Bacteria Vaginosis (BV) is a condition (not an infection) that affects many women of varying ages each year.

• There are roughly 700,000 cases of bacteria vaginosis in the USA each year
• Estimates suggest that nearly 1 in 3 women in the United States will develop a case of bacteria vaginosis at some point their lives
• While BV can impact girls/women of all ages due to a variety of reasons it primarily affects women who are of a "reproductive" age

Estimates suggest that bacteria vaginosis is present in about 16% of pregnant women at any given time in the United States. The statistics tend to break down this way:

• Asian women - 4%
• Caucasian women - 9%
• Hispanic women- 16%
• African American women - 23%

In nearly 25% of bacteria vaginosis cases the condition will go away on its own. This means 75% of women who suffer with BV either put up with the symptoms or seek treatment.

Bacteria Vaginosis is commonly treated with antibiotics by doctors. Three antibiotics prescribed by doctors to treat BV include:

         

1. Metronidazole - The oral form of this drug is probably the most commonly prescribed antibiotic for bacteria vaginosis. Potential side-effects and warnings typically associated with this drug include:

• Serious hangover symptoms, nausea, and vomiting can occur for the person who drinks alcohol while taking Metronidazole in its oral form & possibly up to 3 days afterward

• A bitter, metallic taste is also a common side-effect

• Doctors normally do not prescribe the oral form of this drug to a woman if she is in the first trimester of a pregnancy for fear that it could potentially cause a birth defect

Metronidazole also comes in a topical formulation. 

2. Clindamycin - This is normally prescribed as a topical cream or suppository. This drug should not be taken orally as it has been linked to very serious intestinal conditions and infections.

3. Tinidazole - Is prescribed in an oral form and it may have similar side-effects to that of oral Metronidazole (see above).

Antibiotics are not 100% guaranteed to cure the condition of bacteria vaginosis, with the topical creams being the least effective of the two types of antibiotic treatments. Some women will experience the elimination of symptoms, while others will not.

Unfortunately, many of the women who initially have success with an antibiotic treatment experience a recurrence of BV later on. Sometimes the recurrence occurs very shortly after treatment - two to four weeks - and sometimes it does not come back for several months.

The bottom line is that antibiotics can be somewhat of an ineffective treatment for the condition of bacteria vaginosis, leaving quite a few women to experience a type of chronic bacterial vaginosis with no idea where to turn for help.