# Could IBS be linked to bacterial vaginosis?



## Journo24

I never had either bacterial vaginosis or IBS in my life until late last year. I was very stressed out and then suddenly started to suffer very badly with bacterial vaginosis, out of the blue (its characterised by its fishy odor 'down there' even when you are clean and just out of the shower). I did not know what was wrong, but I thought i could get it to go away. I couldn't. The IBS followed in Feb 2009 and has been ruining my life ever since, hence why i am on this forum. I tried antibiotics three times, including the awful metrozinide which makes you feel rough as hell. I got tested for STI's twice. I tried yogurt drinks, the gels, the creams, the pills, the underwear, I wore the t-shirt! Then I heard an amazing cure - garlic tablets. I got one home, opened the capsule that ur meant to swallow and put it in a small bit of yogurt. Dipped it in a tampon and well, i don't need to explain. Anyway.. long story short it worked.. for about three days. Apparently you need to keep taking the garlic tablets orally but they are expensive.. never mind just that, i would pay, but the oral garlic tabs alone didn't seem to work as well (but then to be fair i didnt try for very long, perhaps they would) Now I am going to try some better probiotics, i am going to use all my determination to find the best ones! I am sick of it. Between the BV and the IBS my life has been an absolute mess for the past 10 months! I have been stressed to the nines and never stopped with my busy life, so perhaps the stress caused the whole thing. The worst part about it is the doctors. I've been prescribed the drugs for the BV that don't work.. it keeps coming back and i swear it gets worse every time cos the antibiotics kills the good bacteria. I've been told i dont have bv after a swab test, that it is thrush.. its not thrush, its bv! I tried all the 'thrush' cures like 5 times and its not that. I've been prescribed antidepressants and counselling and finally IBS drugs for my IBS.. and did i get any wise words? One kind nurse, who wasn't even allowed to prescribe! Doctors need to be trained on this. In my eyes they are definitely linked. The person who can come up with a cure for BV and IBS would earn a fortune! Has anyone else noticed this link? Obviously IBS has something to do with a bacterial imbalance in the stomach and intestines that maybe sometimes travels down as far as the urethra where it causes a bacterial imbalance there. I have seen a few people on this website recommend probiotics as an aid to help IBS and seen medical websites that recommend the same.. then I'm also told probiotics help BV.. it all seems too coincidental not to not be linked somehow. I would love to hear from any women suffering the same challenges.. Thanks for listening


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## jps77

Hi, I totally have had the same problem. I was diagnosed with IBS 15 years ago but never had problem with BV. I had a terrible onset of IBS 12 months ago and then it all started. I have had recurring BV for the last 12 months. I get IBS symptoms first - constipation, abdominal pain, nausea, rib joint pain, - and then a week into it I get BV. I am sure it is linked. I have had Metronizadole Antibiotics to treat the BV more than 8 times this year. Each time I go to my doctor they say its not related but Im positive that it is. I felt like I was going insane but now I have seen your blog I feel so much better. I have been taking Probiotics and this seems to have helped. I have found a complete flush out of my system (Klean Prep - used prior to colonoscopy) has helped relieve all symptoms - maybe I had a blockage. Will now try to continue with the probiotic and see if it stays away.Good luck. It is so frustrating and upsetting. Keep trying and keep going back to doctor. Dont give up.


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## Kathleen M.

The intestines aren't connected to either the ureter or the vagina, so any transfer has to be from outside (like wiping). Well at least in the normal human, people can get fistulas between any two organs, but that would cause more problems then it sounds like you are having.Anytime you take antibiotics you will get a different set of bacteria in the colon and sometimes people get a set that will set of IBS (but IBS is not merely a bacterial balance problem, but that can hurt or help if you adjust the balance with antibiotics or probiotics).The same friendly bacteria can live in the intestines and in the vagina, but I don't think there is evidence they are one in the same disorder, or that the imbalances in both places are the exact same as they are different ecosystems. However something like antibiotics will disrupt both ecosystems as they don't know which body part they were prescribed for and will do their thing in all parts of the body.


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## Cocomero

I also STRONGLY suspect there is a connection between BV and IBS. I have read that there IS research being done into whether bacteria could "leak" from the colon/ gut somehow. In other words, the means of bacteria getting from the bowel to the vagina MIGHT be internal, and NOT only in an extreme case like a fistula. This stuck in my mind because it sounds scary (!) and also tallies with what I go through. I will try to see if I can find any good citation for this.Like Jps77, my personal experience is that bouts of bowel discomfort (I have not been formally diagnosed with IBS, as I suspect there is little point) precede BV. In my case they are usually also joined by a urinary tract infection . . . quite the trifecta. This all started about 4 or 5 years ago and in fact the first thing to happen was a UTI which came on very suddenly and within a matter of hours was so bad I was peeing blood. I have had multiple rounds of antibiotics including Metronidazole for BV and have had several more episodes of peeing blood, which of course lands me back on antibiotics again, temporarily clearing it up. I am really health conscious and eat a very healthy diet so I am mystified as to why I would keep experiencing these problems. I'll keep monitoring this thread to see if others are able to offer any insight!!


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## JK1983

When I first had IBS symptoms (a year ago), I first got BV. The IBS was more persistent then and once I took the meds for the BV it went away. It came back maybe 2 months later. As the year progressed, the IBS was worse and the BV was occasional. In the last 4-5 months my IBS has been under control. My BV on the other hand has been crazy. I'd take the gels and it would go away for like a week and come back. It is to a point now where no matter what meds I take, it won't go away! My doctor doesn't think it is related, but I think it is. If a pharmasist can suggest to me try taking Acidophilus pills to help produce more good bacteria for both the colon and vagina, why can't my doctor see that they are connected. My doctor feels that BV is of no big deal, like IBS, but to me it IS! I am tired of being embarassed and so secretive. I feel like part of my life is being taken from me! I feel like I am running out of suggestions. I'm taking the Acidophilus pills and it is helping my colon, but it is not helping with the BV so far. I will continue to take them in hopes that they do work.


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## Milly1

In my experience most definately! I have had IBS (D)for over 20 years....made much worse by taking the contraceptive pill. Stopped taking the pill about 8 years ago and the BV started...I am now on a low dose HRT and bingo, BV has disappeared but IBS is back. I have found that probiotics go some way to helping but the key is the acid/ alkaline PH balance in the body - both BV and IBS are affected by this. I have found that if I stick to a clean diet of mainly veg, salads, rice and chicken both things are better. Dairy stuff and saturated fats are completely out now...it definately makes a difference. Hope that might help!


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## Rowe2

Milly1 said:


> In my experience most definately! I have had IBS (D)for over 20 years....made much worse by taking the contraceptive pill. Stopped taking the pill about 8 years ago and the BV started...I am now on a low dose HRT and bingo, BV has disappeared but IBS is back. I have found that probiotics go some way to helping but the key is the acid/ alkaline PH balance in the body - both BV and IBS are affected by this. I have found that if I stick to a clean diet of mainly veg, salads, rice and chicken both things are better. Dairy stuff and saturated fats are completely out now...it definately makes a difference. Hope that might help!


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## Rowe2

While all of this makes sense since I experience both, it seems it can't be the direct cause of IBS due to the fact men also have IBS. Just a thought.


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## Fancyfancy

I can see why you might think there was a link, but BV is incredibly common so the more likely answer is that many women who have IBS also incidentally have BV. Many women who have BV however, do not have IBS. Also, BV recurs in something like 50-80% of women. Basically the antibiotics aren't very effective.


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## rudypie

I see that this is a very old thread but I was just searching on the interwebs for this exact question. I don't see why anyone would not see the bacterial imbalance connection. I have had IBS (D) for 25 years. I have also struggled with UTIs and BV for the same amount of time. Sure, there may not be a direct physical connection between the gut and the vagina, but what is the root cause of the IBS in the first place? Do we know this? If a weakened immune system causes bacterial overgrowth in the gut, couldn't it be possible that the same person with this infliction would also have a weakened immune system in the vagina? I will say that garlic pills (the expensive kind- Allimed) were the first supplement to ever work to eradicate the BV for me. I took 1 pill, 3x/day and the BV was gone for the first time in years. Of course, it returned when I stopped taking the garlic and the IBS was not improved with the garlic pills but after trying every kind of antibiotic and every kind of natural treatment that never worked, I was astonished that the garlic pills worked. I am now trying a cheaper version of garlic pill (Garlinase) and I think if I take it 3x/day, it actually keeps BV at bay. Anyway, surprising to me that the above thread has so many nay-sayers against the connection between the 2.


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## rudypie

Rowe2 said:


> While all of this makes sense since I experience both, it seems it can't be the direct cause of IBS due to the fact men also have IBS. Just a thought.


Men don't have warm, wet, internal ecosystems in the genitals like women do.


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## amandalk

I've had BV going on and off for almost the past year. I've also developed IBS-C within the past year as well. I believe the two are linked but my doctor doesn't think it's related at all. I just find it odd that as soon as I develop one, the other flares up as well...


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