|
What is Bacterial Vaginosis? |
|
|
If you’ve never suffered from bacterial vaginosis then it might be difficult to comprehend just how painful and distressing it can be. Although this is not what some people might term to be a serious condition, bacterial vaginosis can be something of a burden to many women.
Bacterial vaginosis can have distressing symptoms and it can even be a great hurdle in many women’s lives. This is due to the fact that the symptoms of bacterial vaginosis simply can’t be ignored.
Things like unbearable itching, a burning sensation of the irritated area, painful sexual intercourse, pain during urination, are all indications that you might be suffering from bacterial vaginosis.
Some of those symptoms can also indicate a yeast infection, making it difficult to distinguist the two.
Yeasty smelling or cottage cheese-like discharge and a rash are all indications that you might be suffering from a yeast infection. Bacterial vaginosis can also produce a smell, but in this case it's a characteristic strong fishy smell.
If you are in any doubt about the kind of infection that you have, consulting a trained medical physician should be the first order of the day, especially if this is the first time you have ever had such an infection. If your bacterial vaginosis is recurrent then you always have the option of treating it yourself through one of the many home remedies.
Another thing that you might want to look into doing if you believe that you have bacterial vaginosis is to abstain from sexual intercourse as your partner might also contract this infection. Although bacterial vaginosis isn’t a sexually transmitted disease, it can be transferred from one partner to the other through sexual intercourse. Don't forget, though, that it can have *many* causes, and is certainly not an indicator of infidelity or anything like that.
Since bacterial vaginosis can be recurrent in some women, it’s always best to know what the causes are of this particular infection. By knowing this information you then have the option of being able to take preventative measures and steps to help stop any recurrence.
Causes of bacterial vaginosis can include hormonal imbalance and things leading to a hormonal imbalance like pregnancy, menopause, and menstruation. All of these can lead to a bodily imbalance which in turn can lead to bacterial vaginosis.
There are also those factors which can throw the pH balance of the vagina out of synch. When this happens the yeast inducing bacteria can have free rein to thrive in the vagina. A healthy vagina is slightly acidic. If it becomes alkaline, bacteria will thrive and as they do so they will make it more alkaline. One good indicator of bacterial vaginosis is if vaginal fluids turn litmus paper blue, indicating alkalinity.
|
