Overview
Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a vaginal infection that is caused from an overgrowth of bacteria. It is important to know that every healthy vagina has bacteria. Basically, these bacteria balance each other. Sometimes, the bad bacteria grows too much and trumps the good bacteria. This throws off the balance of bacteria in your vagina and leads to bacterial vaginosis.
A common symptom for bacterial vaginosis is a likely “fishy” odor it may cause your vaginal discharge to have. It can also cause vaginal irritation in some people. In some cases, one may not experience any symptoms.
Bacterial vaginosis is a very common vaginal problem for women and people assigned female at birth, especially those between the ages 15 to 44. In fact, about 35% of people with a vagina will get BV. Black women have a higher risk.