BV can cause some serious health risks, including:

  • Increasing your chance of getting HIV if you have sex with someone who is infected with HIV;
  • If you are HIV positive, increasing your chance of passing HIV to your sex partner;
  • Making it more likely that you will deliver your baby too early if you have BV while pregnant;
  • Increasing your chance of getting other STDs, such as chlamydia and gonorrhea. These bacteria can sometimes cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which can make it difficult or impossible for you to have children.