BV Remedies

[zippzapp.livejournal.com]

I’ve been getting all the symptoms of BV but have a stupidly crippling fear of doctors & any kind of invasive prodding and such like, so cant get anything prescribed.

Anyone know of any over the counter remedies available in the UK?
or where I can buy antibiotics on the net that wont take forever to be delivered?

Also, will I have passed it onto my boyfriend? I’m on the pill so we rarely use condoms.

Ahhh help!!

X-posted to

sextips

 

 

Comments

[herloved-beauty.livejournal.com]

For the BV/boyfriend thing, most medical providers don't think BV is sexually transmitted. If it reoccurs, he may need to be checked and/or treated.

As for at home remedies, here's the At Home Methods (http://vaginapagina.com/index.php?title=Bacterial_vaginosis#At-home_methods) section of the BV Vulvapedia page.

[thatsnotflab.livejournal.com]

i'd really have to advise against trying to buying any type of non-prescribed medication online to treat ANYTHING, especially something that hasn't been prescribed by a professional.

there are some OTC methods as the previous poster mentioned, but if the infection continues to come back every month or so (like mine did), hate to be blunt, but you'll have to get over your crippling fear and see a gynecologist so they can properly diagnose you and provide you with the proper treatment.

good luck! i can say from experience that BV is a bitch, so i know what you're going through.

[somewhaterotic.livejournal.com]

I agree on not buying antibiotics over the Internet, mostly because you have no idea what you're actually getting.

In addtion, a doctor would usually prescribe what's best for your specific infection, and a website might send you something way more powerful than your BV requires.

[textual-healing.livejournal.com]

if this is your first experience with BV and you found out just by looking up symptoms online,.....i'd highly recommend that you go to a doctor before attempting to medicate yourself.

That said, we all have to go to doctors and get poked and prodded. its a common occurrence now, and pretty much everyone goes through it. You're not alone, and once its over you'll be so relieved that you finally KNOW one way or the other that it could override the fear/anxiety you have before going in.

[atalanta0jess.livejournal.com]

You could try using boric acid to treat it. I believe there are instructions on vulvapedia, or maybe if you check the tags? Sorry, I don't have time to look for it right now.

Keep in mind that while it is a personal decision when to see a doctor and you are totally within your rights to decide not to go, BV can progress to PID, which can cause infertility (and probably other complications - so you'd want to get it taken care of even if you never want children). So if a boric acid treatment doesn't work, you should keep that in mind. Maybe you could work with a therapist or with the doctor you go see to make the visit as stress free as possible.

That said, I hope the boric acid works for you! It is supposedly fairly effective, so I think there's a good chance that it will. Good luck! Oh, and let me know if you can't find the instructions - I'll see if I can dig them up.

[atalanta0jess.livejournal.com]

Oh duh, it looks like someone already linked you to the thing I was thinking of. :)

[jeefie.livejournal.com]

For the most part it is suggested that BV isn't passed back and forth with your partner, although not impossible.

The most effective treatment [in my experience] for BV is a cream called Dalacin. It comes with 7 applicators which you use nightly, I usually see an improvement within 1 day. Although unfortunately I think it has to be prescribed. Maybe you could call the Dr and explain to him your fears, and tell him that you are very sure of what the condition is and could he possibly precribe the cream without an examination. The cream is harmless if it isn't BV that you have.

The reason I say this, my friend knew she had genital herpes and told he doctor she was extremely sure of it and he prescribed the meds without an exam.

Trust me, the cream works wonders.

[jennifer0246.livejournal.com]

Dalacin appears to be also known as Clindamycin; this is a antibiotic, and while it should be quite effective for bacterial vaginosis, I wouldn't say it's "harmless", necessarily -- overusing antibiotics or mistreating an infection certainly has its downsides.

OP, I'd recommend seeing a medical provider you have a relationship with, and consider asking them if you can be the one to collect the specimen (should simply be a swab of the vagina) and then they can examine it and assess what might be going on for you. If you don't feel that's an option for this time, I'd certainly encourage you to schedule a get-to-know-you visit with a HCP on general principles so you feel more comfortable should any need arise in the future for care.

[atalanta0jess.livejournal.com]

I just thought of something else! We had a poster awhile ago that didn't want to see a doctor (because he was transgender and had some issues with doctors I believe) who had BV...I think this is how the story goes...anyway, the doctor ended up allowing him to do the swab himself. So, if you do end up needing to go see a doctor, you could call around and see if you could find someone who is sensitive to psychological issues/phobias, and ask if they could let you take the culture yourself and just hand it over to them. That way you wouldn't have to have an exam.

[asunlitrose.livejournal.com]

Our Vulvapedia entry on bacterial vaginosis (http://www.vaginapagina.com/index.php?title=Bacterial_vaginosis) will help answer some questions for you, even in regards to the potential of passing BV to your partner. The only thing I would recommend is not letting this sit for too long. I totally understand apprehension in going to the doctor, but BV can also cause PID (pelvic inflammatory disease), which can lead to infertility, ectopic pregnancy, chronic pelvic pain, abscesses, and other serious problems that may require hospitalization.

I agree with atalanta0jess that you might want to call around and find out which doctors in your area deal with phobias or even sexual assault victims because they are used to doing exams quickly and in the most comfortable way possible for their patients.