BACTERIAL VAGINOSIS (BV)

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) or less commonly vaginal bacteriosis is a disease of the vagina caused bybacteria. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), risk factors for BV include douching and having new or multiple sex partners, although it is unclear what role sexual activity plays in the development of BV. BV is caused by an imbalance of naturally occurring bacterial flora and is often confused with yeast infection (candidiasis) or infection with Trichomonas vaginalis (trichomoniasis), which are not caused by bacteria.
(WIKIPEDIA)

Treatment

[edit]Antibiotics

Metronidazole or clindamycin either orally or vaginally are effective treatment. However, there is a high rate of recurrence.

The usual medical regimen for treatment is the antibiotic Metronidazole (500 mg twice a day, once every 12 hours) for 7 days. A one-time 2g dose is no longer recommended by the CDC because of low efficacy. Extended release metronidazole is an alternative recommendation.

In contrast to some other infectious diseases affecting the female genitals, according to some sources, treatment of the sexual partners is not necessarily recommended.

[edit]Alternative medicine

In 2009 one Cochrane review did not find probiotics useful in the treatment of BV while another concluded they were effective when combined with antibiotics. (WIKIPEDIA)