Bacterial vaginosis

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) cannot be a sexually transmitted disease, but it is often confused with a. Why? In order to understand bacterial vaginosis, it is important to understand the natural flora of the vagina.

The vagina is actually an ecosystem that contains numerous species of bacteria. In a healthy women are these bacteria mainly lactobacilli. Lactobacilli are known as commensals or useful bacteria, because they produce lactic acid and Peroxide. These by-products of their normal metabolism contribute to keeping the vagina at a slightly acidic pH of around 4, which protects against infection. Most STD bacteria is actually killed at pH 4, as is semen.

When a woman has BV, shall be replaced by lactobacilli with a mixture of other bacteria, including different types of gardnerella, mobiluncus, bacteroides, and mycoplasma. These bacteria produce lactic acid, and not so vaginal pH rises above 4.5. They do, however, cause other problems, which brings us to the next question ...

It is not so much a question of what bacterial vaginosis appears as what smell bacterial vaginosis like to. Women with vaginal discharge with BV is normally a fishy odor. This smell is more pronounced after unprotected sex, because the connections that cause odor smell more strongly at higher pH. When sperm enters the vagina, raises the pH to almost 7 in a period of several hours. Therefore, many people think BV is caused by semen

Other symptoms of bacterial vaginosis include discharge, itching, and sometimes pain during urination.

Cause of BV is bad understoood. Although researchers still do not understand why some women are susceptible to recurrent infections, BV is available from several groups of women, which has been shown to have increased the risk of BV. These include: women as shower women with a new sex partner or multiple sex partners, women who use IUDs as their primary form of contraception

BV is a minor health condition, which can have serious consequences. It increases a woman's susceptibility to HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. It can also affect the outcome of a pregnancy. If you have symptoms of BV, speak with your doctor, especially if you have thought a pregnancy or practice unprotected sex. Sources:

Boskey ER and cone RA, Whaley KJ Moench translated origins of vaginal acidity: high D/L lactate conditions are in accordance with the bacteria is the primary source. Hum Reprod. 2001 Aug; 16 (9): 1809-13.

CDC Factsheet on bacterial vaginosis access to 5/9/07.

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