Bacterial Vaginosis medicine?
Thursday, November 26th, 2009 at
7:27 am
I have bacterial vaginosis. ( I read up on the symptoms on the internet, and am positive I have it, plus I am also pregnant – and I’ve read that it happens a lot during pregnancy. ) Is there any kind of medications I can just buy in a store without having a prescription? I don’t have money or health insurance to go to a doctor and have something diagnosed that I already know I have. Please let me know.
Filed under: Bacterial Vaginosis Symptoms
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how could you possible know you have BV…i have BV now and it was diagnosed by my doctor! you really just cant tell by the symptoms..some women don’t even have symptoms…and if you do have it the only way you can treat it is antibiotics which a doctor will have to prescibe it to you…and you are pregnant and don’t have any kind or insurance…wth
If you are pregnant you definately need to see a doctor ASAP. There are more serious infections that can mimick Bacterial Vaginosis and require immediate treatment. Bacterial Vaginosis is either treated with oral Flagyl or Clindamycin antibiotics or a vaginal antibiotic cream like Metrogel or Cleocin.
Sometimes Bacterial Vaginosis will go away on it’s own without the use of antibiotics. Some women start eating plain yogurt (no fruit added) and taking over the counter probiotic tablets especially formulated for vaginal health. Some women will also spread the yogurt on their outer vaginal lips (never inside the vagina) twice daily in addition to eating the yogurt. It usually takes 2 weeks for yogurt to work.
Since you are pregnant you shouldn’t take any chances. See a doctor.
No, there is nothing you can take without a prescription.
You should use metronidazole gel intravaginally, just because some people still worry about metronidazole by mouth during pregnancy. Formally it is category B, meaning very likely safe.
Then I have to point out what you do not want to hear.
When candida vaginitis medications went over the counter – many people were happy because they figured the diagnosis was so simple that women could diagnose themselves, and this would be more convenient.
BUT here are the facts — when a sampling of women was done – women who were just about to buy a vaginal candida medication, only 35% had the correct diagnosis. the other 2/3 had either no canida at all, or they had candida PLUS another medical condition that needed treatment .
The point of this story – that even though the diagnosis sounds simple, even in the case of Candida – a pure collection of symptoms is NOT enough to be correct. With vaginosis, the symptoms are much more subtle, and you are even more than 2/3 likely to be wrong, or to be missing some other infection.
Any decent doctor would not accept your symptoms alone as proof of a diagnosis of BV, and you should not either, especially during pregnancy. You should already be seeing a gynecologist for your pregancy anyway – ask him or her to give you a quick exam, and to take typical tests for vaginitis, including wet mount , bacterial culture, pH, and fungal culture.
Finally – BV is potentially serious in pregnancy. It may cause premature labor, and small birth weight if left untreated.
please see your doctor