Can I Take Probiotics If I Have Bacterial Vaginosis?

When it comes to better understanding what you can do for your intimate health, it can be a struggle to find helpful advice online that is both reliable and accurate; which is why we made it our mission to stomp out any taboo regarding vaginal health by answering all of your most intimate questions. A popular question we have seen floating around online recently is whether or not probiotics can be taken if ‘someone’ has bacterial vaginosis. The short answer is yes, you can take probiotics if you have symptoms of bacterial vaginosis.  

By the end of today's blog, we hope to have helped clear up any confusion surrounding probiotics and how they can help with B.V. Not just that, we also aim to cover how long recovery may be expected to take… 

What probiotics should I take for bacterial Vaginosis?

Several different types of probiotic supplements are available on the market; all targeted to have different effects on the body. It is common to find one ‘type’ of probiotic that can help with a specific need. 

For instance, if you are looking for a probiotic that could help your inmate's health and relieve the symptoms of a yeast infection or bacterial vaginosis then a Vitaflora Probiotic with a combination of the following ingredients is where you should begin your search. You will want to look for women's probiotics that contain a combination of the following:

• Lactobacillus plantarum
• Lactobacillus rhamnosus 
• Bifidus animalis lactis

Here at Wellgard, we have been able to produce our very own Vitaflora Probiotic which is made with a unique blend of the three most powerful strains of Lactobacillus; all scientifically proven to target vaginal concerns (like bacterial vaginosis) within as little as 2 weeks! Our Vitaflora supplement aims to ensure that all the good bacteria reach your intimate area quickly to re-balance the healthy bacteria levels in your microbiome. 

A probiotic that is targeted to help a woman's intimate and vaginal health should be able to help maintain healthy vaginal and yeast bacteria so that bacterial infections like B.V do not flare up often. The idea of a probiotic with the three Lactobacillus strains is to keep on top of and manage the levels of intimate bacteria; if they are not being maintained then an imbalance causes an infection to arise.  

A one-a-day probiotic, with the important Lactobacillus strains, should be more than sufficient enough to help maintain healthy levels of vaginal and yeast bacteria. 

How long does it take for BV to go away with probiotics? 

If you have started taking a suitable probiotic to help alleviate your bacterial infection, you should expect to see a clear-up of symptoms in as little as 14 days. Although, it may take longer depending on the severity of your bacterial or yeast infection. Probiotics are very common and popular when women are looking for a natural aid to help clear up bacterial vaginosis; after their symptoms clear up, many women continue their course of probiotics are implement them into their daily routine. 

This is due to the long-term benefits that probiotics can offer a woman intimate help by keeping the balance even long after their BV has cleared up to avoid future flare-ups or bacterial imbalances. It is common for a bacterial infection to come back again, usually within only 2-3 months, therefore keeping on top of your probiotics is the best way to ensure you avoid another flare-up. That is just one of the reasons why women decide to take a probiotic, for intimate health, daily. 

How many probiotics should I take a day for BV? 

You can expect most probiotics to advise only one to be taken a day. This is due to the number of live bacteria that will be encapsulated inside each supplement or digestible capsule. It is never a good idea to ignore the daily serving suggestions and instead take more than just one a day as this dosage would have been advised for numerous reasons. 

We can understand that if it can take up to 2 weeks for probiotics to help rebalance intimate bacteria and clear up an infection like bacterial vaginosis; that’ll mean up to two more weeks of itching and discomfort for you. Even though this is not ideal, we do still recommend that you stick with just one probiotic a day, if that is what your serving suggestion on the packaging states. The suggestion would have been made to ensure your safety as well as for maximum results!

Even though results will take a couple of weeks, you should begin to feel your symptoms ease off throughout your probiotics. Itching, burning and intimate discomfort should all begin to slowly ease. If you were experiencing any discharge, that should also improve over the 2 weeks. Again, it’s worth remembering that the 2-week window is for a mild bacterial infection and might be slightly extended if your bacterial vaginosis or yeast infection is more prominent. If your symptoms are still persistent after a few weeks, then your BV may need a different treatment plan and should therefore chat with your GP or a pharmacist for an alternative. This is not a common issue that many women face, but it can happen so knowing that there are alternative solutions can also be a relief for many women to hear if on the odd occasion your probiotics are not doing the job you need the to. 

Check out our Health Insiders Blog catalogue if you want further reading on supporting your intimate and vaginal health; which includes several posts on how probiotics can be a suitable and natural aid. We will continue to post new blogs regularly, so be sure to keep the page bookmarked so you don't miss out on our newest posts as they go live. Don't forget you can also connect with us on social media for updates on promotions and further advice.