what is the treatment for bv

Medication

May 10, 2012 · Currently, the only effective treatments for BV are prescribed antibiotics, including metronidazole and clindamycin. 1, 2, 3, 4 These are prescribed as oral medications, which are taken by mouth, or as a gel or cream, both of which are inserted into the vagina with an applicator. Even if symptoms start to disappear, it is important to complete the entire course of a …

Self-care

Dec 10, 2021 · The best treatments for bacterial vaginosis include metronidazole vaginal gel, metronidazole pills, and clindamycin vaginal cream. Since around 70% of BV cases return within a year of initial treatment, further treatment may be required. If you have symptoms of bacterial vaginosis, talk to a healthcare provider.

Nutrition

Apr 07, 2020 · Knowing the underlying cause of your bacterial vaginosis (BV) will help you to easily and quickly treat the infection. You can buy BV treatment over the counter at your local LloydsPharmacy or online. If this bacterial vaginosis treatment doesn’t work, then it can be treated with antibiotics. Your doctor or pharmacist will recommend an oral pill or a cream or gel for …

Can BV be cured naturally?

What is the treatment for bacterial vaginosis (BV)? Your doctor will prescribe antibiotics, typically metronidazole or clindamycin. These medications come in a gel or cream you insert into your vagina. They also come in pills you can take orally. Is there a home treatment for bacterial vaginosis (BV)?

What medication is used to treat BV?

76 rows · How is Bacterial Vaginosis Treated? Antibiotics prescribed by your doctor are usually necessary to treat BV. These may be in the form of tablets or vaginal creams. BV tends to recur, so you may need to take more than one course of antibiotics. Always finish the course of treatment prescribed, even if you feel better halfway through.

Can BV go away on its own?

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a common but treatable condition, with a number of effective available treatments, including oral and intravaginal metronidazole and clindamycin and oral tinidazole. However, as many as 50% of women with BV experience recurrence within 1 year of treatment for incident disease.

What are natural remedies for BV?

Can BV go away on its own?

Bacterial vaginosis is an infection of the vagina that may cause a fishy-smelling discharge. It's usually a mild problem that may go away on its own in a few days. But it can lead to more serious problems. So it's a good idea to see your doctor and get treatment.

Can I get BV treatment over the counter?

There are no over-the-counter products to treat bacterial vaginosis (BV). Avoid using douches or products meant for yeast infections, which could make BV worse. See your healthcare provider for treatment.Jun 5, 2020

How do I get BV to go away?

A healthcare provider can treat BV with antibiotics. If you have symptoms, you should be checked and treated by a healthcare provider. It is important to take all the medicine your provider prescribes, even if your symptoms go away. Treatment also may reduce the risk for getting other STDs.

What happens if bacterial vaginosis goes untreated?

Left untreated, BV can lead to other problems and complications, which may include: having an increased risk for contracting a sexually transmitted infection (STI) such as chlamydia or gonorrhea; having an increased risk of developing pelvic inflammatory disease, an infection of a woman's organs that may lead to ...Aug 10, 2017

What does BV look like inside?

Thin, gray, white or green vaginal discharge. Foul-smelling "fishy" vaginal odor. Vaginal itching. Burning during urination.Jul 21, 2021

Does cranberry juice help with BV?

Anecdotal evidence suggests that cranberry juice may help remedy symptoms. Complete prevention of BV is not possible, however, there are a number of factors to be considered when attempting to reduce the risk of BV.Apr 2, 2012

How long can bacterial vaginosis last?

While the infection may go away on its own, most doctors use antibiotics to treat it. You may have been prescribed pills or vaginal cream. With treatment, bacterial vaginosis usually clears up in 5 to 7 days.

How long does it take for apple cider vinegar to cure BV?

However, it's important to continue taking your medication for the prescribed period of time, even if your symptoms have gone away. This will help ensure that the infection has completely cleared up, which typically takes about 7 days.

What does BV discharge look like?

The main symptom of BV is lots of thin vaginal discharge that has a strong fishy smell. The discharge may be white, dull gray, greenish, and/or foamy. The fishy smell is often more noticeable after vaginal sex.

Do you need antibiotics for BV?

The condition is not usually serious, but you'll need to be treated with antibiotics if you do have BV. It's also important to seek treatment if you're pregnant as there's a small chance that BV can cause complications with pregnancy.

How is BV diagnosed?

A bacterial vaginosis test is a way to diagnose bacterial vaginal infection, a common condition. A healthcare provider will take a sample of vaginal discharge. Then they'll look at the sample under a microscope, identify a specific odor or measure the sample's pH.Nov 30, 2021

What is the best treatment for BV?

Currently, the only effective treatments for BV are prescribed antibiotics, including metronidazole (pronounced met-roh-NIH-duh-zohl) and clindamycin (pronounced klin-duh-MY-sin ). 1, 2, 3, 4 These are prescribed as oral medications, which are taken by mouth, or as a gel or cream, both of which are inserted into the vagina with an applicator.

How much weight can a pregnant woman have with BV?

Risks of BV during pregnancy include delivering an infant preterm (before 37 weeks of pregnancy) and delivering an infant with a low birth weight (generally, 5.5 pounds or less). The CDC recommends that pregnant women be tested—and treated if necessary—if they have symptoms of BV.

Can you take over the counter BV medication?

Over-the-counter medications for treating vaginal problems are not effective for treating BV.

Diagnostic Considerations

BV can be diagnosed by using clinical criteria (i.e., Amsel’s diagnostic criteria) ( 999) or by determining the Nugent score from a vaginal Gram stain ( 1000 ).

Treatment

Treatment for BV is recommended for women with symptoms. Established benefits of therapy among nonpregnant women are to relieve vaginal symptoms and signs of infection. Other potential benefits of treatment include reduction in the risk for acquiring C. trachomatis, N. gonorrhoeae, T. vaginalis, M.

Follow-Up

Follow-up visits are unnecessary if symptoms resolve. Because persistent or recurrent BV is common, women should be advised to return for evaluation if symptoms recur. Limited data are available regarding optimal management strategies for women with persistent or recurrent BV.

Management of Sex Partners

Data from earlier clinical trials indicate that a woman’s response to therapy and the likelihood of relapse or recurrence are not affected by treatment of her sex partner ( 998 ). Therefore, routine treatment of sex partners is not recommended.

Special Considerations

Intravaginal clindamycin cream is preferred in case of allergy or intolerance to metronidazole or tinidazole. Intravaginal metronidazole gel can be considered for women who are not allergic to metronidazole but do not tolerate oral metronidazole.

What is the best medicine for bacterial vaginosis?

To treat bacterial vaginosis, your doctor may prescribe one of the following medications: Metronidazole (Flagyl, Metrogel-Vaginal, others). This medicine may be taken as a pill by mouth (orally). Metronidazole is also available as a topical gel that you insert into your vagina.

How to diagnose bacterial vaginosis?

Open pop-up dialog box. Close. Pelvic examination. Pelvic examination. In a pelvic exam, your physician inserts two gloved fingers inside your vagina. While simultaneously pressing down on your abdomen, he or she can examine your uterus, ovaries and other organs. To diagnose bacterial vaginosis, your doctor may: ...

How long does it take for bacterial vaginosis to recur?

It's common for bacterial vaginosis to recur within three to 12 months, despite treatment. Researchers are exploring treatments for recurrent bacterial vaginosis. If your symptoms recur soon after treatment, talk with your doctor about treatments. One option may be extended-use metronidazole therapy.

How to boost the number of good bacteria in your vagina?

A self-help approach is lactobacillus colonization therapy — which attempts to boost the number of good bacteria in your vagina and re-establish a balanced vaginal environment — possibly accomplished by eating certain types of yogurt or other foods containing lactobacilli.

How long does Clindamycin last in vagina?

This medicine is available as a cream that you insert into your vagina. Clindamycin cream may weaken latex condoms during treatment and for at least three days after you stop using the cream. Tinidazole (Tindamax). This medication is taken orally.

What is the best treatment for bacterial vaginosis?

Boric acid . Boric acid capsules can be used to treat bacterial vaginosis. In an early study, a combination of suppressive antimicrobial therapy and intravaginal boric acid were used to treat recurring bacterial vaginosis in 58 women.

What to do if bacterial vaginosis is recurrent?

Also, make an appointment with your doctor right away if your bacterial vaginosis is recurrent. You can book an appointment with an OBGYN in your area using our Healthline FindCare tool.

What is the best way to get rid of bad bacteria in your vagina?

1. Yogurt. Yogurt is a natural probiotic, which means it has plenty of healthy bacteria in it. Eating yogurt may help introduce healthy bacteria back into the body. This helps establish a balanced vaginal environment and could help fight off the bad bacteria.

What is a vaginal infection?

Bacterial vaginosis. Bacterial vaginosis is a vaginal infection caused by an overgrowth of bacteria. The vagina naturally has an environment containing “good” and “bad” bacteria. In cases of bacterial vaginosis, there’s an excess of bad bacteria, which throws the vaginal environment out of balance. Bacterial vaginosis is a common condition ...

What happens if you don't treat bacterial vaginosis?

Risks and complications. If home remedies don’t work, bacterial vaginosis could continue and worsen if it’s not treated. Having raw areas of skin in and around your vagina increases a number of risks, including: increased risk of contracting HIV if exposed to the virus.

Is garlic good for bacterial vaginosis?

Garlic has strong antibacterial properties, and it’s long been used as a home remedy for bacterial vaginosis. A 2014 study. Trusted Source. compared the use of garlic tablets and oral metronidazole, an antibiotic, in treating the condition.

Can you take a swab of your vaginal discharge?

Try to make your appointment on a day when you won’t have your period. This allows your doctor to take a swab of your vaginal discharge for testing. Your doctor will likely prescribe either oral antibiotics or an antibiotic cream that can be inserted into the vagina. Last medically reviewed on February 12, 2021.

Who needs treatment for bacterial vaginosis?

Not everyone with BV needs antibiotics. In some mild or low risk cases, the vagina will restore the balance of good bacteria and the condition will resolve on its own.

What bacterial vaginosis treatment is best for me?

The best treatment for BV varies by individual and depends on a few different things :

Bacterial vaginosis treatment side effects

As mentioned earlier, pills usually have more side effects than creams. And for metronidazole pills, these typically include:

Bacterial vaginosis treatment precautions

If you are taking metronidazole (Flagyl), drinking alcohol can make you violently ill. According to the FDA, it’s best to wait a minimum of 3 days after your bacterial vaginosis treatment ends before drinking alcohol again. But keep in mind, if you’re taking any other medication, you might need to wait longer.

My bacterial vaginosis symptoms came back. What now?

While pills and vaginal creams are effective bacterial vaginosis treatments, it’s pretty common for symptoms to come back. In fact, close to 70% of BV comes back within 12 months of treatment.

Does my partner need treatment if I had bacterial vaginosis?

If your sex partner has a penis, they typically don’t need treatment. It’s also worth noting that there is a lower chance of getting BV if:

Can bacterial vaginosis go away on its own?

Roughly 30% of bacterial vaginosis cases in nonpregnant women and 50% of cases in pregnant women clear up on their own. But if you have symptoms, treatment is recommended in all people. And even if your symptoms start clearing when you first start your bacterial vaginosis treatment, experts advise completing your full treatment regimen.

How to treat BV infection?

There are antibiotic treatments for BV that require a prescription; these tend to be stronger and faster acting than over the counter alternatives. Stopping using perfumed soaps to wash your genitals, could also help to clear the infection and stop it from reoccurring.

What to do if BV is not cleared?

If your symptoms haven't cleared after using pharmacy medication, you may need to see your GP. They can prescribe antibiotics to help treat the infection if necessary. If you experience recurring BV you may have a repeat prescription from your GP.

What to do if bacterial vaginosis doesn't work?

If this bacterial vaginosis treatment doesn’t work, then it can be treated with antibiotics. Your doctor or pharmacist will recommend an oral pill or a cream or gel for the inside of your vagina.

How to reduce risk of bacterial vaginosis?

How to lower your risk of developing bacterial vaginosis: Shower instead of having baths – don’t fill your baths with bubbles or gels. Don’t use perfumed soaps or gels to wash your vagina. Avoid douching. Wash your underwear in sensitive detergent. Wear cotton underwear.

How to get rid of bacteria in underwear?

Wash your underwear in sensitive detergent. Wear cotton underwear. Making sure you’re practising good feminine hygiene as well as eating a healthy balanced diet will help to support the good bacteria in your body.

Does BV go away on its own?

If your body can restore its own pH balance , occasionally BV will go away on its own. If your symptoms are affecting your daily life and causing you discomfort you should talk to your GP, pharmacist or a nurse at your local sexual health clinic. They will be able to offer advice and BV treatment options.

Can you get BV again?

Yes, BV can be easily diagnosed and treated. Once the infection has been treated and cleared you may get BV again. Previously having BV treatment doesn’t make you immune. There are precautions you can take to lower your chances of getting the infection in the future.

What is a BV?

Bacterial Vaginosis. Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a common vaginal infection that happens when some normal bacteria that lives in the vagina overgrows, causing a bacterial imbalance. Symptoms include an off-white or grey vaginal discharge that smells “fishy.”. In some women, BV goes away without treatment, in others, ...

How to avoid bacterial vaginosis?

Because bacterial vaginosis (BV) isn’t fully understood, there are no foolproof ways of avoiding it. These steps may reduce your risk: Avoid douching. It changes the natural balance of bacteria in your vagina. Instead, practice healthy vaginal and vulvar care.

What does BV smell like?

Both bacterial vaginosis (BV) and yeast infections are vaginal infections that increase discharge. Here’s how you can tell the difference: Discharge: The hallmark sign of BV is discharge with a “fishy” smell. Discharge from yeast infections doesn’t usually have a strong smell but may look like cottage cheese.

What is the name of the system that produces bacteria in the vagina?

Your vagina is home to multiple types of bacteria (called a microbiome), just like your digestive system. Bacterial vaginosis (BV) happens when some of the vaginal bacteria grow more quickly than others. Too much of one type of bacteria leads to an imbalance.

What age do women get BV?

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most common vaginal problem for women ages 15 to 44. In fact, an estimated one in three American women will get BV. The rate is higher in black women.

Can you have BV while pregnant?

If you have bacterial vaginosis (BV), your provider can prescribe medication that’s safe to use during pregnancy. You should get treated for the infection whether or not you have symptoms. BV can cause pregnancy complications, such as early delivery or having a baby that weighs less than average.

Does vaginosis cause preterm delivery?

Others may not have any symptoms. Bacterial vaginosis is associated with poor obstetrics and gynecologic outcomes such as preterm delivery, infection after surgeries such as a hysterectomy, and may make a woman more susceptible to sexually transmitted infections, especially HIV.

What does BV mean in menstruation?

This can result in BV, and symptoms may include: Mild itching in and around the vagina. Bad-smelling, fishy odor that is more noticeable during menstruation or after sex) Pain when urinating.

What are the risk factors for BV?

These include: A history of multiple sex partners. A new sexual partner.

What is the name of the bacterial infection in the vagina?

Medications for Bacterial Vaginitis. Other names: Bacterial Vaginosis. Bacterial vaginosis ( BV) is a bacterial infection in the vagina. It is the most common cause of abnormal vaginal odor and discharge in young women and is caused by a change in the balance and type of bacteria which are normally present in the vagina.

Can a swab be taken for BV?

A swab may be taken of your vaginal fluid which will be tested in a laboratory. Other possible causes will be ruled out before they arrive at a diagnosis of BV.

Can a woman with BV have vaginal douching?

Vaginal douching. Presence of an intrauterine contraceptive device (IUD). Although most risk factors are associated with sexual activity, women who have never had vaginal intercourse can also develop BV.

Is BV a sexually transmitted disease?

Although BV is not considered a sexually transmitted disease, the risk of developing BV seems to increase the more sexual partners a woman has. Normally, Lactobacillus bacteria are the most common type of bacteria within the vagina. These produce chemicals that keep the vagina mildly acidic.

Can you take antibiotics for BV?

Antibiotics prescribed by your doctor are usually necessary to treat BV. These may be in the form of tablets or vaginal creams. BV tends to recur, so you may need to take more than one course of antibiotics. Always finish the course of treatment prescribed, even if you feel better halfway through.

Causes

Treatment

Benefits

Medical uses

Uses

Preparation

• To treat bacterial vaginosis, your doctor may prescribe one of the following medications: 1. Metronidazole (Flagyl, Metrogel-Vaginal, others).This medicine may be taken as a pill by mouth (orally). Metronidazole is also available as a topical gel that you insert into your vagina. To reduce the risk of stomach upset, abdominal pain or nausea while u...

See more on mayoclinic.org

Risks

Safety

Prevention