Recurring Bacterial Infection...

[zarathustras-i.livejournal.com]

I seem to have recurring bacterial infections in my coochie! it/they just seem/s to linger at a mild bacterial infection. the doctor gave me some lactic acid vaginal jelly, to help re-balance my flora, but still it lingers. i have also tried tampons dipped with olive oil and tea tree oil, and still this bacteria lingers. i am hesitant to go back to the doc, as she will probably prescribe antibiotics as my next solution. This all leads me to 2 questions.

1) What's a girl to do?

2) Would a recurring or long-term bacterial infection cause any long-term damage? (i once read that bacterial infections may lead to problems with fertility...not sure how true this is...i am not planning on any children at the moment, but would like to have some kidlings in the future...)

Thanks a million! and Happy Winter Holidays!

Comments

[asunlitrose.livejournal.com]

I assume you're talking about bacterial vaginosis (http://www.brown.edu/Student_Services/Health_Services/Health_Education/general_health/wh_bv.htm), or BV. Just curious - why are you averse to antibiotics? At this point, it may be the only thing that will help you. I've heard of some women having success using boric acid capsules to rebalance their pH, but I've not heard of olive oil helping matters.

If left untreated, BV can cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) (http://www.niaid.nih.gov/factsheets/stdpid.htm), which can lead to infertility. Untreated BV can make you more susceptible to HIV and other STIs (http://www.plannedparenthood.org/sexual-health/std/bacterial-vaginosis.htm). If you did decide to have a baby and became pregnant, it could also cause you to miscarry your first trimester or give birth to a premature/low weight baby (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vaginitis/DS00255/DSECTION=6). It can get pretty serious, so I would seek treatment.

You could check out the tag on bacterial vaginosis (http://community.livejournal.com/vaginapagina/tag/bacterial-vaginosis) as well.