Oct 13 2008
Causes of Bacterial Vaginosis
Bacterial vaginosis is an infection and is common in women who are in the childbearing age. Around one to five woman will have this infection during pregnancy stages and around 10-64% will have this infection at any point in their lives. It’s a form of infection that’s caused by overgrowth of bacteria in the vagina and doctors and experts have not been able to narrow it down to one simple cause since there are several different natural bacteria’s that live in the vagina, any over growth of these can cause this infection. There however could be several causes of bacterial vaginosis.
There are several factors of causes of bacterial vaginosis. The most common cause is an overgrowth of bacteria in the vagina as well as the Gardnerella organism. Another cause of bacterial vaginosis is actually E. coli. E. coli is actually a normal inhabitant of the rectum and if spread to the vagina can cause this infection.
Other factors that can be contributed to this infection include: multiple sex partners, having unprotected sex, douching, hot weather, poor health, poor hygiene, already having a sexually transmitted disease, even cigarette smoking and the use of an intrauterine device for birth control. However even woman who have had no sexual intercourse can still acquire to this infection.
For women in stages of menopause and women who suffer from diabetes are at higher risk of this infection. The infection of bacterial vaginosis is commonly mistaken as a yeast infection and trichomoniasis. The difference with these infections is that the bacterial vaginosis is an inflammation of the vagina and it causes a milky white, yellow or gray and often has a fish like odor that is more powerful especially having intercourse.
Some other symptoms that have occurred are burning while urinating, irritation and itching around the vagina. However a lot of women have no symptoms at all. Bacterial vaginosis is most common in women in their reproductive years however it can affect women of all ages and it affects the areas of the vagina, urethra, bladder, and skin in the genital area.
Even though there are many causes of bacterial vaginosis, there are several different ways to have it treated as well. If you think you have bacterial vaginosis then consult your doctor. This type of infection has been known to clear up on its own, however if it is left untreated it can cause health problems. It can increase the risk of pelvic inflammatory disease, endometritis, cervicitis, pregnancy complications, and post-operative infections as well as other health conditions.