subject: Can Bacterial Vaginosis Cause Infertility? [print this page] It's worrying that an irritating and somewhat embarrassing condition could have such serious implications and if you are wondering "can bacterial vaginosis cause infertility?" then the answer is "possibly".
An overgrowth of the harmful bacteria, Gardnerella, can cause the following symptoms which, collectively, are known as Bacterial Vaginosis.
* A watery gray/white vaginal discharge
* A foul fishy odor
* An increase in discharge during the menstrual cycle
* Soreness and irritation around the sensitive vaginal tissues
BV is not a sexually transmitted disease nor is it something you can catch from another person. All women have the Gardnerella bacteria within their vaginas but under normal circumstances the levels are kept under control by the healthy, acidic Lactobacillus bacteria.
An overgrowth of harmful bacteria can occur for various reasons including eating a poor diet, a change in sexual partner, smoking, douching or washing with perfumed soaps. If you are wondering "can bacterial vaginosis cause infertility" then this can be the case if it is left untreated for any length of time. If treated promptly, it is little more than an embarrassing inconvenience but if not dealt with, there is the possibility of pelvic inflammatory disease which can lead to infertility.
Strategies for dealing with bacterial vaginosis often include antibiotics, but the problem many women seem to have is that although they cure the symptoms in the short term, they cannot deal with the underlying causes and so repeated attacks are very common. Natural strategies seem to work best. For example, supplementing and improving the diet can show impressive results, particularly when accompanied by other techniques to strengthen the levels of good bacteria within the vagina.
