Bacterial Vaginosis BV Blog

Written by BV-Cure on December 16th, 2009

How do I know if I have BV – Bacterial Vaginosis?

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Vaginal infections are the major factor which can cause BV and even if the infection is not that major proper treatment is very important as BV can be very exasperating and uncomfortable. If you feel that you have Bacterial Vaginosis, visiting the health care provider or a physician is very much advisable before the infection becomes more problematic.

The reasons behind the cause of Bacterial Vaginosis can be very difficult to identify but there are some of the things which you should do before your examination in order to make sure that health care provider is able to give you the best possible diagnosis.
Visit your health care provider when you are not menstruating.

Refrain from sex before the day of your test. Even if you perform sex before the day of your examination make sure that you use a condom because the presence of semen in the vagina can surely screw up your test.

Many women have a habit to use a vagina spray or douche and avoiding it before 24 hours of your examination is very much advisable because such sprays or douche affects the acidity of the women. This can surely affect the results of the tests and such reports can lead the doctor to provide diagnosis which may not work effectively.

It is always advisable for the women to inform the doctor if they have performed anything mentioned above. This will allow the doctors to perform the tests accordingly and will give out perfect results which will help the doctors to give you the best possible treatment.

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions by the doctors when you go for your exams:

• Do you have any problems during urination?
• Do you notice any vaginal odor?
• Date of your last period?
• Did you have or had any vaginal or urinary tract infections?

These are some of the basic questions which your doctor may ask you. Make sure that you give all the right answers to the doctor as it can help him/her to decide the treatment for Bacterial Vaginosis. Other than such basic questions your doctor may even ask you question regarding your past pregnancy, if you have used any birth control pills, number of sexual partners, other health issues etc. The doctor will then take your examination and will send your samples for further examination which will allow him/her to decide which type of treatment you should get.

The examination has four steps and they goes as follows:

• In the first step the doctors will check out whether there is any white coating present on the walls of the vagina.

• In the second step the doctor will take your urinal sample and will send it for further inspection which will be observed under the microscope to find out any deformity that indicates the infection. In this test, the lab will look out for cells or vaginal skin cells which are affected which such kind of bacteria.

• The third test involves the whiff test in which the test of checking the presence of a fishy odor is carried out by adding potassium hydroxide to the urine sample.

• The fourth test will be performed to check the acidity level. In this process the vaginal discharge will be tested for an eminent pH level which point towards the level of acidity which is lower than the normal one.

Not all the tests performed will be 100% positive and therefore even 3 out of the 4 check tests positive then it definitely points towards the occurrence of Bacterial Vaginosis infection.

Many women suffering from BV thinks that it is a yeast infection and hence they take the over-the-counter medicines which can help them to control the yeast infection and this is not the proper way to treat Vaginosis. As BV is very difficult to point out by you, only the doctors can test it perfectly and therefore women should not assume the vaginal infection for yeast infection and should visit the doctor because over the counter pills may are not the right way to treat Vaginosis.  The prescription pills are the only way to treat this bacterial infection.

Early diagnosis of this infection is very much important because in the long run it can cause major complications and prolong your illness. Many women assume that they are facing yeast infections and do not consult the health care provider but they should understand that there are many other infections which can affect the vagina. A proper and early treatment is very much important in order to maintain a proper reproductive health for near future. It is very important for you to pay close attention to the symptoms and consult the health care provider without wasting any time.

Check out for the symptoms like:

• If you find the color of your emancipation appears to be milky instead of thick and cottage cheese like
• If your vagina emits a bad odor

If you feel any other symptom you shouldn’t worry as there are number of treatments available for BV.