Today is National Bacterial Vaginosis Day so we are here to tell you eight things you never knew about it.
Health on Female First
1. 56% of women don't know what BV is, according to Balance Activ- an imbalance of the bacteria inside the vagina causing soreness, itching and vaginal discharge.
2. BV is one of the most common conditions affecting women's vaginas
3. The imbalance cane be caused by;
Excessive washing
Perfumed soaps
Menstruation
Sperm
Some Antibiotics
4. 1 in 3 women will get BV in their lifetim
5. 66% of women misdiagnose BV as thrush
6. 37% of women said they would not talk to their doctor about intimate health issues
7. 92% would rather self-diagnose o line
8. 76% of young women who self-diagnose do not go onto buy medicine
Penny McCormick, managing director of Balance Activ™, said: "Despite the prevalence of this condition, women know very little about it and are hesitant to seek advice from a healthcare professional due to embarrassment.
"Our recent research found that almost 40% of women aged between 18 and 24 didn't feel comfortable talking to their GP about intimate health issues, leading over nine in ten of them to seek advice online instead. Over three quarters then failed to do anything about their discovery in terms of seeking treatment, which is a worrying statistic."
Clinical nurse specialist in contraception and sexual health and author of Sexplained Books, Helen Knox, added: "A common condition such as BV can really knock a woman's confidence especially if it causes an intimate odour. Getting the correct diagnosis and treatment is vital as some daily tasks like excessive washing can actually make conditions like BV worse.
"BV is regularly misdiagnosed as thrush which means the condition often doesn't get treated correctly. We urge people who are unsure to search the BV Explainedwebsite where they can find out more about BV and how to effectively treat it."