STD BACTERIAL VAGINOSIS: WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?
As many as half of the women with BV have no noticeable symptoms, and the diagnosis is often made when a woman has a routine gynecological examination or an examination for other reasons. If BV does produce symptoms, they are often subtle and include a thin white to gray discharge from the vagina and a “fishy” odor. The odor is stronger after sexual intercourse and during a period. BV does not cause inflammation of the vagina or labia but frequently.
Despite its mild symptoms, BV can cause serious complications when a woman who has the infection undergoes an invasive procedure such as an abortion, a biopsy of the endometrium (the lining of the uterus), placement of an IUD, or hysterosalpingography (a procedure in which dye is inserted into the uterus and Fallopian tubes to help visualize abnormalities). Although BV usually does not cause infection above the vagina, under these circumstances it can cause infection higher up, in the cervix or uterus, which can result in pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). (See the section on pelvic inflammatory disease.) Any woman who has BV whether or not it is symptomatic, should be treated for the infection before having an abortion.
BV has also recently been associated with several complications of pregnancy, including preterm delivery, delivery of a low-birth-weight may cause mild itching. These symptoms may cause more psychological than physical stress, especially if the infection recurs infant, premature rupture of membranes, premature labor, and infection of the uterus and amniotic fluid. Between 12 and 22 percent of pregnant women have By so many women and infants are potentially at risk. Many specialists recommend treating the infection in pregnant women, particularly those who are in the high-risk category and have delivered a premature infant in the past.
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