Welcome to discomfort exactly where you don’t want it: vaginal infections. Or should we just say welcome to being a woman. Yes, being brazen and all that, we don’t really have a choice when it comes to sharing important female info. We can’t just tell you about how fabulous life feels on this side of gender all the time. Because hey, we’d be lying—and you’d know it.
The fact is, you’re part of a community here. We’ve all experienced this lovely condition, with ugly side effects we try to hide. Well, we may as well come right out and shed some light on this common problem already. Otherwise, how are we going to treat it and move on to bigger and better things, like exercising and shucking oysters and great sex?
OK, time to go down south to the nitty gritty. Did you know there is more than one type of vaginal infection? And that if you don’t use the right product to treat the right one, you may be causing more harm than good? Well, you do now. Time to get educated, ladies.
What is the vaginal ecosystem?
Sounds so female, right? It is. And here’s why.
Your vaginal flora, in case you don’t know, is made up of various types of microorganisms, both beneficial and harmful, that coexist to create a natural balance ecosystem. These microorganisms prevent harmful bacteria from attaching to surface of the vaginal walls.
There are many things we do that affect our vaginal ecosystem—everything from hormonal changes in menopause to wearing clothes that are too tight for your body to lounging around in a wet swimsuit—but for some reason, women have trouble discussing what’s going on down there.
Here’s what can happen in your vaginal ecosystem, leading to those damn infections:
• Change in pH can lead to an overgrowth of harmful bacteria such as yeast
• pH Imbalance can lead to an infection
• Causes:
◦ Smoking
◦ Hormonal changes via aging (menopause), pregnancy etc.
◦ Illness
◦ Multiple frequent sexual partners
◦ Tight clothes
◦ Moist environment that can happen from sweaty workout clothes and wet swimsuits
◦ Antibiotics that kill healthy bacteria
The Different Types of Vaginal Infections
We have all had the pleasure of dealing with vaginal infections but most of us don’t stop and think about what exactly we’re suffering from—or treating. Both Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) and Yeast Infections are caused by an overgrowth. The difference is that one is too much bacteria and the other is too much yeast.
Bacterial Vaginosis or BV
What it is: BV is the most common vaginal infection. Caused by too much bad bacteria, it leads to an imbalance in pH because the unhealthy bacteria flourishes in an elevated pH level.
How you know you have it: The symptoms of BV are greyish white vaginal discharge, “fishy odour”, elevated pH
Yeast Infection
What it is: When too much yeast is present, the protective bacteria is destroyed, causing a yeast infection to flourish.
How you know you have it: The symptoms of a yeast infection are thick and whitish discharge, itching, burning sensation when you pee, and odourless vaginal discharge
How to Treat Vaginal Infections
We have all had the pleasure of dealing with vaginal infections but most of us don’t stop and think about what exactly we’re suffering from—or treating. Both Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) and Yeast Infections are caused by an overgrowth. The difference is that one is too much bacteria and the other is too much yeast.
Bacterial Vaginosis or BV
What it is: BV is the most common vaginal infection. Caused by too much bad bacteria, it leads to an imbalance in pH because the unhealthy bacteria flourishes in an elevated pH level.
How you know you have it: The symptoms of BV are greyish white vaginal discharge, “fishy odour”, elevated pH
Yeast Infection
What it is: When too much yeast is present, the protective bacteria is destroyed, causing a yeast infection to flourish.
How you know you have it: The symptoms of a yeast infection are thick and whitish discharge, itching, burning sensation when you pee, and odourless vaginal discharge
How to Treat Vaginal Infections
One great option, which treats both types of infections, is a medication called Provacare. Because this is an over-the-counter option, it takes the embarrassment out of it and helps with those pesky infections.
In a nutshell, Provacare prevents and treats both BV and yeast infections by creating an unfavourable environment for bacteria to thrive.
It also does all this good stuff:
• Helps prevent reoccurring yeast infection, and the symptoms of burning, vaginal dryness and excessive discharge
• Helps treats bacterial vaginosis by repopulating the vaginal ecosystem with the correct type of healthy bacteria in the correct quantities
• Helps restores normal vaginal floral
And there are more benefits that make us fans:
• It’s easy to use: Just insert one ovule (capsule) twice daily for 7 days
• Provacare doesn’t contain any harsh chemicals
• Because it is taken over a 7-day period, it provides the proper amount of medication directly to the site to help treat the infection and restore proper balance
• Unlike single dose treatments contain a higher percent of the active ingredient and can cause unpleasant side effects, it is easier on your system
