Ladies Only: All You Need To Know About Bacterial Vaginosis
All You Need To Know About Bacterial Vaginosis
Bacterial Vaginosis is a benign infection ie an infection that doesn’t cause death or caner and is generally harmless. Its other names include Gardnerella Vaginitis or Non-specific Vaginitis. It’s the most common infection for women.
All women contract the infection, especially those who are of reproductive age. It also occurs in girls and women of menopause and virgins.
Although it isn’t a sexually transmitted disease, it is a spontaneous infection that can arise at any time in a woman. It can also recur after she has treated herself if her partner doesn’t get treatment also as he could still re-infect with the disease if she has unprotected sex with him even after she has received treatment.
Therefore, if a woman has treated herself of the infection, her partner must get treated too.
How does it become infectious?
It becomes infectious when bacteria overgrow in the vagina following a change in the normal bacteria or organisms in the vagina.
The bacteria are ever-present in the vagina and it becomes an infection when the metabolism of the bacteria become aerobic or anerobic whereby the ratio to be safe or infectious has shifted.
Symptoms include:
A bad smelling discharge. The discharge is usually whitish with a grayish or yellowish tint to it.
It also appears to be watery unlike the normal discharge. It gets worse after menstruation and sex.
Burning sensations and itching in the vagina are also signs of Bacterial Vaginosis.
Although this infection is usually confused with yeast infection as these are the two most common female infections; yeast infections does not look, smell or feel like BV. Yeast infections don’t smell and they itch more than BV.
Therefore if you have an itch with a smell, it is Bacteria Vaginosis. And if you have an itch with no smell then its Yeast Infection.
How Dangerous Is Bacterial Vaginosis?
It isn’t a dangerous infection and wouldn’t threaten the woman’s health, chances of conceiving or her life if it’s left untreated as the disease usually goes away on its own.
Although it is worthy to note that recent study is revealing the implication of BV in Pelvic Inflammatory Disease. The uncertainty on how much effect BV has on PID stems from the wide array of changes in BV as well as the uncertainty of diagnosis.
This uncertainty in the connection between BV and PID has been known to lead to serious complications in pregnancy and those going through gynecological surgery.
How Is Bacterial Vaginosis Diagnosed?
A test called a Wet Prep can reveal signs of the bacteria in a woman’s vagina. This is done by sending a sample of the discharge to the hospital. Also routine pap smear examinations can also reveal presence of the bacteria although in most cases it goes missing.
When getting tested, the doctor must exclude purulent cervicitis, trichomonas aka trick, and yeast infection from the tests to accurately diagnose Bacterial Vaginosis, as trying to run the tests at the same time can produce conflicting results.