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?

Just to add no oral sex for 48 hours after putting one in 😂 or he will most likely be sick 😂

Wear cotton trousers. Polyester will make any smell far worse.

Ive never been sure which worked as I took them together but would definitely recommend you try the vitaflora as it seems to help women who have tried everything else

Years ago we had a lady at work who often had what we called ‘fishy fanny’ it was horrible if she stood up and stood near you but generally ok if she stayed seated. If it’s only for one day could you fake a bad back and not walk around much? Also ask husband to use condoms if he will, and wash after sex. Good luck for today it’s horribly embarrassing ,I have suffered with it in the past. I think you will be more aware of it yourself than other people though x

Thanks for all the replies with short term and longer term advice.

My summary of everyone's experience seems to be that treatment needs antibiotics and probiotics or yoghurt to rebalance. Does anyone have views on whether or not dh also needs antibiotics? There seems to be conflicting opinions online. I'll be going to the doctor so they will have final say but it would be good to know whether it's something to ask for.

For today I'm going to get by with regular changes, keeping my distance from people as much as possible and mask with other smells 🤞

Please dont encourage people to douche! It's against all medical advice, has no proven benefits, and is shown to actually cause infections (including BV) by stripping your natural, healthy vaginal bacteria.

Antibiotics didn’t work at all for me and gave me thrush alongside . They wipe out everything good and bad and to get rid of BV you need to rebalance the microbiome and maintain it. I’d recommend using the BV gels and starting women’s probiotics rather than antibiotics.

You just know today’s the day a pigeon gets in the office and while stinkyminky gets om a chair to catch it Andy from sales will come and stand uselessly next to her at crotch level 😱

The Balance Active pessaries are great and work really quickly but be warned, they are messy as they melt so you will need to wear a sanitary pad. I also seem to get BV after every time I have sex with my DH, but only when I have a Mirena coil in. I ended up pulling my last one out myself because I was sick of BV. Another thing that helped was getting my GP to prescribe antibiotics to both my DH and I. There is some evidence to say it can be passed back and forth between partners.

www.theguardian.com/society/2025/mar/05/bacterial-vaginosis-can-be-passed-to-women-by-men-researchers-find?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

Thrush is a fungal infection and BV is a bacterial infection.

Both fungus and bacteria live in natural harmony on our body, but if you eliminate one, you give space for the other to bloom.

So if you treat BV as thrush, then you risk making the BV worse by giving it space for a bacterial bloom.

The OP needs proper BV treatment.

This made me laugh out loud 😂 thankfully the were no pigeons or crotch sniffing in the office today. It was all wonderfully uneventful!

I was getting recurrent thrush, UTIs and BV and these Wellgard probiotics, plus cranberry and D Mannose capsules have eliminated it entirely for the last two years - an absolute lifesaver!

Glad you go through the day OP, and good on you for going in.

On the off chance someone did get a whiff I’m sure they’ve got better things to be thinking about and it will be quickly forgotten. I bet you were fine though and no one noticed

If you go on antibiotics I’d want Dh on them yes and then you both start probiotics! Make sure you’re are for female health.

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

It can smell, but bear in mind that something like one-third of women have it - and at least half of them don’t even have any symptoms and don’t know they have it. So it often doesn’t smell at all.