Bleeding after sex: Bacterial Vaginosis

For most of my life I have suffered with a condition I did not know existed.. until a few months ago.

I have been with my partner ten years, and one night in the beginning of this year after sex i started to bleed for no apparent reason...

I was scared, as i was 2 weeks off from my period being due so I knew that wasnt it.

The next day I typed into google 'bleeding after sex', and after reading down the page i grew even more scared. My insides hurt as though I was having my period, and seeing the blood the night before, well that was it. I was convinced I had cancer or an STD.

My bloke was relaxed about it, and said dont worry, it will be ok and something anti biotics will sort out. (I doubt he would have been as relaxed if it had been his bits that had been bleeding!)

After 2 days of worrying i made an appointment at the doctors. I couldnt sleep or eat and knew i had to get it sorted. In the back of my mind I knew that things hadnt been right for a while. My bloke had the snip a few years back, so i wasnt on the pill, but when i had been on it i hadnt been happy as the amount of discharge i was getting was horrible. The doctor changed the pill and it wasnt much better. Another thing was having a smear. The last one i had done was 8 years ago and i was petrified of going to have one, simply because i feared something was wrong.

At the doctors, she took every swab and every sample known to man kind from my insides. She scrapped and filled in forms and sent them away. I even sneaked into the ladies toilets and did a chlamydia test because i was convinced it was the worst and that was sent off too (even though the test was for 16 - 19 yr olds they still processed it) and while i was laid there she also did a smear test, and for good measure booked me in for a scan at the hospital to see if they could see anything wrong that way.

And so I waited...

A week went by and my NHS letter came. My smear results came back perfect!

Phew.. !!! I nearly cried with relief!! Only one more result to come back, and this one was the big one. I knew that this was going to be it..

2 days later, my next results came via the doctors. As i read the letter i felt relief then confusion... what the hell was Bacterial Vaginosis?

Back to google again!

Bacterial Vaginosis is an imbalance of ph levels in the vagina and is more common than you think. (more so when people like me dont know they have it!) and its estimated 1 in 3 women will get it.

Ill be honest and say i was ignorant. For years i have suffered with;

lots of discharge

pain after sex

painful periods

heavy periods

and how after sex the discharge was awful and smelt awful and what gets me more than anything is no one says whats right and whats wrong on the internet and in books. We get a diagnosis and what symptoms but no where says the right amount of discharge a girl should get, or what happens after sex. My parents never discussed sex or periods or even growing breasts and i gave up trying to find out what was right and whats wrong.

I know that the amount of discharge i was getting was wrong, There was a lot and it didnt smell good. I took to wearing panty liners through out the month and changing them several times a day. It wasnt right.

After sex, there should be no nasty smells (unless your bloke needs a shower anyway!) and the next day there still should be no nasty smells.

Also i was getting heavy painful periods and this got me down every month as i used to dread it but i never went to the doctors until i bled after sex.

When i spoke to the doctor, she said that my insides looked sore and tender, and the rubbing and the pain i had felt was the infection from the BV. Obviously, the more rubbing the sorer it got and it started to bleed. So that solved the painful sex and the blood!

Once i did a little research i discovered that what i had could be controlled. After giving myself a talking to about being stupid for avoiding the doctors and the smear, i realised i had to take control of this. I had had enough of the pain and the mess.

I read that there are anti biotics to take and some women were given a course for so long and then found that they had to continuously take the anti biotics in small doses to keep on top of it. Now, personally i dont like anti biotics. I got a urinary infection and had to take two lots and hated it which then gave me thrush (oh yes ive had it all over the past year!!!) so the thought of more anti biotics was a no no. I was going to cure this one naturally first before i went for drugs.

I read and read and read, and the first thing i did was stop taking baths. I was putting loads of bubble bath in and soaps and i decided this had to stop. So, i take a shower morning and night. I hunted the shelves at the supermarket and found PH balanced shower gels and soap with no purfume...

and guess what?

Im perfect!

Maybe this isnt the sort of thing i should say, but when i take of my undies there isnt a mark on them! That might sound soo wrong but when you have suffered the mess of panty liners and discharge over the years something as simple as this is heavenly!!!

I haven't been back to the doctor for any drugs or any thing.

All i did was change my shower gel and soap.

The one thing i was doing was over compensating. When i had the excessive discharge and i smelt bad, i washed more which was making it worse as the ph was being upset which meant more discharge was being produced! it was a viscious circle!

Even though i was lucky in respects of not having an std or anything else bad, there are still rules to follow...

1. If you dont have a condom dont have sex. Its not worth it. Not only are there rises in sexually transmitted diseases but also there is the risk of pregnancy. Some stds can be treated with tablets, but some are for life.

2. Female discharge is normal and we all have it. We do produce more at certain times of the month and excessive amounts and smelly or green/yellow discharge isnt right. Please see your doctor as what you consider a not important issue can turn into something serious.

3. Bleeding after sex led me to google and frightening me stupid. There is some useful info out there, but a lot of it is the dramatic. I was worried i had chlamydia as you bleed after sex when you have this std, but i also learnt you bleed after sex with Bacterial Vaginosis! So put that in your pipe and smoke it Google because you didnt list that!!! But still please get it checked out!

4. Going to the doctors for medication is a must. I avoided taking antibiotics as i thought that a few months of trial and error wouldn't hurt to try and lucky for me it has worked. By all means try anything to see of it works, as some people have tried natural yogurt (also can be consumed not just applied!) and this can work too.

5. using excessive perfumes isn't good. I was chucking anything in my bath and the more the better and this was only making it worse. I don't have baths now and find that showers have cut the water bill and good for the environment and have helped my bits lovely! :)

6. i would just like to say a big thank you for my bloke for putting up with me. Not only did he put up with me worrying, but he also was my rock and i needed his level headedness when i was loosing mine!

7. If you have any worries about your sexual health, try and speak to your doctor or clinic or nurse. I consider myself lucky that changing my soaps etc has helped me with my BV but i know some women who are not quite as lucky as me and have suffered terribly over the years. I hoped you found my little hub a little helpful.

bless you and love to you all x

Update!!!

Just to let you know that 4 months down the line everything is fantastic...

I still wash in PH balanced soaps..

Sex is no longer painful..nor do i bleed after sex..

I no longer get nasty smells..

even my periods are better.. less painful..

I love being BV free!!!!!!