Bacterial Vaginitis or STD?

Question

My wife has recurrent BV and she uses MetroGel to treat the infection. The treatment doesn't seem to work all that well since the BV seems to crop up somewhat rapidly afterwards. Can the infection be transmitted to the male? If I don't use an anti-bacterial wipe immediately after sex my penis will have that "fishy" smell for a couple of days (I am circumcised). At times I can smell the distinctive odor on her breath before she gives me oral sex even though we hadn't had any type of sex for over a week. She said that her doctor had recommended that I also should be treated with the MetroGel. I spoke with a representative from the MetroGel company who said I didn't have to be treated and that the bacterial vaginitis could be masking an STD.

I'm really at a loss to understand what's going on and my wife doesn't want to discuss it.
Any suggestions?

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Answer 1

hmmm.....I had that once and found probably the reason why and what caused it - for me. The Metrogel treatment helped - it just took 3 months or so to heal completely after the treatment.

So I can tell you about my example and maybe there are helpful hints for your wife...

First of all the vaginitis is not an STD, it is an imbalance of all the natural occuring protective features of the vagina. The useful bacteria which normally reside there and protect against other germs are gone with a vaginitis and also the ph is wrong for a while. And then a number of different germs start migrating in and cause all kinds of symptoms. From UTI to yeasts to little virus particles, really - everything what' s around.

Perhaps one of the germs your wife can not reject right now is the one causing the smell you are noticing.
A healthy vagina fights this off easily by itself.

Now - that being said - yes- you do not need a treatment with Metrogel. This is not a germ fighting substance, it is stuff which helps to reestablish the normal vagina's environment.
The rep. was right in so far - and another STD can be involved. This is the whole point of a vaginitis, various bacteria and germs infiltrate the before healthy vagina.

Now what caused the problem in my case was simple: I used tampons. They do not just do their job to absorb the blood they also absorb all useful other liquids and things in teh vagina and dry the vaginal tissue out.

If you have sex then - even a week after the period - especially oral sex you start massaging other germs in the dried out tissue which is defenseless. And that's how it starts.

So - you can help too that it never occurs again:

1. If your wife uses tampons tell her to switch to pads. This was the major key thing for me to get rid of the vaginitis and never hadve it come back. Since abandoning tampons I even do not have any UTI either any more ("honeymoon disease").
2. Besides Metrogel she should not use yet anything else and follow exactly her doctors suggestions.
3. Before intercourse you should shave, brush your teeth, and clean your face with water and soap and she should wash (gently on the outside with water only) her outer genitals and the anus.
This is all to prevent bacteria to be transported to the vagina which has to recover.
If you are not shaved this is quite a brushing pad to massage germs into your wife.
4. Besides - if you use condoms check whether she may have a latex allergy, try a non latex condom. That was one more factor which helped me.
5. If she uses any vaginal douches or so - get rid of it. It destroys the natrual vagina's barriers against germs. She should never wash inside the vagina, only outside.

Now - you need to be patient, the healing takes a while. 3 months in my case until health was reestablished. After the Metrogel treatment it just still takes a while to really heal. And the woman can feel it once the health is reestablished and the vagina normal again.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

First off you shouldn't really be having any sexual contact until she is cleared up....if the metrogel isn't working she needs to talk to her dr to get something else. And yes you can get a bacterial infection, like yeast infection, which is mostly why metrogel is used. So you should use precaution when having sex.. if you can't wait and really want to be sexual use a condomn, even though it may be your last choice.. When is the last time she had an STD Test? You both should be checked!

Answer 4

I would talk to her doctor and get yourself treated and NOT for a phantom STD. It has long been known that certain forms of vaginitis are not ever going to go away if the man is not treated because he keeps re-infecting her. A doctor NOT a company needs to offer advice on this one. If the doctor said treat yourself with metrogel then do it..sheesh, why is it easier to think what you are thinking(and I know why she is not talking about it) than doing what the doctor said...take some responsibility here and just DO IT, already. Then both of you go to her doctor and get retested and keep being treated until neither of you have whatever it is you BOTH have..assuming she can put up with all this for that long. Give her my condolences.

Answer 5

Causes
A healthy vagina normally contains many microorganisms, one of the common ones being Lactobacillus acidophilus. Lactobacillus appears to help prevent other vaginal microorganisms from multiplying to a level where they cause symptoms. The microorganisms involved in BV include Gardnerella vaginalis, Mobiluncus, Bacteroides, and Mycoplasma. For reasons not well understood, the numbers of these organisms increase with BV while the number of lactobacillus organisms decreases.

Most cases of bacterial vaginosis occur in sexually active women between the ages of 15 and 44, especially after contact with a new partner. Condoms do not appear to provide protection, but use of spermicides increases BV risk somewhat. Although BV appears to be associated with and triggered by sexual intercourse, there is no clear evidence of sexual transmission.[1] Rather, BV is a disordering of the chemical and biological balance of the normal flora. Recent research is exploring the link between sexual partner treatment and eradication of recurrent cases of BV. Pregnant women and women with sexually transmitted infections are especially at risk for getting this infection. Bacterial vaginosis does not usually affect women after menopause.A 2005 study by researchers at Ghent University in Belgium showed that subclinical iron deficiency (anemia) was a strong predictor of bacterial vaginosis in pregnant women. A longitudinal study published in February 2006 in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology showed a link between psychosocial stress and bacterial vaginosis independent of other risk factors.

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Treatment
Bacterial vaginosis can be cured by antibiotics such as metronidazole and tetracycline; there is however a high rate of recurrence.[1]

Answer 6

From what i know, men do not get BV and don't need to be treated for it. It's not even considered a sexually transmitted disease. I would suggest that you and/or your wife be tested for STDs. Trich is an STD that also causes vaginal odor. If everything else comes back negative, ask the doctor for a different treatment for BV, Metronidozole maybe, and see if that works better.

Answer 7

YES YES YES. If the two of you are not allowing ample time to heal when she is infected then absolutely. Its a bacteria and you can get it on the penis and basically give it back and forth. I HAVE BEEN THERE. Finally a doc explained it. Its like any other bacterial infection and BACTERIA requires antibiotics to cure

Answer 8

My Yeast Infection Cured - http://YeastCured.uzaev.com/?vJFN

Answer 9

Your wife needs to be seen by a gynecologist and tested for all STD's. You need to refrain from having sex with her until she finds out exactly what she has.
She sounds like a windbag
RN

Answer 10

IF IT SMELLS FISHY IT MIGHT BE TRICHOMONAS VAGINALIS, IT IS TREATED WITH METRONIDAZOLE. IT IS BEST IF GRAM STAIN OF VAGINAL DISCHARGE IS DONE. CONSULT AN OB-GYNE DOCTOR.