1. What's Causing Your Pelvic Pain Slideshow Pictures
2. Take the Menopause Quiz
3. Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) Slideshow Pictures

Medical Author:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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Medical Editor:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

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In this Article

• Bacterial vaginosis facts
• What is bacterial vaginosis?
• What are the symptoms of bacterial vaginosis?
• What causes bacterial vaginosis?
• Is bacterial vaginosis contagious?
• How is bacterial vaginosis diagnosed?
• Are there home remedies for bacterial vaginosis?
• What is the treatment for bacterial vaginosis?
• What are complications of bacterial vaginosis?
• Pictures of What's Causing Your Pelvic Pain - Slideshow
• Take the Menopause Quiz
• Pictures of Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) - Slideshow
• Patient Comments: Bacterial Vaginosis - Complications
• Patient Comments: Bacterial Vaginosis - Symptoms
• Patient Comments: Bacterial Vaginosis - Treatment
• Find a local Obstetrician-Gynecologist in your town
• Bacterial Vaginosis Index

Bacterial vaginosis can resolve completely without complications after treatment. No special follow-up is necessary if the symptoms disappear.

Women with bacterial vaginosis are at increased risk for contracting HIV infection as well as other STDs including genital herpes, gonorrhea, and Chlamydia.

In pregnancy, bacterial vaginosis can cause premature labor, premature birth, infection of the amniotic fluid, and infection of the uterus and pelvic organs (known as pelvic inflammatory disease) after delivery. Treatment is often recommended prior to hysterectomy, Cesarean birth, or IUD insertion in order to avoid spread of the disease into the pelvic organs.

However, treatment of bacterial vaginosis during pregnancy that is not causing symptoms has not been shown to decrease the incidence of premature births in most studies. For these reasons, screening and treatment for bacterial vaginosis during pregnancy is controversial, and research is still being conducted to determine its utility and value. Currently the routine screening of all pregnant women is not recommended. However, screening and treatment of bacterial vaginosis is sometimes recommended for women with a history of a preterm birth.

REFERENCES:

CDC.gov. Bacterial Vaginosis.

MedscapeReference. Bacterial Vaginosis.


MedscapeReference. Vaginitis.