The vagina is a pretty amazing organ. It's also a particular organ, requiring just the right balance of good and bad bacteria to be healthy. When there's an imbalance, the result is bacterial vaginosis, or BV.
About 1 in 3 women in the U.S. have had BV. While women of any age can get BV, menopausal women are at higher risk because estrogen and progesterone, which play an important role in maintaining that balance, drop off, paving the way for bad bacteria to multiply.
Symptoms of BV can vary, but the main symptoms are a fishy odor and a thin white or yellow vaginal discharge. The only way to know for sure if you have it is to see your healthcare provider, who will do an exam and take samples of the discharge.
Read: Decoding Vaginal Discharge: Is It an Infection or Something Else? >>
BV is treated with antibiotics (one study showed that adding probiotics to the course of treatment reduced recurrence). Left untreated, BV can increase your chances of getting pelvic inflammatory disease and sexually transmitted infections, like gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes or HIV.
Read: Bacterial Vaginosis 101 >>
Preventing BV is a bit of a challenge, since anything that disrupts the balance of bacteria in your vagina can increase your risk. Antibiotics, sexual intercourse, douching and smoking fall into that category. Some women just have the bad luck of having naturally lower levels of good bacteria.
It was once thought that BV was not a sexually transmitted infection (STI), but a recent study indicates otherwise. This means, your partner needs to be treated as well so you don’t get reinfected.
Make sure you take the entire course of your prescribed antibiotics, even if you start to feel better before the prescription is over. Practice good vaginal hygiene. Use hypoallergenic, fragrance-free soap. Don't douche — the vagina is self-cleaning, and a douche disrupts the environment for good bacteria. Wear cotton underwear, which breathes. You can also try oral probiotics with Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR, which may reduce the chances that BV will recur.
Dr. Barb DePree, a gynecologist in practice for over 30 years, specializes in midlife women's health. She is certified through the North American Menopause Society as a provider, and was named the 2013 NAMS Certified Menopause Provider of the year. Dr. DePree currently serves as the director of the Women’s Midlife Services at Holland Hospital, Holland, Michigan. In 2018, she completed a certification in Genetic Cancer Risk Assessment.
A member of NAMS, ACOG and ISSWSH, Dr. DePree has been a presenter for the ACOG CME audio program. She has served as a key opinion leader for Shionogi, AMAG, Duchesnay, Valeant, Wyeth and Astellas leading physician education, and participating in research projects and advisory panels.
Finding that products helpful to her patients’ sexual health were not readily available, Dr. DePree founded MiddlesexMD.com that shares practice-tested, clinically sound information and products, including guidance for working with partners and caregivers. Dr. DePree publishes regularly on her own blog, providing updates on research in women’s sexual health, as well as observations and advice based on her work with women in her practice. Sharecare named her as a Top 10 Social Healthmaker for Menopause in September of 2013. In 2017, she was named among the “Top 10 Best Menopause Blogs” by Medical News Today. Dr. DePree also publishes podcast interviews on women in midlife, exploring the ways they have made the transition in their lives and careers.
