Can i get bv treatment over the counter

Bacterial vaginosis, or BV, is a common condition that affects the natural balance of bacteria in the vagina, sometimes causing smelly discharge – to learn more about why it happens and its symptoms, read this guide: Bacterial vaginosis. Otherwise, read on to find out how to treat it.

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How to get rid of BV

The NHS advises that if you’re experiencing the symptoms of bacterial vaginosis, you should see your GP or go to a sexual health clinic. The standard treatment for BV is antibiotics, which is normally given as a tablet or as a cream or gel to apply to your vagina.

Is there a cure for BV?

BV can be easily diagnosed and treated with antibiotics. However, once the infection has been treated and cleared you may get BV again – previously having BV treatment doesn’t make you immune.

The good news is, there are precautions you can take to lower your chances of getting the infection in the future. These will also help to relieve any current symptoms that you may be experiencing.

How to lower your risk of developing bacterial vaginosis:

Shower instead of having baths – don’t fill your baths with bubbles or gels
Don’t use perfumed soaps or gels to wash your vagina
Avoid douching
Wash your underwear in sensitive detergent
Wear cotton underwear

Making sure you’re practising good feminine hygiene as well as eating a healthy balanced diet will help to support the good bacteria in your body. These good bacteria will be able to keep any bad bacteria in check, allowing your vagina to maintain its ideal pH level.

Can BV go away without treatment?

If your body can restore its own pH balance, occasionally BV will go away on its own. If your symptoms are affecting your daily life and causing you discomfort you should talk to your GP, pharmacist or a nurse at your local sexual health clinic. They will be able to offer advice and BV treatment options.

Is BV dangerous during pregnancy?

Yes, BV can be riskier for pregnant women, as it’s thought to increase your risk of complications like premature birth and miscarriage. For this reason, it’s really important to speak to your midwife or GP if you notice a change to your vaginal discharge, especially if it becomes very smelly.

Who can get BV?

Bacterial vaginosis is a common infection that can affect women and girls at any age. However, you’re more likely to get BV if you’re sexually active, if you douche or wash your vagina with perfumed products, or if you have an IUD (copper coil).

Can I pass bacterial vaginosis to my partner?

If your partner is male you won’t be able to pass bacterial vaginosis (BV) to them through sex, as men can’t catch it. However, if your sexual partner is female you can pass BV to them and they can pass BV to you.

How will I know if I have BV?

BV doesn’t always have symptoms but it can cause thin, greyish discharge that smells very strong and fishy. To find out more about the signs of BV visit our symptoms page.

Can I get a prescription for BV?

Yes, you can get a prescription for antibiotics to treat your BV symptoms if deemed appropriate by your GP. If you experience recurring BV you may need a repeat prescription from your GP.

If you’d like your prescription delivered to your home we can help with our free prescription delivery service – LloydsDirect by LloydsPharmacy.

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There are three equally effective treatments for bacterial vaginosis: the most common is metronidazole (Flagyl), which comes either as a pill or a cream.

Pills usually have more side effects than creams. Metronidazole pills’ most common side effects include headache, nausea, or stomach pain.

Half of treated BV cases need another course of treatment within a year.

Nicki1982/iStock via Getty Images

If you have abnormal vaginal discharge, the most likely cause is a condition called bacterial vaginosis, or BV. It affects about 30% of women between ages 14 and 49, but most people do not have symptoms. Although it is considered a sexually transmitted infection (STI), most people who have it don’t get it from sex. That said, having BV does make you more likely to get other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), like HIV, chlamydia, or gonorrhea. It can also cause complications if you are pregnant or about to have surgery on any part of the female reproductive system (gynecological surgery).

Luckily, BV is easily treated with simple antibiotics. In some people, the infection can come back, which requires taking antibiotics for longer to get rid of the infection completely.

Read on, as we run through common symptoms to look out for, the best treatments for BV, and whether or not you need any treatment.

Bacterial vaginosis symptoms

More than half of people with BV don’t get any symptoms.

The most common symptom of BV is an abnormal and bothersome vaginal discharge. People often describe BV discharge as being:

Bad-smelling or "fishy smelling"
Watery or foamy
White or grey
More noticeable after sex and after menstruation

Bacterial vaginosis treatments

The three best treatments for Bacterial Vaginosis include:

These treatments for bacterial vaginosis have been around a while, and have been shown to work: more than 80% of people treated for BV using one of these methods are clear of the infection one month after treatment.

Who needs treatment for bacterial vaginosis?

Not everyone with BV needs antibiotics. In some mild or low risk cases, the vagina will restore the balance of good bacteria and the condition will resolve on its own.

But other cases should be treated with antibiotics. You’ll need treatment if you test positive for BV and:

You have significant symptoms.
You are pregnant, even if you don't have symptoms. Treatment for BV is safe in pregnancy. It’s also necessary — to prevent complications in pregnancy that are caused by BV (for example, premature delivery or low birth-weight babies.)
You are about to have gynecological surgery, such as a hysterectomy (removal of uterus), or an abortion — whether you have symptoms or not. Getting treated lowers the risk of having complications after surgery.

What bacterial vaginosis treatment is best for me?

The best treatment for BV varies by individual and depends on a few different things:

Personal preference, whether you prefer pills or cream
Which type of medication is available
Cost
Side effects
What has worked in the past for you

Save on popular bacterial vaginosis medicationsView all

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Bacterial vaginosis treatment side effects

As mentioned earlier, pills usually have more side effects than creams. And for metronidazole pills, these typically include:

Headache
Nausea
Stomach pain

In addition, both metronidazole pills and creams can give you a metallic taste in your mouth.

There is a risk of C. diff (Clostridioides difficile) diarrhea with both metronidazole and clindamycin, but the risk is greater with clindamycin pills.

Bacterial vaginosis treatment precautions

If you are taking metronidazole (Flagyl), drinking alcohol can make you violently ill. According to the FDA, it’s best to wait a minimum of 3 days after your bacterial vaginosis treatment ends before drinking alcohol again. But keep in mind, if you’re taking any other medication, you might need to wait longer. It’s best to ask a healthcare provider or pharmacist, as they can recommend a timeframe based on your individual health and medical history.

If your bacterial vaginosis treatment involves using clindamycin vaginally, you’ll need to be careful using latex condoms for protection. This is because clindamycin cream can weaken condoms to the point that they break.

My bacterial vaginosis symptoms came back. What now?

While pills and vaginal creams are effective bacterial vaginosis treatments, it’s pretty common for symptoms to come back. In fact, close to 70% of BV comes back within 12 months of treatment.

Healthcare providers aren’t really sure why this happens. But it’s likely that bacterial vaginosis treatment either isn't curing the cause of BV. Another possibility is that pills and creams might prevent healthy bacteria in the vagina from growing back.

If you have a recurrence of BV and you have symptoms, you will be treated with a longer course of antibiotics — usually 7 days. The treatment options for recurring bacterial vaginosis are the same as the first time around:

metronidazole 0.75% vaginal gel, metronidazole (Flagyl) 500 mg pills, or 2% clindamycin vaginal cream. Usually, it’s best to opt for a BV treatment that you haven’t tried yet.

Sometimes, vaginal boric acid suppositories are recommended along with antibiotics. They don’t work on their own though, and they should never be taken by mouth.

In people who have had several relapses of bacterial vaginosis, longer preventative treatment is needed. This usually involves applying metronidazole vaginal gel twice a week for 4 to 6 months. Other options can include a combination of antibiotics pills and vaginal creams.

Does my partner need treatment if I had bacterial vaginosis?

If your sex partner has a penis, they typically don’t need treatment. It’s also worth noting that there is a lower chance of getting BV if:

If your sex partner has a vagina, then you should tell your partner. There is a 25% to 50% likelihood that they will also have BV, so they need to know what symptoms to look out for. If your partner starts experiencing symptoms, they will need a test and treatment for bacterial vaginosis to feel better — just like you did.

Can bacterial vaginosis go away on its own?

Roughly 30% of bacterial vaginosis cases in nonpregnant women and 50% of cases in pregnant women clear up on their own. But if you have symptoms, treatment is recommended in all people. And even if your symptoms start clearing when you first start your bacterial vaginosis treatment, experts advise completing your full treatment regimen.

How long does it take for bacterial vaginosis to go away?

With proper treatment, bacterial vaginosis can go away in a few days to a couple of weeks. But if left untreated, BV can sometimes take up to a few months to resolve. According to one study, it can take around 10 weeks or more for BV to clear itself from the body. Not only that, but not undergoing treatment for bacterial vaginosis can potentially raise your risk of:

Becoming infected with other STIs, including HIV (if your sex partner has HIV)
Passing HIV to your sex partner if you have HIV
Giving birth too early if you are pregnant and have BV

Are there safe and reliable home remedies for bacterial vaginosis?

In a word, no. You may have heard of popular online recommendations, including:

Yogurt
Probiotics
Garlic
Hydrogen peroxide
Tea tree oil
Apple cider vinegar
Other vaginal acidifying agents

Unfortunately, there is no evidence to suggest that home remedies really work to treat BV. And, some — like douching or vaginal acidifying treatments — can actually make things worse. Most vaginal acidifying treatments don’t help heal the delicate bacterial balance in the vagina. Instead, they may disturb the vaginal flora further.

Likewise, probiotics given vaginally and orally have not been proven to be more effective than placebo treatments at preventing BV from coming back. While some studies suggest oral probiotics may be beneficial, more evidence is still needed to determine whether probiotics can help treat bacterial vaginosis.

Keep in mind that about one-third of BV cases get better without antibiotic treatment. So whether or not you use natural treatments for bacterial vaginosis, that same third of cases are likely to improve on their own. For the remaining two-thirds of cases that don’t resolve on their own, home remedies are likely not going to do the trick.

What does help is healthy vaginal hygiene, which can prevent further irritation of the vulva and vagina. Here are some ways to better manage bacterial vaginosis and overall vaginal health:

Avoid douching.
Use mild, unscented soap for showering and bathing.
Don’t scratch it when it itches.
Avoid feminine sprays, deodorants, bubble baths, bath oils, talc, and powder.
Avoid scented menstrual products.
Wear 100% cotton underwear and loose clothing. If possible, avoid nylon and rayon.
Avoid wearing pantyliners and thongs if possible.
If you’re able to, limit using detergents, dryer sheets, and fabric softeners with fragrance.

The bottom line

Bacterial vaginosis is the most common cause of abnormal vaginal discharge. Although most people don’t know they have it, untreated BV can potentially lead to STIs and complications with pregnancy and gynecological surgery. Current CDC guidelines recommend that everyone who tests positive with symptoms of BV should be treated with antibiotics.

The best treatments for bacterial vaginosis include metronidazole vaginal gel, metronidazole pills, and clindamycin vaginal cream. Since around 70% of BV cases return within a year of initial treatment, further treatment may be required. If you have symptoms of bacterial vaginosis, talk to a healthcare provider. They can help you determine which treatment option is best for you based on your health and medical history.

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Can I treat myself for BV?

The primary treatment course for BV is antibiotics. However, some people may wish to treat the condition at home. Options for home treatments include practicing safe hygiene, using barrier protection during intercourse, and taking probiotic supplements. BV is a common condition and typically is not cause for concern.

Does BV require a prescription?

Treating bacterial vaginosis with antibiotics requires a prescription from a licensed medical professional. A K Health doctor can diagnose your BV based on your symptoms and medical history, then prescribe the medication that's most likely to resolve your infection.