Bacterial Vaginosis Symptoms

Bacterial Vaginosis symptoms are similar to other forms of vaginitis which can make diagnosis difficult.

A distinctive vaginal discharge is the most visually obvious difference. This usually milky white discharge is much thinner and more watery than a yeast infection discharge and has a distinctive "fishy" smell.

The color - usually milky but can be yellowish or grey - and amount of discharge can vary a lot from woman to woman, and remember that many women who have BV do not have any discharge which complicates diagnosis.

The most obvious bacterial vaginosis symptom

It has to be that smell, doesn't it! The white smelly discharge is often described as a "fishy" smell and is often more noticeable after sex as it mixes with semen. This smell is one of the more distinctive symptoms of BV. It is also the one that most woman feel worst about. You can hide a discharge until you get the BV sorted but that smell - it's hard to get away from!

Adding to the confusion is the fact that many women DO NOT have a noticeable difference in vaginal odor so that although it is always listed as a sign, is simply isn't present many times.

Normal vaginal pH is less than 4.5 but with bacterial vaginosis it is usually MORE than 4.5pH. If you're testing this yourself make sure you do not measure cervical mucous because it naturally has a higher pH which would give you a false reading.

There is usually not as much discomfort in the form of itching as with yeast infection but again, this can vary between different women.

Sometimes there is pain after sex.

One bacterial vaginosis symptom that a doctor will be looking for is clue cells which can be seen under a microscope.

Sometimes there is nothing quite like a picture to help with diagnosing your infection. This link shows an image of bacterial vaginosis revealing the discharge covering the cervix. Image shown courtesy of the Public Health Agency of Canada.

You've spotted the symptoms of bacterial vaginosis: next step - treatment

There is the conventional line of bacterial vaginosis treatment. As medical science continually updates, so the treatments change so you need to stay up-to-date with what is happening. That link will show treatments as advised in 2008.

And if you really want to KEEP it away then follow up with this bacterial vaginosis home remedy.

For a possible natural cure for BV then Lactobacillus paracasei F19 is worth a try.

Gardnerella symptoms?

Wondering what Gardnerella symptoms are? This is simply the name of a bacteria that is often the cause of BV so sometimes people use the word as the name of the infection.

REFERENCES

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