ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Why Bacterial Vaginosis is Not an STD

Updated on March 6, 2010

Bacterial vaginosis is not a STD but often associated with a sexual infection because it involves the genitals. It occurs when the vagina's normal bacteria is disrupted by an imbalance and replaced by an overgrowth of bacteria. It's really just that simple but often people are misinformed because they don't have the facts.

Causes of Vaginal Disease

Bacterial vaginosis is the leading cause of vaginal complaints and the most misunderstood. Most women mistake it for a yeast infection and half never know they have it because of the symptoms. It's the exact opposite with an STD which causes pain and discomfort right from the beginning.

BV is really not an infection at all. It only represents an imbalance of live bacteria that normally are found in the vagina. This imbalance occurs when the ph level of a woman's vagina becomes less acidic and the bacteria begin to multiply. I know it's strange that we need our vagina to be acidic but that's really what keeps our genital area disinfected and considered normal.

Symptoms of Bacterial Vaginosis

When a woman first experiences the symptoms of bacterial vaginosis, its no wonder she immediately believes it's an STD. The fishy pungent odor, discharge, and itching would obviously lead you to believe you've caught a sexual infection but really you haven't. It's become more common than a yeast infection.

So, what causes BV?

It's still a mystery but scientist suspect it's from all the chemical compounds we use in the vaginal area. Just think of all the common products you purchase like bath gels you soak with or feminine sprays you use or deodorant tampons; all of these things can bring about an imbalance and change the environment within the vagina. Certain activities can trigger a woman to contract BV such as changing sexual partners, douching and a change in the laundry detergent you use. 

STD's, formerly referred to as venereal diseases, are spread through sexual contact, including oral, anal and vaginal sex. STD's include Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, HPV, HIV/Aids, Herpes (HSV) and genital warts. The symptoms are more obvious in men than in women but can lay dormant and undetected which has dire consequences if not treated.

Although bacterial vaginosis is not an STD history tells us that many genital problems are often misunderstood and therefore mislabeled. For a while BV was tested using the same kits as an STD. If it was tested positive then it therefore was diagnosed as an STD; wrongfully of course but that's where it started. Even today, doctors misdiagnose Bacterial vaginosis because there aren't a lot of scientific results that provide concrete information about it. When faced with the medical unknown, doctors usually prescribe an antibiotic for it. 

People blindly believe what their told without educating themselves on the particulars.  Bacterial vaginosis is not any type of infection or sexually related. However, if left untreated BV can become a big problem signaling pain, profuse discharge and genital rashes.

If you are unsure about your health you should contact a doctor to get tested. There are new tests that can differentiate Bacterial Vaginosis from an STD.

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)