsules (which dissolve), tablet form, or yogurt form (with a vaginal medication applicator) into your vagina. Do this for 7 days. In one small study of yogurt application for 7 days, 88% of women were BV-free when tested 2 months after treatment.5
Researchers have recently found that two different types of lactobacillus—L. crispatus and L. jensenii—are most commonly found in a healthy vaginal environment. Research is currently focusing on using these types of lactobacilli in capsules.5