Your Health

Know More About Common Infections

Posted 6/15/2010

(NAPSI)-Taking some time to learn about common infections can save women critical time and money. After all, when an infection strikes, today's busy women want to deal with it quickly and accurately so they can get back to their normal daily routines.

A Prevalent Condition

It's a little-known health fact that bacterial vaginosis, or BV, is actually the single most common vaginal infection among women between the ages of 18 and 50--even more prevalent than yeast infection.

Surprisingly, health care professionals estimate that BV is twice as common as yeast infections, yet awareness about yeast infections remains significantly higher--partly due to the wide array of over-the-counter yeast infection products available to women.

So what exactly is BV? As implied by its name, bacterial vaginosis is an infection caused by bacteria in the vagina. There are typically both "good" and "bad" bacteria in any healthy vagina--with the good types helping to control the overgrowth of bad types. The balance between the two can be disturbed by a variety of factors, causing an overgrowth of "bad" bacteria, which results in BV. A yeast infection, on the other hand, is caused by an overgrowth of yeast cells. Yeast is a fungus that normally lives in the vagina, but when it becomes too prevalent, a yeast infection will occur.

It is very important for women to realize that yeast infections and bacterial vaginosis are two very different conditions, which also must be treated differently.

How To Identify BV

While only a physician can provide a definite diagnosis, the easiest way for a woman to differentiate BV from a yeast infection is the presence or lack of odor. BV infections typically produce an unpleasant, potentially embarrassing vaginal odor while yeast infections are usually odor-free. Yeast infections are also more likely to be accompanied by painful itch and burning, while these symptoms are less common in BV. Finally, BV often produces a much thinner, gray discharge as compared to the white, lumpy discharge often associated with yeast infection.

New Treatment Option

Up till now, women had no over-the-counter treatment option for BV symptoms, but that has changed. vH essentials, a new brand in the feminine hygiene aisle, is offering the first over-the-counter BV treatment available at drugstores including CVS, RiteAid and Walgreens. This affordable, all-natural BV-treatment option is a homeopathic vaginal insert that provides fast and effective relief from the odor, discharge and discomfort associated with BV.

An added benefit for women is that, unlike antibiotics, vH essentials' BV Treatment does not indiscriminately kill healthy bacteria. Rather, it works with a woman's body to naturally restore balance.

For additional information, call (800) 635-3696 or visit www.vHessentials.com.

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