During pregnancy a women experiences a lot. As it is known to maximum women, that pregnancy is an amazing roller coaster experience and has its own upsetting symptoms beside the wonderful feeling of carrying a baby. Now with this wonderful feeling a women experiences a lot of pain and pressure as well.
What is Bacterial Vaginosis?
Bacterial vaginosis during pregnancy is the condition of having an outbreak of bad bacteria in the vagina area. 10 – 30% pregnant women have Bacterial Vaginosis(BV). Woman having a pervious bacterial vaginosis infection are more prone to bacterial vagnosis during pregnancy.
Certain ethnic groups are also at higher risk of BV during pregnancy. One in every five pregnant women has bacterial vaginosis.
What causes bacterial vaginosis during pregnancy?
Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) during pregnancy occurs due to the imbalance of good and bad bacteria in the vagina. Vagina has a lot of good bacteria. They are of the same family as the ones found in the curd. Lactobacillus and yeast are present in the vagina. When their number fluctuates the bad infectious bacteria increase in number. Lactobacillus maintains an acidic pH in the vagina.
This acidic pH prevents the vagina from getting infections. Unhygienic practices may kill lactobacillus in the vagina.
So the pH of vagina shifts to the alkaline side leading to an increase of harmful bacteria and onset of bacterial vaginosis during pregnancy.
Causes of Bacterial Vaginosis during pregnancy
Douching can cause bacterial vaginosis at any stage. What do we exactly know about douching, well, douching is the use of moist swabs with vinegar or other liquids to dab vagina. This is an unhealthy practice. One must never practice something like this. Douching is the one of the most significant cause of bacterial vaginosis during pregnancy.
Vaginal medications
Some vaginal medications alter the pH of the vagina. One should never take these medicines without doctor’s prescription. While taking such vaginal medications, one must take probiotic yogurt along that will be beneficial for health.
Bacterial vaginosis symptoms
About 70% of the woman having this problem doen’t notice any symptoms or experiences them in their day to day life.it is only when they have sex, the fishy odor makes them worry about bacterial vaginosis. There are no such symptoms of bacterial vagnosis during pregnancy.
Some of the symptoms which can take place or happens in 20% of the cases are as follows:
Grey whitish discharge
Unlike the yeast infection, you will not exude the thick cheesy discharge. If you have bacterial vaginosis, your vaginal discharge will be grayish white and will be having a fishy smell. This smell of discharge is during pregnancy.
Burning sensation during urinating
If you feel a burning sensation during urinating it may be due to the bacterial vaginosis. During pregnancy Bacterial Vaginosis causes scaling of the skin which gives the burning sensation.
Irritation in vagina
Itching and irritation in the vagina is a sign of bacterial vaginosis during pregnancy. Irritation of vagina is also a cause of bacterial vaginosis during pregnancy.
Does Bacterial Vaginosis affect the baby?
As it is known that the baby is inside the placenta until the water breaks, and the mucus plug seals the cervix. There is least chance that the BV infection travels to the baby before that.
Though, BV during labor and delivery can affect the baby adversely. In fact, BV during the third trimester can cause pregnancy complication like pretern births.
Bacterial Vaginosis During Pregnancy: 11 Home Remedies
Natural home remedies are useful and also are very much beneficial for all sorts of diseases. 11 home remedies for Bacterial vaginosis are as follows:
Apple cider vinegar has the right pH which is suitable for vaginal pH correction. Putting apple cider vinegar to bathtub water or using it as a dab helps heal bacterial vaginosis during pregnancy. It is one of the best remedy for BV during pregnancy.
For having a good bacteria abundant one must have curd and yogurt. Eating curd and curd products helps flourish the good bacteria in the vagina. Eating yogurt is a natural way to prevent BV.
Apply garlic
Garlic is one of the natural remedy which is being used from the old times and it is very effective as well. Garlic is rich in enzymes and chemicals that are toxic to bad bacteria. Apply garlic paste in the affected areas is another way to treat BV at home.
Its natural and always beneficial for any sort of bacteria. During Bacterial Vaginosis applying tea tree oil to your vagina can kill the bacteria and correct the pH.
Cranberry juice
Drinking cranberry juice is goof for pregnancy as well as it prevents BV. They are rich in vitamin C and thus helps boost your immunity.
Wash the undergarments in hot water
This is the very first thing every woman should take care of and it is very important as well. BV relapses because the clothes you wear are not free of bad bacteria. Maintaining hygiene is a part of cure of BV.
Avoid very tight undergarments
Women who wear tight clothes are at risk. Bacteria prefer low oxygen environment. Wearing too tight clothes hampers air circulation to the vagina.
Tea bags
Applying cooled tea bafs will be very beneficial for the BV affected women. The antioxidants present in tea will treat bacterial vaginosis during pregnancy.
Coconut oil is enriched with antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral compounds. It contains lauric acid which strengthens the immune system and stimulates the healing process.
Milk is included in probiotic and is regarded as one of the best cures for bacterial vaginosis. It is a great source of lactobacilli which is helpful for a healthy vagina.
Aloe vera is rich source of anthraquinones, which enrich aloe vera with antibacterial properties. This stops the growth of unhealthy bacteria, which is the root cause of bacterial vaginosi.
