Bacterial Vaginosis

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most common of three vaginal infections that fall under the category known as vaginitis. The other two infections are trichomoniasis, a sexually transmitted disease, and the fungal infection commonly known as a yeast infection.

BV is the least understood and most often ignored or misdiagnosed of these conditions. However, it is gaining more attention as more research shows that untreated BV can lead to significant health complications, including premature delivery, postpartum infections, clinically apparent and subclinical pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), post-surgical complications (after abortion, hysterectomy, cesarean section and other reproductive procedures), increased vulnerability to HIV infection and, possibly, infertility. As many as one-third of pregnant women in the United States have BV.

BV is not considered a sexually transmitted disease. Although it is less common in women who have never had sex, there is evidence that it could be linked to having a new sex partner or multiple sex partners. Also, douching appears to increase the risk of developing BV.

BV has gone by different names in the past, including non-specific vaginitis and Gardnerella vaginalis vaginitis. BV is a lot simpler to remember but there is nothing simple about this condition and it is not harmless, as was once believed.

BV is actually a syndrome resulting from an imbalance in the different types of bacteria in the vagina (also called vaginal "flora"). A healthy vagina has numerous organisms that naturally live there. The vast majority--about 95 percent--belong to a type of bacteria called lactobacillus.

There are several different kinds of lactobacillus, at least one of which is responsible for keeping the vagina's pH at normal levels. When these levels become unbalanced, the certain microorganisms may overtake the normal flora leading to a low-grade infection that often produces an abnormal vaginal discharge.