The main reason that causes bacterial vaginosis is the overgrowth of bad bacteria in the vagina. Usually, the vagina contains both bad and good bacteria. However, it is the overgrowth of bad bacteria that causes BV and other vaginal imbalances.
Nevertheless, right from home remedies to doctor prescribed probiotics, women around the globe try a variety of things to treat bacterial vaginosis. But one of the common and most trusted ways to treat bacterial vaginosis is through vitamin C.
Vitamin C for BV offers an excellent alternative or supplementary treatment. Nonetheless, if you suspect you have bacterial vaginosis, it is recommended to consult your doctor first for a better diagnosis.
Vitamin C plays an effective role in treating bacterial vaginosis and other vaginal-imbalance related issues.
According to a study(2) conducted at a pharmaceutical company in 2011, 277 women with BV took participation. Out of all, 55% of women who took a silicon-coated vaginal tablet once daily for 6 days found relief when compared to 25% of the women who were taking a placebo.
However, it is recommended to consult your doctor first as these results are not comprehensive enough to be ascertained.
There are three ideal ways you could use vitamin c for bacterial vaginosis:
Although this may sound a little unorthodox, there are several doctors and medical institutions that suggest using vitamin c like this for rapid and instant relief. However, it has to be noted that you have to take only one vitamin C tablet daily and the dosage, in general, is recommended to be 250mg. Use it daily, for six days after your period.
Note: Do remember to use silicon-coated vitamin C, however on the off chance that it is not available, you could also use enteric-coated vitamin C. However, it is strongly recommended that you check with your doctor, for the right dosage and medication.
This is one of the easier and simpler treatments for your BV. It simply requires you to consume vitamin- C in the form of supplementation.
Vitamin- C supplements are easily and readily available in almost any pharmacy. However, it is strongly recommended that you check with your doctor about the dosage and frequency of using this supplement, as it depends on several factors such as the intensity of the condition, weight, BMI and etc.
However, The University of Maryland Medical Center suggests women infected by bacterial vaginosis to consume 500 to 1000 mg of vitamin C supplements twice every day to strengthen the inner lining of the vagina and reduce any itches or irritations.
[Read: Vitamin K Rich Foods]
Diet is a prominent and promising treatment that could bring about sustainable and long term changes in your body. It is strongly recommended that you eat foods that are rich in vitamin- C and these could easily be included in your diet.
Below listed are the foods, that you need to integrate into your diet:
[ Read: Foods That Make UTI Less Painful ]
Since human bodies are unable to produce or store vitamin C(1), it is extremely important to include vitamin C in your diet. However, the recommended daily intake of vitamin C for adults is nearly 70 milligrams to 90 milligrams a day. Nonetheless, the most common side effects include:
[Also Read: Natural Remedies for UTI]
Bacterial Vaginosis is a common disease that is seen amongst women. It affects about 30% of the population. This condition is not usually a major worry. There are several remedies and alternative treatments that are available, which are completely safe and side-effect free.
Using vitamin-C for treating your bacterial vaginosis is an adjuvant treatment and should be complemented with some other treatment, however, there have been several scientific studies assuring the efficacy of the treatment, hence you could go ahead and use this treatment without a worry.
[ Read: Foods to Avoid with UTI ]
The Lactobacillus species are one of the best probiotics that could be used to treat bacterial vaginosis. The acidophilus and rhamnosus species are the best you could choose.
There are several methods that you could stop the odor and keep it away, by using probiotics, healthy diet, hydrated and wearing cotton panties are few of the methods.