When experiencing vaginal discomfort, you might first suspect a yeast infection, recognizable by a white, cottage-cheese like discharge. However, a bacterial infection – also known as bacterial vaginosis – is much more common.
With bacterial vaginosis, your discharge can be:
- Gray in color
- Foamy
- Fishy smelling due to an amine being released. Typically, this odor is so strong and obvious that other people notice it, which is a big reason women want to treat the infection quickly.
You may also experience itchiness, irritation and general discomfort. However, it is possible to have bacterial vaginosis without any symptoms.
What Causes bacterial vaginosis?
A bacteria imbalance in your vagina is the source of this issue and is much more likely to occur when your genital area stays hot, sweaty and moist. Bacterial vaginosis can be caused by:
- Wearing tight clothing, non-breathable fabrics or thong underwear. Tight yoga pants and nylon underwear are especially harmful as they allow bacteria to thrive.
- Spending too much time in workout clothing wet with sweat.
- Using douche products. You don’t want to douche or put anything in your vagina that might irritate it. These products can eliminate good bacteria in your vagina and can also lead to a vicious cycle of throwing off your vagina’s pH balance.
- Using vaginal products with fragrance. Even washing with heavily scented soaps can encourage bacteria growth.
- Putting anything unclean in your vagina.
- Having sex with a new partner.
- Having sex where semen stays in your vagina as semen alters the pH of your vagina.
As much as you can, wear breathable fabrics and cotton underwear.
Keep in mind that a bacterial infection is not a sexually transmitted disease. However, if you have an infection, you have a greater risk of contracting an STD, which is another reason to quickly address the issue.
Vaginal Bacteria
Bacteria always live in your vagina. Normally, you have a majority of Lactobacillus, a good strain. When an imbalance occurs, the bad bacteria outnumber the good. Several strains, such as Gardnerella vaginalis, could be responsible. Gardnerella vaginalis is typically present in your vagina even when it’s healthy, but when it outnumbers the Lactobacillus and other good strains, you’ll start to have problems.
Treatment Options
Drugstores sell at-home treatments for bacterial vaginosis, but these may not offer as much relief as prescription medicines.
Doctors can prescribe a medication called metronidazole, which can be taken orally as a pill or inserted vaginally as a gel. Clindamycin is another treatment option, prescribed as either a pill or a vaginally inserted gel. If you prefer one treatment over the other, let your doctor know. In most cases, gynecologists prefer the oral medication because it’s simpler and doesn’t make a mess.
It’s possible that the infection will go away on its own, but waiting this out is physically uncomfortable. Pregnant women with bacterial infections need to be additionally mindful of treatment. If left untreated, this infection can potentially cause preterm delivery.
What to Do if You Get Recurrent Infections
If you’re experiencing recurrent infections that don’t disappear after prescribed or at-home treatments, you have a few options.
Visit your gynecologist. If you’re experiencing ongoing infections and the standard pap smear test didn’t find bacterial abnormalities, then your gynecologist can conduct a specific PCR test to detect which microorganisms are present in your vagina. They can also test your vagina’s pH to more accurately determine what is causing your discomfort. These additional tests can be crucial as your doctor has to know what the cause is before suggesting treatments.
You can also take probiotics after treatment as a preventive measure. Certain probiotics target the vaginal bacteria and help establish colonies of good bacteria. Eating yogurt and fermented foods aren’t enough to alter your vaginal flora. Probiotics can help, but they are considered a supplemental tactic, not a primary treatment.
The Importance of Well Woman Visits
Your annual pap smear test will catch most bacterial infections. Gardnerella vaginalis is the most common cause of a bacterial vaginal infection, and the cervical swab test will detect its presence.
Moving Forward
Once you've had a vaginal bacterial infection, you’ll never want to have it again, so pay more attention to the symptoms. Should it ever happen again, you’ll likely notice and treat it much sooner.
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