Over the counter bacterial vaginosis treatment options – what do you have?

According to a survey, about 73% of women who experienced recurring vulvovaginitis, including bacterial vaginosis, turned to over the counter remedies to get rid of their symptoms. This is because most women want to reduce treatment cost and also to avoid costly clinic consultations.

So what over the counter bacterial vaginosis treatment options do you have?

Vaginal anti-itch creams that are available in drugstores include Vagisil, Vagi-gard, Summers Eve, and Equate. They usually have very consumer-friendly price, and are usually found right next to the vaginal yeast infection items.

These creams contain ingredients such as analgesics, anesthetics and anti-pruritics (anti-itch agents). However, these creams only relieve minor itching and have no power to kill germs. They may stop the BV symptoms (e.g. get rid of vaginal odor), but do not treat the root cause of infection.

You need to understand that by using vaginal anti-itch creams, you will only get temporary symptom relief. In a small group of women, these creams may not even relieve their symptoms; instead they even act as irritants or make the symptoms worse.

The fact is, over the counter remedies, when used alone, are not able to get rid of BV permanently. Most of the times these creams are used together with antibiotics; at the end the treatment cost is increased.

There are indeed several OTC products to help alleviate bacterial vaginosis by restoring the vaginal pH and supplementing lactobacilli to the body. Some of these items include tea tree oil pessaries, lactate vaginal gel, and probiotic supplements.

Tea tree oil pessaries can be used inside the vagina and their natural antibacterial properties can help to control the harmful bacteria, which is present in the vagina when a woman has bacterial vaginosis.

Lactate vaginal gels work as pH balancing gel. RepHresh is one example of lactate vaginal gels; it is used by inserting into the vagina with an applicator.

Probiotic supplements are such as powder or capsules containing acidophilus or lactobacillus to be taken orally. One example of the over the counter bacterial vaginosis oral supplement is Fem-Dophilus. Femanol is another one of such products; it contains additional nutrients to help boost the body’s immune system (e.g. vitamins B1, B2, B5, and B6).

Natural remedies for BV have shown to be effective for long-term control when compared to conventional antibiotic treatment or OTC remedies. You are able to find from the internet many tips and solutions to deal with bacterial vaginosis naturally.

However, if you didn’t use these bacterial vaginosis natural cures in the right way, for the right duration and frequency, you are unlikely to get rid of BV permanently. Only when the methods are employed through a systematic and strategic approach that the natural remedies will work optimally to get rid of BV permanently.

In case you didn’t know, there is now a 3-step system to cure bacterial vaginosis naturally and permanently. Learn how you can take advantage of this system in the 3 Days to Permanent Bacterial Vaginosis Relief review.