BV - how to get rid of the smell for tomorrow?

[stinkyminky]

NC for this for obvious reasons. It seems like a wind up and I wish it was but it's 100% true.

I've realised today that I have bacterial vaginosis. The realisation came about because I stink!! It seems to be so much worse for a day or 2 after sex and also happened the last time I had sex (with dh). I didn't make the connection that time and it passed after a couple of days so I didn't do anything about it.

I tried to get canesten bv gel today but the pharmacies that I tried didn't have it. So I have it on order to be delivered tomorrow.

The problem is I need to go to work tomorrow!! I have no confidence that I'll smell any less bad by then.

Does anyone know any quick fixes or cover ups for a bad BV smell to get me through tomorrow until the canesten arrives?

Plain yoghurt. I usually use a Calpol syringe and kind of squirt it inside me

I don't envy you OP.

I've had BV a few times and every times I've thought I've had a smell stuck up my nose until some people in the same room said "What's that really oniony smell", and I knew it was me because I had thought I could smell fishy, chivey onions. Layering just made it worse, and sweaty.

Even if you can get your hands on some pessiaries or something from boots I don't think they work instantly.

Can you take a medical day and go get some anti-Bs from the doctors?

I had a bit of a reaction to the hot tub on holiday and my dd said she could smell musty clothes which was sadly me. I had a skin infection on my upper thighs as well which I had antibiotic's for. I used canestan and the canestan cream that has hydrocortisone in it. I also used the medi derma spray for incontinence as it balances the ph and gets rid of bacteria. I found this helped with the smell the most.

Are you sure it’s BV?

BV rarely has a smell that strong. What does tend to noticeably stink is a ‘lost’ tampon that’s been accidentally left in - so much so that when this happened to my sister, the doctor physically gagged when she examined her.

Turned out she’d accidentally put a tampon in without removing the previous one, so the previous one got pushed up and stayed there for about a fortnight or something. Absolutely rank. My sister still says it was one of the worst things she’s ever smelled!

I had BV repeatedly for about 18 months and it was awful. The OTC and prescription meds only cleared it up temporarily: it always came back again, even worse than before. I finally cured it with natural yoghurt.

Desperation had driven me to search the internet and I found this: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12347751/

You need a yoghurt with Lactobacillus acidophilus in it - I used Yeo Valley because that culture was on the label and the others didn't specify cultures. The yoghurt needs to be live, natural, plain, unsweetened and unflavoured.

Insert 10ml of live natural unflavoured yoghurt into your vagina at night for 7 nights - either use a syringe to insert the yoghurt or you can try coating a tampon in yoghurt (I used a 10ml syringe like this). Wear a pad for the night because...yoghurt vagina is messy.

After an interval of 7 nights, repeat the process.

So it's 7 nights of inserting yoghurt, 7 nights off, then another 7 nights of yoghurt.

It apparently restores your vaginal pH so the right kind of bacteria flourish and the smelly bacteria die off.

Good luck.

You may be better off going to either the doctor or sexual health clinic, you may need a course of antibiotics. Like op have said, no soap, bubbles in the bath or even wash your hair in the bath, aqueous cream only for washing, you can buy a 500ml tub for a fiver on Amazon. Baths with Epsom Salts, a couple of drops of tea tree or Lavender essential oil, put a bit of witch Hazel on your panty liners, it will neutralise the smell.

But some hydrogen peroxide (you can get it in pharmacies) and dilute it down with water. Quick douche.

Not ideal but the HP with interact with the anaerobic bacteria and reduce the smell. Google it.

Quick tip for the future, after sex go toilet and wash with warm water.

The pessaries are good if you can get to boots. I used to get it a lot. How about getting some of the femfresh or alike vagina spray and wipes. They help. Take some spare knickers. The shower gel is good too.

If you want to feel cleaner and yet not make things worse - washable liners/pads are the way forward. Theres a ton of people out there making them out of a variety of fabrics, and you can absolutely get breathable ones you could swap out during the day and put the used one in a ziplock bag, saves you changing knickers.

I have ones with a non-slip rubbery pimple backing rather than wings, but theres a wide variety of designs, the ones I have are bamboo and cotton, not man made plastic fibres.

Not a super quick fix but when I had it I ordered a prescription from Suoerdug privately. Cost about £15 I think and cleared it up quickly. Was well worth it ☺️

Probably could have seen the nurse for a script but sometimes throwing money at it is far less hassle than trying to get an appointment!

Go to the doctor and get treatment - think antibiotics if I remember correctly.
caneston duo is unlikely to work as that’s for thrush and this is different

I think a lot of posters are giving advice for thrush not Bv .

have you actually been diagnosed. That’s the starting point

Bv does have a very strong smell based on my experience

If lactic acid helps, could you insert a tampon soaked it organic natural yoghurt? I know this is a thrush remedy (it worked for me), but the lactic acid might help?

I think I’d smell if I didn’t wash with anything. I use the ph balanced feminine washes. you can also buy washes I’ve seen for BV (boric acid ones) so definitely have a look, amazon would likely have them if you can’t get them in person. Are you on a vaginal probiotic?

My mum and sister get BV and it is unfortunately very noticeable when they have it. My mothers is from bathing vs showering. I definitely have smelled other women too it’s quite a pungent fishy smell. What your son described doesn’t sound the same?

I second the yoghurt for a quick emergency treatment, I've always used it for thrush and BV in the past, any plain yoghurt will do. My poor mum had an awful BV infection and ended up having oral antibiotics, and then had another infection about a month later and more antibiotics. I got her some Optibac For Women Oral Vaginal Supplement which is a pre-biotic as it has such great reviews, and she needed something to counter 2 lots of antibiotics. She's been on it 6 weeks no more infections and generally feels much better, she believes it's these tablets which have made the difference.
I've made a note of all the other useful information for her. Fingers crossed it works for you.

Im late to the thread but for future balance active often works overnight and larger chemists should have it.

I think I’d go with your idea of changing sanitary pads frequently. I’d stay clear of plastic, the ones with bamboo outer feel soft . I’d take a sports bottle of water to the loo too so you can rinse your nethers when you go. It’s nicer if water is warm.

I think a smell after sex could just be the reaction between your vagina and the semen and will clear once the semen is gone from your body. If there is a smell and watery discharge even if you are not having sex - then I would say this is BV. And yes - you would need antibiotics, not just a cream.

I take women’s bio gummies from Holland and Barrett. I had BV for 4 years prior to these and it was horrendous. Antibiotics didn’t work but after 2 weeks on these I didn’t get it ever again. If I run out it starts to come back.

Sorry my response was hidden for some reason I was just saying I started probiotics after 4yrs of having BV

Similar to another poster, I got rid of mine for good with a prescription for Metronidazole from Superdrug online and a couple days before started taking vitaflora - smell totally gone within 48hrs and has never returned! I do think the both together worked as the vitaflora has supported a healthy PH. Honestly anyone reading just look at the reviews on Amazon for vitaflora and how it’s really helped women who have suffered for years

https://wellgard.co.uk/products/probiotics-for-women?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping&utm_content=Vitaflora&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21287530059&gbraid=0AAAAACV4aCdWB9ixDxJ2BzPuKNSa8r_Qh&gclid=Cj0KCQjwrojHBhDdARIsAJdEJ_fChldQgGZr_xS2LkozyV7s0YEupBzKGl5IleG4MbXygYWd0vihwAAaAgPWEALw_wcB

This was what I kept getting prescribed but it didn’t work unfortunately

For future I can recommend getting boric acid capsules, I put one in at night after sex and then on the evening of the last day of my period, it balances your PH I rarely get any kind of smells now (do wear a pantyliner after putting one in though)