Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) appears to recur with higher frequency in women who have HIV infection (638). Women with HIV who have BV should receive the same treatment regimen as those who do not have HIV infection.
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 [...]
BV will sometimes go away without treatment. But if you have symptoms of BV you should be checked and treated. It is important that you take all of the medicine prescribed to you, even if your symptoms go away. A health care provider can treat BV with antibiotics, but BV may return even after treatment. [...]
A health care provider will examine your vagina for signs of vaginal discharge. Your provider can also perform laboratory tests on a sample of vaginal fluid to determine if BV is present.
Many women with BV do not have symptoms. If you do have symptoms, you may notice: A thin white or gray vaginal discharge; Pain, itching, or burning in the vagina; A strong fish-like odor, especially after sex; Burning when urinating; Itching around the outside of the vagina.
Pregnant women can get BV. Pregnant women with BV are more likely to have babies born premature (early) or with low birth weight than pregnant women without BV. Low birth weight means having a baby that weighs less than 5.5 pounds at birth. Treatment is especially important for pregnant women.
Doctors and scientists do not completely understand how BV spreads. There are no known best ways to prevent it. The following basic prevention steps may help lower your risk of developing BV: Not having sex; Limiting your number of sex partners; and Not douching.
Researchers do not know the cause of BV or how some women get it. We do know that the infection typically occurs in sexually active women. BV is linked to an imbalance of “good” and “harmful” bacteria that are normally found in a woman’s vagina. Having a new sex partner or multiple sex partners, as [...]
Bacterial vaginosis is the most common vaginal infection in women ages 15-44.
Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) is a condition that happens when there is too much of certain bacteria in the vagina. This changes the normal balance of bacteria in the vagina.
