Bacterial Vaginosis

Symptoms

About half of women with bacterial vaginosis have no telltale symptoms.² Bacterial vaginosis does not typically cause itching. But it does cause:

• An excessive greyish white vaginal discharge, unlike normal vaginal discharge (1 in 3 women with bacterial vaginosis describe the discharge as yellow).³
• A bothersome "fishy" odour, which is usually worse after sex (intercourse).

Other conditions with similar symptoms include some sexually transmitted infections (especially trichomoniasis), urinary tract infection, and vaginal yeast infection.

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Author:	Douglas Dana Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS	Last Updated: May 5, 2008
Medical Review:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine Jeanne Marrazzo, MD, MPH - Infectious Disease Andrew Swan, MD, CCFP, FCFP - Family Medicine
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