Many women question the use of home remedies or antibiotics as treatment options for bacterial vaginosis. This article will discuss the use of antibiotics in more detail.
Most often antibiotics will be prescribed by a doctor for treatment of BV. The most common antibiotic is known as Metronidazole. This antibiotic can be taken either orally by a pill or it can be applied as a vaginal gel. Both are proven to be effective treatments. There is also a vaginal cream available that uses the antibiotic known as Clindamycin. As is the case with many medications, the best treatment often has the worst side effects. In the case of these antibiotics, the best treatment is believed to be the oral version of metronidazole. However, it can cause some unwanted side effects, although minor.
It should be known that Metronidazole should not be used by women early on in their pregnancy. It is believed to cause negative effects on the fetus. It should also be avoided by mothers who are breastfeeding, as it could possibly harm the baby. The antibiotic gels are not known to have the same side effects, nevertheless, yeast vaginitis can occur from using the gels.
Another antibiotic that is less well-known and still in a testing phase in America is Tinidazole. It has been used in other countries and in Europe to successfully treat bacterial vaginosis. The promising thing about Tinidazole is that it appears to have less side effects than other treatment options.
The downside of using antibiotics is that they don't guarantee that you will rid yourself from BV for good. In fact, it is very common for women to have recurrent bacterial vaginosis after being treated with antibiotics. Statistically, over 50% of women successfully treated have vagionsis symptoms again within 1 year. Unfortunately the cause of these recurrent episodes is not well known. Many women have reported that the only way they were able to cure BV for good was to use home remedies.
Natural treatments are becoming more popular. There are many home remedies that women have reported to use successfully, such as tea tree oil, olive leaf extract, garlic, etc. However, there are resources and downloadable instructions available to make your own home remedy. Unfortunately, these instructions come with a small cost, but that cost is usually less that a doctor's visit and may be a worthy option to pursue.
Sometimes just a change in diet and activity can drastically reduce symptoms of bacterial vaginosis. As a final note, if you think you are having symptoms of BV, make sure you get a proper diagnosis, as the best treatment option depends on if you really have BV or just a yeast infection.
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