Dear Dr. Kate,
I regularly get bacterial vaginosis (BV). I've gotten treatments from my doctor and it still comes back, sometimes just a few weeks later. I stopped taking my birth control because I thought it could be contributing to the BV, but it hasn't helped. Could I be getting it from my boyfriend?
Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a tenacious infection, and up to half of women who get BV will get it again within a year. It's caused by a bacterium that normally lives in your vagina-bacteria that doesn't survive on the penis, so you're not getting it from your guy. Since it's part of the natural flora of the vagina, it can be hard to restore the right bacterial balance. If the standard treatments haven't worked, and you've had more than three infections in a year, ask your doctor about suppressive therapy. Some women have had success with metronidazole gel applied twice a week for three to six months. By the way, my suggestion would be to go back on your birth control-it isn't contributing to the infection, and you don't want to face an unplanned pregnancy on top of the stubborn infection!
Have any of you been plagued by a recurring infection?
Have a sex health question of your own? Ask Dr. Kate here, and keep checking back to see if she's answered it.
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