Are You Asking Yourself "What is Bacterial Vaginosis and Why Do I Get It?"
If you’re a woman over the age of 25, at some point in your life you’ve likely experienced bacterial vaginosis, otherwise known as BV. You may have even had an outbreak and didn’t even know what it was.
BV is not an infection that is painful, it may not strike you as a condition, but it is actually quite common. Bacterial vaginosis symptoms consist of a foul fishy-smelling discharge and are sometimes accompanied by an itchy feeling caused by the extra dampness in your intimate region.
Bacterial vaginosis is caused by an overgrowth of bacteria in the vagina that negatively impacts your natural pH balance. Although it is not a sexually transmitted infection, it often occurs following intimacy with a male partner. Another common cause of bacterial vaginosis can also occur before or after your menstruation.
Changes in Your pH and Your Natural Vaginal Flora
Normal vaginal pH levels fall between 3.8 and 4.5 on the average scale. These pH levels deviate to either side of that range when influenced by certain factors.
Your pH level is a measure of the acidity concentration in your vagina. It is based on the concentration of hydrogen ions. The range starts at 0 and ends at 14, with 7 being the neutral level. Any value over 7 is considered alkaline.
Since blood has a pH level of 7.4, there is a slight, temporary change in the pH level of your vagina anytime you menstruate. This is why you may find you have a breakout around the time of your period.
The same can be said about semen. Healthy, fertile sperm has a pH level between 7.2 and 8.0. If a man has pH levels higher or lower than this, he may not have any obvious symptoms, however, his levels can definitely negatively impact your pH levels and cause you to incur a BV breakout.
Effective Bacterial Vaginosis Treatment: Antibiotic vs. Natural Remedies
Sometimes BV will go away untreated without medication or supplements; however, it often ends up reoccurring for the same original cause. Alternatively, you can opt for prescription medication such as antibiotics as a bacterial vaginosis treatment.
Around a third of women experience reoccurring bacterial vaginosis as early as three weeks after taking medication. Women report occurrences of yeast infections as a result of prescription medication.
Due to the diversity of vaginal flora, the infection may not respond to standard medical treatment. This is because when you take broad-spectrum antibiotics as a treatment for bacterial vaginosis it often will kill off the bad bacteria as well as the good bacteria required to maintain your pH levels.
Once the antibiotic throws off your pH levels again, you’ll have a new outbreak; this time it could be a yeast infection. We’ve heard many stories of women on a vicious cycle flip-flopping between BV and other yeast infections.
Luckily there are natural treatments for bacterial vaginosis that don’t have adverse side effects. Bacterial vaginosis is a viral infection of bacterial growth. Anti-bacterial and anti-fungal herbs can kill the bacteria causing the BV outbreak. We use these herbs to address the symptoms of BV and yeast infections in a yoni steam treatment.
If you want to clear up a BV flare up without any adverse reactions, try herbal medicine. And why not a relaxing form of hydrotherapy enjoyed by women around the world for centuries treating everything from painful periods, infertility, fibroids, and infections.
Not only is there a natural alternative to treat BV, but it is a relaxing form of self-care that doesn’t cause home or future undesired outbreaks. Women suffering from BV have reported the symptoms to disappear completely the same day, or the next day, after one yoni steam treatment. You can read more about the benefits of a yoni steam treatment from our clients’ testimonies.