identified as a cause of recurrent discharge
a consideration can be made whether to go
on hormone replacement therapy, HRT.
Douching: what in heavens is douching?
This is a practice that has gained popularity
and some people do it without realizing
the harm they are causing to themselves.
Douching is cleaning the vagina even
with just simple water and majority of
people will use even scented soaps gels
and there are other harmful practices such
as inserting stones that corrode the vagina
and hence “tighten” it. Big myth but long
and short I normally tell my clients that
the vagina is self-cleaning like those self-
cleaning irons and microwaves!
Don’t clean the vagina with anything
harmful. This is what will cause an
imbalance with the bacteria. Avoid
tub bathing as well if you get recurrent
vaginitis; same principle as douching.
For those women using the Intrauterine
Contraceptive Device and keep having
recurrent discharge following proper
management definitely a consideration to
change the type of contraceptive can be
made after thorough screening for other
risk factors and avoiding them. Don’t get
me wrong the IUCD is a fantastic device
for contraception and has been used
successfully and many women swear by it
and I strongly recommend it for women
who opt for this method.
On the issue of sexual activity one cannot
overemphasize on avoiding multiple sexual
partners and protecting oneself from
disease by use of condoms unless one is in
a mutually exclusive relationship and we
all know you can only vouch for yourself
but trust and believe that your partner
is behaving appropriately. Currently
the issue of whether to treat your sexual
partner if you are diagnosed with BV is
controversial as research does not seem
to show a benefit, however if the partner
has another partner treating that partner
seems to help. For me I will treat all as I
don’t want to do guess work so men “Pole!
Dawa mtameza!”
The prognosis for uncomplicated cases
of Bacterial Vaginosis is generally
excellent, when assessed promptly it
typically resolves with standard antibiotic
treatment. Long-standing or untreated
BV may lead to more serious sequelae,
such as endometritis (infection of inner
lining of uterus), salpingitis (infection of
the fallopian tubes), pelvic inflammatory
disease, or complications of pregnancy,
including premature rupture of membranes,
premature labor, chorioamnionitis, and
postpartum endometritis. BV leads to
an increased risk for acquiring HIV and
other STIs. Post-gynecologic procedure
infections such as vaginal cuff cellulitis
after a hysterectomy and post-abortion
infection may also occur.
My two cents on BV! I hope it will be
of valuable use to you and your pips. For
any Gynae challenges please free to come
in for a consultation or see your regular
gynaecologist.
Dr. Maureen Owiti is a practicing
Obstetrician Gynaecologist and
fertility consultant based in Nairobi.
You can commune with her on this
or related matters via email at:
Drmaureenowiti@gmail.com.
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