bacterial vaginosis, completely confussed!!!!

[blackcat]

Ok didn't know where to post this, but since others have mentioned bacterial vaginosis under this section I thought maybe here was best.
I've been suffering a lot of pains down below, now I had some swabs done and have finally got the results. Although I'm now mighty confussed. The doctor said I had nothing that required treating because I'm not pregnant!!!! I didn't think to ask what it was at the time. Now I just was looking at the previous thread about bv and thought I'd search a bit more. Low and behold I find that according to american websites BV should be treated, infact some say it's important it is. Yet I go to the UK NHS website and there it seems to say that it only needs treating in pregnant women, or those with symptoms! I'm really confussed. This is the NHS site http://www.prodigy.nhs.uk/guidance.a...patient_has_it

To save everyone having to read the whole page these are bits I'm confussed about
"In women who are not pregnant, treatment is indicated if they have symptoms."
"No treatment may be an option as the normal balance of bacteria may correct itself."

Now my big question is "if" this is what the doctor was talking about what do I do? Since it would appear in england it's not standard place to treat it, yet in the US they do. Should I try and treat it myself? Could that be why the other stuff isn't helping the vulva pain? When the swabs were being taken the nurse commented on the fact down there looked red, sore and irritated. Boy am I confussed now.

[ICLori]

Hi, Blackcat. I had bacterial vaginosis. No clinical signs of it (bad smell, itching) or anything, it just showed up on my pap smear. I didn't treat it, and by the next year it was still there so they treated it. But by this time I also had IC, and they were hoping that by treating the BV the IC would go away. It didn't, didn't make any difference. And I still have vulvar pain and redness and irritation - for me it's all because of the IC pee irritating those tissues. It's like I'm urinating out some poison or battery acid all the time that, even with short duration contact with my outer tissues, still makes them all raw and red.

Hope you feel better soon,
Blessings, Lori

[tigger_gal]

Having BV myself, I was treated right away. seeing I have IC and a very low immune system it could have spread into a larger bacteria infection.. I to was red, raw and inflamed.... she said I looked like I was scalded... I was giving metro gel.... best wishes
Cindy

[liznazz]

I am being treated right now for BV. At first, I was given Cleocin cream, which seemed to have cleared it up for awhile. Then, MetroGel (both are antibiotics in cream/gel form insterted into the vagina for the designated amount of time the dr. prescribes.). I am back on the Cleocin now, but it is not working. I have to call the ob/gyn tomorrow. Unfortunately, the symptoms of BV aggravate my IC. I am tender, somewhat swollen, itchy and uncomfortable. I have to go in for a culture which this time may require an oral antibiotic (which I hate to take) Bacterial Vaginitis does not just "go away", just as UTI doesn't. I hope your dr. will give you something for it. Let's hope we both get cleared up soon! (The dr. also prescribed diflucan, an anti-yeast med to take orally while I am being treated for the BV)

liz

[Steph2]

I wanted to share a book I'd found in the women's health section @ Barnes & Nobles. It doesn't mention IC, but it's very good. "The Acid-Alkaline Diet for Optimum Health." Author Christopher Vasey, N.D. Check it out.
Also, I, too, have been having a bout w/BV. Costco pharmacist said BV is side effect of Elmiron, but yeast inf is not. Of course uro stated can't get either!!! Whatever!

[glenda]

Here is an artical about new findings about BV:

"Molecular Identification of Bacteria Associated with Bacterial Vaginosis"
David N. Fredricks, M.D., Tina L. Fiedler, B.S., and Jeanne M. Marrazzo, M.D., M.P.H.

ABSTRACT;

Background Bacterial vaginosis affects milions of women and is associated with several serious health conditions. The cause of bacterial vaginosis remains poorly understood despite numerous studies based on cultures. Bacteria in Microbial communities can be identified without cultivation by characterizing their ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequences.

Methods - We identified bacteria in samples of vaginal fluid with a combination of broad-range polymerase-chain-reaction (PCR) amplification of 16S rDNA with clone analysis, bacterium-specific PCR assay of 16S rDNA, and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) performed directly on vaginal fluid from 27 subjects with bacterial vaginosis and 46 without the condition. Twenty-one subjects were studied with the use of broad-range PCR of 16S rDNA, and 73 subjects were studied with the use of bacterium-specific PCR.

Results - Women without bacterial vaginosis had 1 to 6 vaginal bacterial species (phylotypes) in each sample (mean, 3.3), as detected by broad-range PCR of 16S rDNA, and lactobacillus species were the predominant bacteria noted (83 to 100 percent of clones). Women with bacterial vaginosis had greater bacterial diversity (P<0.001), with 9 to 17 phylotypes (mean, 12.6) detected per sample and newly recognized species present in 32 to 89 percent of clones per sample library (mean, 58 percent). Thirty-five unique bacterial species were detected in the women with bacterial vaginosis, including several species with no close cultivated relatives. Bacterium-specific PCR assays showed that several bacteria that had not been previously described were highly prevalent in subjects with bacterial vaginosis but rare in healthy controls. FISH confirmed that newly recognized bacteria detected by PCR corresponded to specific bacterial morphotypes visible in vaginal fluid.



I just want to point out that this indicates how new bacteria are being discovered in previously un-understood illnesses, and they are only finding them with newly developed, high tech, equipment, such as the PCR. This could explain why currantly available antibiotics which were developed for use against "known" bacteria, might not be affective against "newly discovered" ones.

[sami4]

In our medical practice BV was always treated as the other poster said with Cleoycin and metrogel. You can also have BV and yeast at the same time. I think it is important to treat this especially if you are red, sore, and the IC is acting up. The urethra and vagina are so close that depending on the bacteria you could end up with a UTI.
I dont know why the pharmacist said Elmiron made one more likely to get yeast unless Emiron affects the hormones and then the vaginal PH goes up and you get infections? Maybe he is implying Elmiron is a hormone blocker? Never heard this before.
Sammie

[Katrina]

Since this thread is from '04 there may be some confussion sorry.

Costco pharmacist said BV is side effect of Elmiron, but yeast inf is not. Of course uro stated can't get either!!!

I don't think BV is a side effect of Elmiron or that Elmiron affects hormones...

[glenda]

I know this thread is old, but I wanted to shed some light on it with this up-to-date artical about bv. It could be helpful for anyone who is dealing with this condition now. I'd like to just let people know that this problem is being researched and that there have been advancements made in identifying new pathogens involved with bv.

[Katrina]

glenda, maybe what you said will help someone....but I want people that see this active thread to realize that the person who started it may not be answering any questions or things since it is quite old.

[glenda]

Thank you, Katrina! I should have mentioned it in the beginning of my post.

[Judith56]

I have had BV several times and metrogel is what I use. For me it works wonders!

[July]

What were your symptoms of BV?

[glenda]

They say that BV may not cause symptoms in everyone, but for the women it does cause symptoms for there is usually a significant amount of discharge, usually thin and may or may not have an odd odor to it. It may cause the vagina to burn or sting, and it also causes bladder symptoms in some patients, such as frequency and urgency.

Metrogel seems to work well for most patients, but most women who have had BV will almost always get it again, meaning it is reaccuring. My, personal, beliefe is that there is a particular strain or colony of bacteria that persists even after treatment with such antibiotics as metrogel, which is why BV has a tendancy to be reaccurant. The artical that I posted above points this out, and explains that a recent study shows a correlation between newly discovered strains of bacteria and BV.

[ICPrincess]

Whenever I start flaring, I always insert an applicator-full of MetroGel and take a Fluconazole (Diflucan). Believe it or not, most of the time my IC feels better. My personal feeling is that ANY bacteria that begins to multiply is what causes IC flares (not in every case but many of my own experiences). I can't afford to run to a doctor everytime so I keep on hand Metrogel, Fluconazole and Macrobid. You get to know your body so well that often times you can tell what's going on (and I buy test kits for UTI's). I've noticed that yeast does not always present itself in the traditional ways. It can be in your body and not show up on a swab and yet you drop a Fluconazole and boom....you feel better in a couple of days.

P.S. By the way Katrina, thanks for all the info on yeast.