{"id":4109,"date":"2026-10-21T19:36:49","date_gmt":"2026-10-21T19:36:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drsoniafawad.com\/?p=4109"},"modified":"2026-10-21T19:36:49","modified_gmt":"2026-10-21T19:36:49","slug":"what-is-bacterial-vaginosis-healthywomen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drsoniafawad.com\/?p=4109","title":{"rendered":"What Is Bacterial Vaginosis? &#8211; HealthyWomen"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.healthywomen.org\/media-library\/what-is-bacterial-vaginosis-infographic.png?id=68501037&amp;width=980\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is an infection that happens when more \u201cbad\u201d bacteria takes over healthy bacteria in the vagina.<\/p>\n<p>About 1 in 3 women will experience BV.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Symptoms of BV<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The most common symptom of BV is abnormal vaginal discharge. <\/p>\n<ul class=\"ee-ul\">\n<li>White, gray or greenish in color<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Other BV symptoms include:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"ee-ul\">\n<li>A fishy smell \u2014 especially after sex <\/li>\n<li>Pain in and around the vagina<\/li>\n<li>Itching in or outside the vagina<\/li>\n<li>Burning when peeing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>New testing technology = more accurate results<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests (NAATs) offer higher accuracy in detecting BV-associated bacteria than traditional tests that use microscopes. <\/p>\n<p>CALLOUT: NAATs for BV are performed using a vaginal swab. <\/p>\n<p>Other NAAT benefits:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"ee-ul\">\n<li>Ability to diagnosis multiple infections from one sample<\/li>\n<li>Quick results in about 24 hours<\/li>\n<li>Self-collection options<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>NAATs for BV are usually covered by insurance \u2014 but only if you have symptoms.<\/p>\n<p>Ask your clinician about a NAAT for BV and whether it\u2019s the best option for you.<\/p>\n<p><strong>BV increases your risk of other STIs, including HIV<\/strong><strong><br \/><\/strong><strong><br \/><\/strong>If left untreated, BV can also lead to:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"ee-ul\">\n<li>Pelvic inflammatory disease<\/li>\n<li>Premature birth and low birth weight if you\u2019re pregnant<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>BV is not an STI, but it can be passed during sex with a male or female partner<\/p>\n<p><strong>BV is common in women, so don\u2019t ignore the symptoms. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Talk to your clinician about getting tested for BV.<\/p>\n<p><em><em>This educational resource was created with support from Hologic, a HealthyWomen Corporate Advisory Council member.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><em><br \/><\/em><\/em><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthywomen.org\/topics\/what-is-bacterial-vaginosis-graphic\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is an infection that happens when more \u201cbad\u201d bacteria takes over healthy bacteria in the vagina. About 1 in 3 women will experience BV. Symptoms of BV The most common symptom of BV is abnormal vaginal discharge. White, gray or greenish in color Other BV symptoms include: A fishy smell \u2014 especially after sex Pain in and around the vagina Itching in or outside the vagina Burning when peeing New testing technology = more accurate results Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests (NAATs) offer higher accuracy in detecting BV-associated bacteria than traditional tests that use microscopes. CALLOUT: NAATs for BV are performed using a vaginal swab. Other NAAT benefits: Ability to diagnosis multiple infections from one sample Quick results in about 24 hours Self-collection options NAATs for BV are usually covered by insurance \u2014 but only if you have symptoms. Ask your clinician about a NAAT for BV and whether it\u2019s the best option for you. BV increases your risk of other STIs, including HIVIf left untreated, BV can also lead to: Pelvic inflammatory disease Premature birth and low birth weight if you\u2019re pregnant BV is not an STI, but it can be passed during sex with a male or female partner BV is common in women, so don\u2019t ignore the symptoms. Talk to your clinician about getting tested for BV. This educational resource was created with support from Hologic, a HealthyWomen Corporate Advisory Council member. Source link<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4110,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4109","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/drsoniafawad.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4109","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/drsoniafawad.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/drsoniafawad.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drsoniafawad.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drsoniafawad.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4109"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/drsoniafawad.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4109\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drsoniafawad.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4110"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/drsoniafawad.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drsoniafawad.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4109"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drsoniafawad.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}