I've had my Paraguard IUD for over two years and in this past year I developed persistent BV that does not get better from multiple and extended rounds of antibiotics. I have considered douching, either with products like Summer's Eve, or with homeopathic alternatives such as vinegar or tea tree oil. I am desperate to help clear up my BV but do not want to compromise my copper IUD. What are my options if antibiotics haven't worked, and just "keeping clean" and waiting it out, haven't cleared anything up?
Persistent BV a year after Paraguard IUD, douching? Treatment?
- Asked
- 1 Dec 2012 by lunarflair9
- Updated
- 28 July 2014
- Topics
- bacterial vaginitis, antibiotics, iud, douche, paragard
Details:
Responses (3)
kaismama
1 Dec 2012
DzooBaby
3 Dec 2012
I agree with kaismama-dont douche, you will just compound things but I will tell you a way to get rid of this and you must do it EXACTLY as I tell you. Go to the healthfood store and get empty gelatin capsules-the larger ones, then get some powdered boric acid from the pharmacy. Fill three capsules with boric acid powder and insert one capsule into the vagina (as high up in there as you can get it with your finger) Do this three nights in a row-one capsule per night. This will strip the tissues and kill any bacteria or yeasts that are up there. Now you have to replace the beneficial bacterial flora that are there to keep the bad ones in check. This is probably why your antibiotics are not working. They are killing off the good as well as the bad. You get yourself a small carton of plain unsweetened yogurt. If you have a vaginal applicator from one of your other vaginal meds, use an applicator full of yogurt up into the vagina at least one, if not two nights.
kaismama
3 Dec 2012
Very interesting. Have you ever thought of using probiotic capsules instead of yogurt?
want2kno310
16 Jan 2013
I ve had BV once before. About six months ago. The doctor prescribed me some flagyl and everything cleared up, I was ecstatic!!! To say the least. It had made me VERY self conscious for a while. Not knowing what the problem was exactly at first. I recently in the last almost three weeks had got the copper IUD put in. I have already been extremely happy with it. Because i had just gotten off the pill so my hormones were messed up. The IUD evened everything out. So about three weeks into the IUD my Boyfriend and I had sex. My boyfriend told me to smell his penis after we were done having sex it smelled like straight tuna fish. Nasty. It never even smelled that bad before when I had BV. The IUD will intensify anything that is wrong within the vagina. DO NOT keep taking the antibiotics and do not keep douching with regular over the counter stuff. I know your thinking I must be out of my mind but here is why. See your vagina has both good and bad bacteria in it to balance your ph.
lunarflair9
30 Jan 2014
Where did you get the recommendation to use hydrogen peroxide? A doctor? Isn't that stuff pretty intense? Sounds like it would be a risk to the good bacteria in my vagina... Does the hydrogen peroxide have any effects on the IUD? Your answer sounds too good to be true.
StinkyDiva
4 May 2014
When I posted my comment I had not seen your post
I just want to tell you that hydrogen peroxide works, Your additional information has really helped. Yay girl power!
lirps
28 Jul 2014
I've been douching with hydrogen peroxide for the past two years. It works for a few days in a row, but after that, goes back to the same fishy smell and massive discharge. I just ordered some probiotics, hopefully that will help. But the hydrogen peroxide douching once a day or more has been just a temporary fix for me. It doesn't just get rid of BV; it only stops the obvious symptoms from being obvious for a few days. Or a few hours, depending on where you are in your cycle.
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Yes they have run several cultures, I'm not sure of the names of the bacteria, but it was made clear to me that this was a textbook case of bacterial vaginosis and not a yeast infection or something else. Obviously the ph of my vagina is already upset and wrong since I have BV; douching will really make it worse? What about douching to clear everything out and then doing some sort of homeopathic treatments to try to regrow the helpful bacteria? How disgusting will my body be after a round of vaginally inserted cream from my doctor and no douching allowed? What are my options if no medications from my doctor make it better? Just living with it is not an option. It's ruining my life.
Unless your dr tells you it would be good to douche and what to use its not a good idea. I know living with it is not an option, I had it. It took Bactrim and flagyl at the same time to get rid of it. I know people don't believe it, but our bodies clean themselves. We don't need douches or detoxifing. There is some reason the antibiotics aren't reaching it, and the doc needs to come up with that. If they did a culture they know what antibiotics work the best, so maybe its just a matter of he doesn't have you on them long enough.
I suffered with BV for a year. After many antibiotics and creams, I finally got the advice of a woman who worked at a health food store. She said it has more to do with the colon and the things we eat. She suggested I do a 5 day body cleanse and start taking a probiotic twice daily called Ultimate Flora Women's Complete. This worked for 6 months. But because I started to eat all the same foods again, it came back. I simply did the cleanse again and continued taking the probiotic. I am once again symptom free. The only thing that hasn't returned is my youthful pharmone smell down there. My husband says it doesn't smell at all so he still enjoys (as I do) the oral sex in our relationship. I hope this helps a lot of you who are suffering like I was!!!