These comments are made for the purpose of discussion and should NOT be used as recommendations for or against therapies or other treatments. An individual patient is always advised to consult their own physician.
Vaginal Infection
Question: I am a 38 female and for the past two years I have battled “fishy” smell from my
vaginal area. I have had anti-fungus medication orally and cream, but it continues
to come back. My boyfriend and I used a condom for several months before
going naked. I was fine until we tried this. My doctor said it was due to
the suddenly change in my pH that cause a bacterial growth and if my friend
was not having any problems then he did not have to be treated. This heals
for awhile and it returns. I do not know what to tell my boyfriend.
Answer: If treating you has not worked I’d certainly try treating your boyfriend. It has nothing to do with sexual transmission but, with pragmatism.
Persistant Odor
Question:I am a 23 year old female. Approximately 1 year ago my boy-friend and I noticed a change in my female “odor”. We have what I believe to be a mongamous relationsihp but I had STD tests just to make sure and everything was negative. There has not been an increase or change in vaginal discharge but I did notice that “air bubbles” were coming from my vagina. I went to my gynacologist 5 months ago for my yearly checkup and he said he was concerned because he noticed air bubbles in my vaginal mucous, but when he look at it under the microscope, he says he didn’t see any bacteria. I have become so exasperated with this, it really bothers me and my boyfriend notices it to. He said “You always used to smell so clean.” This upset me because I am not doing anything differently than I used to, but I still have this strong odor. (There is no itching or redness either). I finally decided to try a yeast infection product (over-the-counter) and the odor was gone for about 1 week, then the airbubbles returned along with the odor. I really hope that someone knows what this is because my doctor doesn’t I’m worried that there may be something wrong with me that could affect my reproductive ability. Please let me know if you have any suggestions.
Answer:There are several non-specific infections of the vagina that could cause these symptoms. These are either fungal, trichomonal infections, or non-specific bacterial infections. Of these,
the one that produces an odor is usually bacterial infections. The usual organism is G. Vaginalis and is treated with clindamycin vaginal cream or metronidazole gel or orally. It is not clear whether this is sexually transmitted or not and antibiotic treatment of men does not seem of affect reoccurance. There are some who consider it a risk factor for infections of the fallopian tubes and subsequent difficulty becoming pregnant. However, if this is the case, it has been somewhat difficult to prove. This is a fairly common problem-if your doctor doesn’t know how to treat this simple a problem you might consider finding one who will.
