I am very prone to bacterial vaginosis (BV). Huhu ewan ko ba. Parang allergic sa tamod. Ilang beses na ko na ER kinabukasan after an adventurous night, usually for suspected UTI (urinary tract infection), same symptoms kasi. I stopped everything: pills, tampons, and fem wash and even stopped using detergent soap and fabcon sa clothes ko.

Yung BV ko at least 6 times na since last year, pabalik balik lang. It strained my relationship, imagine every after sex magkakasakit ka kahit anong ingat. May mga positions din na masakit. Sobrang nakakastress.

Obviously we regularly checked for STDs because we are swingers, but it was never STD.

Ang masaklap pa, pag niresetahan ako ng antibiotic for UTI and later on, BV, namamatay lahat ng bacteria sa pepe pati good bacteria na nagreresult naman sa yeast infection (YI). It happens every time. Nung una akala ko talaga may gonorrhea ako kasi may discharge na lumabas na parang taho. Ang dami pero walang amoy. At saka sobrang kati!! Nakakaparanoid. Buti na lang, sobrang dali lang gamutin, isang suppository lang overnight.

Then i realized, the UTI-like symptoms only happen after ako putukan sa loob. I thought, possible kaya na allergic ako sa tamod? Haha yun talaga ang hypothesis ko at that time. Then just like that, nawala reccurent BV ko nung nagwithdrawal kami. I explained this to my OB, ang sabi nya ang tamod ay alkaline at ang pepe ay acidic kaya if nagcum daw inside ang partner ko ay maaaring magcause yun ng imbalance sa vaginal flora (bacterial population) at pag mas dumami yung bad bacteria kesa sa bad na nagreresult sa BV. Sabi nya this is not the case for most women, mukhang sensitive lang daw talaga ako so we focused on strengthening my flora.

Now I'm completely BV and YI free, here's what I did:

○ Proper hygiene, basic naman to ○ Hugas before and after sex ○ I dont use fem products, minsan i use cider/cane vinegar water mix to wash pero madalas plain water lang ○ Pahugasin ng kamay at titi si partner bago sex, full shower is better ○ Lube, lube, lube, maraming lube ○ No cumming inside (sad kasi breeding is one of my kinks) withdrawal na kami now and use condom with other partners ○ Ihi immediately after sex then hydrate ○ Personal research including chika with other women about their pepe health ○ Use 100% cotton underwear only ○ No panty sa gabi ○ No tight fitting clothes, or at least limit it, or use natural fabrics if di maiwasan ○ I stopped taking contraceptive pills ○ I started taking garlic pills and probiotics ○ I also improved my diet: limited sweets, lots of prebiotic rich in fiber foods and daily yogurt ○ I got back to working out ○ Check my discharge regularly - NORMAL (my normal, yours might be different): lasang greek yogurt, amoy freshly cut lawn, ahahah ang weird ng description ko but thats me, white stain sa underwear - BV: amoy aftersex kahit bagong hugas, WATERY yellow to gray discharge, yes grayyyy accompanied with cramps, abdominal pain, painful sex, feeling dry, burning sensation, masakit umuhi (parang UTI) - YI: thick white discharge (parang taho), walang amoy, makating pepe ○ Pacheck up agad when in doubt and not feeling well, pap smear at least

Worth to note, doc sa pinas: sangkaterbang reseta (including fem wash, gels and branded pills), sinabi pang "nakuha mo yan sa european mong partner"

doc sa EU: highly recommended stop using fem wash and detergent/fabcon for clothes, only use natural product for the body like soap and lotion, healthy diet. Stress din daw is a factor, so exercise regularly (ang holistic ng approach) ang sabi nya "sex should be enjoyed, if its painful, your body is telling you something"

There you go ladies! I hope may matulungan ako kahit isa lang with these info. 🙏🏻