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Dear Dr. Kate, On my last visit to my GYN, my Pap smear was abnormal. I was treated for a yeast infection, which I didn't think I had, and bacterial vaginosis. The next Pap test was normal. I am on birth control so my husband doesn't "pull out." Even though I was treated, the bacterial vaginosis came back pretty quickly. I shower once a day and in the summer twice a day with Dove only. Can my husband be re-infecting me and/or does he also needs to be treated for bacteria? BV 4EVER?
Your question brings up two important issues. The first is what Pap tests are done for, and what they can incidentally (but not reliably) do. Even though Pap tests are designed to detect abnormalities in your cervix, the pathologists can sometimes also see signs of infection. At the time of the initial diagnosis, did you have symptoms of a yeast infection (usually itching and a cottage-cheesy discharge) and/or vaginosis (usually a foul odor and increased discharge that may be white, yellow or grey)? Pap "detection" of infections isn't always accurate, so many doctors will follow up those findings with better tests. The second issue is about BV, bacterial vaginosis itself. BV is an overgrowth of some of the normal bacteria that reside in your cervix. I liken BV to the bullies on the playground that push around the little kids - a.k.a. other bacteria - when the teacher isn't looking. Since the bacteria have permanent residence in the vagina, your husband can't actually get infected....or reinfect you. The BV bullies are easily treated (punished?) by antibiotics, either in pill form or a vaginal gel at bedtime, but recurrence rates are high. If you get several infections in a short time, your gyno may place you on maintenance therapy for a few months to see if that restores harmony on the playground. The second issue is just how commonly bacterial vaginosis, or BV, recurs. If you did have BV, one round of antibiotics doesn't always cure it--30 to 50 percent of women will have another episode of BV within a few months. It doesn't mean your husband has to "pull out," and it DOESN'T mean that you're not keeping yourself clean. (And YAY for Dove, by the way, it's my favorite soap for the vulva!) It also doesn't mean that your husband is re-infecting you. BV is an overgrowth of bacteria that are normally found in the vagina, not something that you get from him. So he doesn't need to be treated: BV likes the vagina and doesn't care for the penis. When I have patients with a "rebound" BV infection, I give them either a different antibiotic, or the same antibiotic given in a different way (if they used a vaginal gel the first time, I'll try pills next). For the few patients who continually get BV, I'll put them on maintenance therapy, using the vaginal gel once a week for several months to see if that does the trick. Have any of you had a hard time banishing BV? 6 CommentsLeave a comment |
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Though really you should be using goats milk soap genitally (or something with the pH equivalent to your vulva).
I'm pretty sure I had BV once. Being a broke-ass college student with no insurance or brains, I was reluctant to go to the doctor, so I can never be quite sure.
But it smelled terrible and it burned and itched like crazy, so I did a little *shudder* Internet research.
Three applications of unflavored, unsweetened, live-and-active-cultures yogurt later, the BV disappeared for good. Took me two days.
So, you know, I'm not 100% sure that's what it was, but I do believe in the yogurt. Once-monthly treatments with that stuff and I haven't had a yeastie in three years, nor a UTI, and my gyno says she's going to have to recommend this to a few of her other patients. Do any of y'all use yogurt?
I have dealt with BV and yeast myself and as a midwife.
There are a couple really easy remedies for yeast and BV that don't involve shifting the flora of the vagina so radically, as with prescription drugs.
Hydrogen peroxide is an easy, CHEAP remedy for BV. Since most of BV is gardnerella, which HATES oxygen, it's easy to wipe out the bad bacteria while leaving your good stuff and your sour pH intact. I usually recommend two Tbs in a squirt bottle of water, three times a day, three days in a row.
Garlic rocks. I swear, after going back to sleeping with boys I'm cursed with a yeast infection every single month! I use garlic cloves (peeled). I cut them in half if the infection is serious or whole if it's just starting. I place the pieces or the whole clove up inside my vagina (way up by the cervix) at night. I dig it out the next morning, or it comes out with the first BM of the day.
Garlic is amazing for both BV and yeast. It is a great antibacterial and antifungal.
Vinegar low douches work great, too. Three Tbs in a squirt bottle of warm water - spread your labia and squirt all around. This changes - acidifies - your pH to make any bacteria or yeastie beasties less willing to take up residence in your ladybits.
Tea tree oil is another antifungal and I use a tea tree oil ointment for external vulvar itching. It's less burn-y than the stuff you get at the drug store.
I also recommend WAY limiting sugar and things that have a high glycemic index. Take probiotics. Drink lots of water, the more you pee the better you flush stuff out. Make sure that any penis or sex toy that goes near your rectum does not come in contact with your coochie! Wipe front to back.
Above all, I recommend loving your coochie and everyone else will love her, too!
I have tried the garlic, but I taste and smell garlicky. Sometime I am desparate though! I peel the garlic and wrap it in gauze and tie off the ends with dental floss leaving one strand long like a tampon. It is easier to remove the next day. I told my GYN about the garlic and he looked at me like I was crazy. Works though. Thanks for the other tips!
I have used or should I say I still use vinegar and water to douche but I have to use it three times a day because of the bad smell I have inside of my vagina and Inside is a clear mucas like with a horrible smell that makes me want to peuke I have no insurance please help !
sandra, it's possible that your douching habit (3x a day? that seems like a lot!) is making things worse. it upsets the pH of your body and also flushes out a lot of good bacteria that you need for vaginal health... and this can make infections and their resulting smells worse. douching... man, it's not a good idea almost ever.
if you're convinced that your mucus and smell situation are not normal and not healthy, and you can't afford a regular doctor's visit without insurance, instead of expecting frequent douching to clear up the problem, look for Planned Parenthood or other clinics in your area to get checked out. many of them charge for services on a sliding scale based on need. if it's really that bad, you should learn what the problem IS, yeah?