Things like unbearable itching, a burning sensation of the irritated area, painful sexual intercourse, pain during urination, yeasty smelling or cottage cheese-like discharge, and a rash are all indications that you might be suffering from a yeast infection, or bacterial vaginosis.

It doesn’t have to follow of course that what you have is a yeast infection, but these are all good indicators. If you feel that you might have a yeast infection, there are a few things that you might want to do first.

Consulting a trained medical physician should be the first order of the day if this is the first time you have ever had a yeast infection. If your bacterial vaginosis is recurrent then you always have the option of treating it yourself through one of the many home remedies.

Another thing that you might want to look into doing if you believe that you have bacterial vaginosis is to abstain from sexual intercourse as your partner might also contract this infection. Although bacterial vaginosis isn’t a sexually transmitted disease, it can be transferred from one partner to the other through sexual intercourse.

Since bacterial vaginosis can be recurrent in some women, it’s always best to know what the causes are of this particular infection. By knowing this information you then have the option of being able to take preventative measures and steps to help stop the recurrence of a yeast infection.

Causes of bacterial vaginosis can include hormonal imbalance and things leading to a hormonal imbalance like pregnancy, menopause, and menstruation. All of these can lead to a bodily imbalance which in turn can lead to bacterial vaginosis.

There are also those factors which can throw the pH balance of the vagina out of synch. When this happens the yeast inducing bacteria can have free reign to thrive in the vagina.

These factors include the use of douches or feminine sprays, the use of scented feminine hygiene products, the use of spermicides, and prolonged contact with semen.

There are also other factors to take in such as the prolonged use of antibiotics, birth control pills, stress, and even certain types of clothing such as too-tight jeans and wet bathing suits.

As you can see bacterial vaginosis can arise as a result of many factors, but if you take care to avoid most of these, you should be able to prevent bacterial vaginosis from occurring or even recurring.