White Foul Smelling Vaginal Discharge

White Foul Smelling Vaginal Discharge - It's Probably Bacterial Vaginosis

By far the most common cause of white foul smelling vaginal discharge is bacterial vaginosis. This very common condition affects most women at some time in their adult life so you are certainly not alone!

For some women, the condition is very mild and goes away without treatment. For others though, bacterial vaginosis is recurrent and seems to be a "constant". The real issue for many women is the smell and the other unpleasant symptoms, such as itching and burning around the vagina often fade into insignificance compared to the embarrassment felt by having such a strong form of body odor. Unfortunately, the fishy smelling odor generated by BV is often so strong that it is noticeable by those around us at work, and, of course, by our families.

Bacterial vaginosis happens due to an imbalance of the naturally occurring bacteria which lives in the vagina. Normally, the "good" bacteria flourishes and keeps any outbreaks of harmful bacteria in check. However, sometime this isn't the case and bad bacteria grows out of control and causes the symptoms.

Many women believe that by frequently washing the area, they are helping to remove the discharge, and therefore the infection. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth! Overwashing actually encourages the white foul smelling vaginal discharge as it strips the area of any remaining protective bacteria.

The only way to be sure of eliminating bacterial vaginosis and the white foul smelling vaginal discharge is to get rid of the root cause. One of the problems though, is that there are many varied "root causes" and the best way to deal with the problem is to use a strategy which eliminates each and every possible cause, thus restoring balance, whilst, at the same time, offering fast symptomatic relief.

If you leave BV untreated, it can easily lead to long term problems such as pelvic inflammatory disease and even infertility.