Anyone had bacterial vaginosis before?
Moms View Message Board: General Discussion: Archive July 2006:
Anyone had bacterial vaginosis before?
What does it feel like? What are your symptoms? I went for a vaginal ultrasound last week, and all last week I was sure I had a UTI as well. They did a urine test while I was there and said I was totally clean. Would bacterial vaginosis show in urine, or only during a pap? I see the doctor next Friday, she was on vacation this week.
It's a long story why I'm asking about bacterial vaginosis, so I won't go into it. I just wondered if it could feel like a UTI at all?
I'm not sure. I know that a bad YEAST infection can cause pain and even cramping in your lower abdomen, and because it makes you so "raw", it can cause burning when you urinate, mimicking a UTI.
I don't think it would show in urine unless some discharge got into the specimen.
I always thought if you had vaginosis that there was a real distinctive, unpleasant odor.
Here is what I found, HTH
What is Bacterial Vaginosis?
Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) is the name of a condition in women where the normal balance of bacteria in the vagina is disrupted and replaced by an overgrowth of certain bacteria. It is sometimes accompanied by discharge, odor, pain, itching, or burning.
How common is it?
Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) is the most common vaginal infection in women of childbearing age. In the United States, as many as 16 percent of pregnant women have BV.
How does one get it?
The cause of BV is not fully understood. BV is associated with an imbalance in the bacteria that are normally found in a woman's vagina. The vagina normally contains mostly "good" bacteria, and fewer "harmful" bacteria. BV develops when there is an increase in harmful bacteria.
Not much is known about how women get BV. There are many unanswered questions about the role that harmful bacteria play in causing BV. Any woman can get BV. However, some activities or behaviors can upset the normal balance of bacteria in the vagina and put women at increased risk including:
Having a new sex partner or multiple sex partners,
Douching, and
Using an intrauterine device (IUD) for contraception.
It is not clear what role sexual activity plays in the development of BV. Women do not get BV from toilet seats, bedding, swimming pools, or from touching objects around them. Women that have never had sexual intercourse are rarely affected.
What are the signs and symptoms?
Women with BV may have an abnormal vaginal discharge with an unpleasant odor. Some women report a strong fish-like odor, especially after intercourse. Discharge, if present, is usually white or gray; it can be thin. Women with BV may also have burning during urination or itching around the outside of the vagina, or both. Some women with BV report no signs or symptoms at all.
What are the complications?
In most cases, BV causes no complications. But there are some serious risks from BV including:
Having BV can increase a woman's susceptibility to HIV infection if she is exposed to the HIV virus.Having BV increases the chances that an HIV-infected woman can pass HIV to her sex partner.
Having BV has been associated with an increase in the development of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) following surgical procedures such as a hysterectomy or an abortion.Having BV while pregnant may put a woman at increased risk for some complications of pregnancy.BV can increase a woman's susceptibility to other STDs, such as Chlamydia and gonorrhea.
How does it affect a pregnant woman and her baby?
Pregnant women with BV more often have babies who are born premature or with low birth weight (less than 5 pounds).The bacteria that cause BV can sometimes infect the uterus (womb) and fallopian tubes (tubes that carry eggs from the ovaries to the uterus). This type of infection is called pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID can cause infertility or damage the fallopian tubes enough to increase the future risk of ectopic pregnancy and infertility. Ectopic pregnancy is a life-threatening condition in which a fertilized egg grows outside the uterus, usually in a fallopian tube which can rupture.
How is it diagnosed?
A health care provider must examine the vagina for signs of BV and perform laboratory tests on a sample of vaginal fluid to look for bacteria associated with BV.
What is the treatment?
Although BV will sometimes clear up without treatment, all women with symptoms of BV should be treated to avoid such complications as PID. Male partners generally do not need to be treated. However, BV may spread between female sex partners.Treatment is especially important for pregnant women. All pregnant women who have ever had a premature delivery or low birth weight baby should be considered for a BV examination, regardless of symptoms, and should be treated if they have BV. All pregnant women who have symptoms of BV should be checked and treated.Some physicians recommend that all women undergoing a hysterectomy or abortion be treated for BV prior to the procedure, regardless of symptoms, to reduce their risk of developing PID.BV is treatable with antibiotics prescribed by a health care provider. Two different antibiotics are recommended as treatment for BV: metronidazole or clindamycin. Either can be used with non-pregnant or pregnant women, but the recommended dosages differ. Women with BV who are HIV-positive should receive the same treatment as those who are HIV-negative. BV can recur after treatment.
How can it be prevented?
BV is not completely understood by scientists, and the best ways to prevent it are unknown. However, it is known that BV is associated with having a new sex partner or having multiple sex partners. It is seldom found in women who have never had intercourse.The following basic prevention steps can help reduce the risk of upsetting the natural balance of bacteria in the vagina and developing BV:
Be abstinent.
Limit the number of sex partners.
Do not douche.
Use all of the medicine prescribed for treatment of BV, even if the signs and symptoms go away.
Where can I find out more about it?
Division of STD Prevention (DSTDP)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
www.cdc.gov/std
Order Publications Online at www.cdc.gov/std/pubs/
STD information and referrals to STD Clinics
CDC-INFO
1-800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636)
TTY: 1-888-232-6348
In English, en Español
CDC National Prevention Information Network (NPIN)
P.O. Box 6003
Rockville, MD 20849-6003
1-800-458-5231
1-888-282-7681 Fax
1-800-243-7012 TTY
E-mail: info@cdcnpin.org
www.cdcnpin.org
American Social Health Association (ASHA)
P. O. Box 13827
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-3827
1-800-783-9877
www.ashastd.org
Sources
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sexually transmitted diseases treatment guidelines 2002. MMWR 2002;51(no. RR-6
Hillier S and Holmes K. Bacterial vaginosis. In: K. Holmes, P. Sparling, P. Mardh et al (eds). Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 3rd Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1999, 563-586.
Content reviewed: May 2004
I agree with Hol. I've heard if you have that it smells really bad.
I had it on several occasions and treated each time while pregnant w/ my first child. All the information above says it all. I could not add anything different to what it says.
The test is very simple and you have results within seconds. Do not treat yourself with any medications (left over Rx or OTC) prior to your gyn visit, as it may thro the results off.
I never experienced pain w/ mine.
I did experience pain with mine. But I was having back to back BV and yeast infections. I do not rememebr it feeling like a UTI though, but all women are different.
After reading all the helpful info (thanks Kristie!!), I don't think that's my problem at all. I've been having what I think is uterine discomfort (I won't say pain) off and on over the last year. I'm finally having it checked out just because it got really bad last week. It started to then feel like a UTI though, and I was sure I had one. Like I said, everything was clean, I see the doc next Friday. The ultrasound tech said that she didn't see anything in the u/s though.
It's just a dull ache right where my uterus is, and when I'm having it, it feels swollen right there. Not bloating, just like I have a little melon in there or something. It is also tender when I push on that area during the "painful" times. I feel weird seeing the doc about it (which is why I didn't go before) because my symptoms are vague and not all the time. The whole thing is strange. I did have a c-section, but that's been 2yrs. ago. Could that have anything to do with it?
Thanks for sharing your experiences/thoughts! 
I don't THINK the C-section had anything to do with it. Have the doctor put a vaginal smear under the microscope. That should show if it is. I know that the usual course of treatment is a ten day course of Flagyl (RX) taken by mouth.
Being that it is, by virtue of the name, a bacterial infection, being careful how you *wipe* after going to the bathroom (always front to back) could help prevent bacteria from the rectum from entering the vagina. Also, make sure your sex partner's hands are scrupulously clean before foreplay and sex.
Boy, we share EVERYTHING, don't we? LOL!
I have had it at my last 2 paps, and didn't have any real symptoms. Slightly heavier than normal discharge, but no odor, that was about it. Some people are just prone to it, and of course proper wiping, and cleaning after sex can prevent it.
Reds-I may be way off.I've had my c-section over a year now and personally I find wearing bikini underwear bothersome. The waistband is just above my incision. They don't bother me when I'm wearing them but I notice some tenderness after I've worn them.Its just feels tender and I really don't know how to explain it.It doesn't hurt alot but I know things don't feel right.It usually lasted a couple days of wearing them.I wish I could be of more help but I know I can't wear them anymore and I'm fine now.
I've had it in the past, but don't recall symptoms, either. I remember getting a phone call from the nurse, when I was pregnant, once, that I had it, and I had to go get antibiotics, or something. I think I had no clue, that anything was wrong.
Usually endometriosis(uterine lining growing outside the uterous) is not the cluprit of women who have had babies, but it sure sounds a lot like the pains I have experienced. Esp the pain when touching. Mine would hurt not on the "pushing" the tender area, but on the release of the push.
I was diagnosed about 20 yrs ago, and many things have changed since then. Back then the only way to confirm for sure was thru actually seeing it. I had laproscopic surgery which found mine after a ruptured ovarian cyst.
The lining can also grow in such a way it conects the various parts of your insides to other parts. This is painful since it doesn't allow free movement of those things. I beleive I have some growing on my left ribs, because with each cycle I REALLY hurt in that area, and with each pregnancy it REALLY hurt too. Makes since, since that tissue fills w/ blood during those times. Do you notice a cycle with the timing of the tenderness?
Please ignor the misspellings. I see them, but don't want to take the time to correct
Endometriosis gets my vote, or adenomyosis.
I recently had BV, it's nothign to be ashamed orf or embrassed about, we are women we go throught things. Yes there is a odor present( i only smelled mines when I sat. i didnt'have any itching , ut yes there is a discjarge that looks different from yeast infection. only a pap can determine.Actually mines was overlooke dby the lab,I told my doctor there is somethign wrong this isn't normal, she took a sample and looked at it hersledf there in the office and yes thats what it was.
Now until you can get ot the doctor to get medicane, I found this tip and tried it, pour 1 to 2 cups of apple cider viniger in your bathwater and just sit for about 20 miutes. it kills the odor. The acidity in the viniger kills the odor.
I don't have any odor, discharge, anything like that. I'm just trying to diagnose myself!
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