after being unsuccessful ttc for over a decade i have had 21 day bloods and dhs sa is normal......so, im waiting for appointment for hycosy, BUT i think i know why im infertile i was diagnosed with bacterial vaginosis 12yrs ago and given antibiotics.. Thinking about it now...i dont think its ever went away and i never knew how serious it was! It can cause severe infection of the reproductive tract and scarring! Im going to my drs in a couple of hours to voice my concerns, but even if it gets cured now, the damage has been done right?? Im so upset that something so simple has stolen my right to be a mum

Im sorry to hear what youre goin thru!! I didnt want to read and run.
How horrible!! I hope that ur Doctor can help you in some way XX
BC

Ah poor you try not to panic without knowing if that is the problem , easier said than done right? fingers crossed all will be ok, maybe they will send you for a laparoscopy instead so they can do a more thorough examination and hopefully put your mind at rest?

Hi hun - please try not to worry. BV will not make you infertile! And if it has caused any serious infections Im sure recent swabs would have shown it!

It can cause cervical erosion but again this has nothing to do with fertility!

So try not to worry. About 30% of women have BV (me included) and go on to have healthy babies!

The main problem for us is the quality of cervical mucus as BV can result in hostile mucus and make it harder for sperm penetration. But this by no means makes you infertile.

Ask your Dr for suppositories with "good bacteria" for your vagina. Try to cut out spicy, fatty, fried food as it can aggrevate BV and also use special vaginal soap/gel for the area.

You'll be fine - forget about BV - it's not even considered an illness anymore!!!

thanks alot girls but honestly.....bv can cause pelvic inflammatory disease which left untreated can cause infertillity. I just know that this is my problem! Doctors dont educate patients with bv properly! Im so scared of what damage has been done after 12yrs with no treatment......im never gonna be a mum

BV does not cause PID, it's usually due to chlamydia or gonorrhoea. You can get PID from anaerobic bacteria that's true, but if in the past you had anaerobes in your fallopian tubes you'd be on death's door and in hospital on i.v. antibiotics, because it's a very serious type of infection. Rigid abdomen, high fever, vomiting etc. So, in other words, it doesn't cause the insidious, symptomless type of PID that chlamydia causes, it's very aggressive and obvious. So you would have known that you had PID, not be discovering it now for the first time?

You've probably read that anerobes/BV can cause PID, but the internet can be misleading, like I said you would really have been seriously ill if you ever had PID due to anaerobes, and it usually comes from retained products of conception following miscarriage of pregnancy (or in the olden days back-street abortions). I had anaerobes on my swab (more serious than BV) following an awful miscarriage at 11 weeks into the pregnancy. It was due to retained products and I too was terrified of having blocked tubes. My gynaecologist told me I'd really know if I had anerobes in my tubes, I'd be so ill and my pain was just irritable bowel due to all the antibiotics! Since then I had another pregnancy so it didn't block my tubes and that was a really nasty infection.

BV, like candida (thrush) is recurrent in many women and a nuisance but doesn't cause infertility, although it does increase your susceptibility to other STDs like chlamydia etc, and it's these organisms that cause blocked tubes not the BV. Even blocked fallopian tubes does not necessarily mean infertility. Even if you did have blocked tubes (due to chlamydia in most cases), it can be only one tube that's blocked which isn't so serious, plus IVF has a good success rate in the very worst scenario in younger women. Try not to worry, make an appointment with your GP.

any information on how the diagnose this?? I'm wondering if I have this too?!!

Just a simple vaginal swab done by your GP will diagnose BV. It may cause a fishy odour and discharge, but not always. Some women are prone to thrush, some more to BV, some have neither. It's something to do with vaginal pH.

I'm in the same boat! Iv had bacterial vaginosis for 4 years after having an abortion when I was 17... Since then I haven't been able to concieve! And I think its down to the bv also! Iv had swabs, bloods etc and they all came back fine (except the bv which I treated and it hasn't come back) I'm booked in for a hsg dye test on the 16th aug and I'm terrified that bv has blocked up my tubes!!! xxxxx

hey rachel.... I had abortion too at 17 and a mc at 18 unable to get pregnant since. Bv can cause pid and its not always accompanied by symptoms! I had my hycosy back in june. They managed to get dye through one tube but couldnt see the other one. I definately think the bv has its part to play. Getting reffered for a lap and dye so they can see exactly whats going on xx