Treatment of Bacterial Vaginosis With Probiotics

Treatment of bacterial vaginosis with probiotics is intriguing. Many women want to know what BV is and if they might have it, how to diagnosis BV or how to cure BV. As discussed on the page about conventional treatment for bacterial vaginosis, conventional treatment involves antibiotics and the failure rate is high, with more than half of treated women experiencing another BV infection within 3 months.

Medically-speaking, only doctors and drugs are able to treat and cure diseases. However, giving probiotics in addition to, or in the place of, antibiotic therapy has shown promising results. The logic behind giving probiotics to women with a history of BV is to displace the pathogens and reestablish a dominant probiotics population. The probiotic bacteria can then work with the body’s immune systems to eradicate the infection.

Treatment of Bacterial Vaginosis with Probiotics? Which Probiotics?

Numerous microbes, including Lactobacillus species, have the potential to be involved with treatment of bacterial vaginosis. L. iners, gasseri, crispatus, plantarum, rhamnosus, jensenii, vaginas, reuteri, acidophilus and salivarius are some of the Lactobacillus species.

There is anecdotal evidence that some women have experienced relief from BV using tampons soaked in plain yogurt containing Lactobacillus acidophilus or from gently injecting plain yogurt containing acidophilus strains species into their vaginas with turkey basters or other gentle methods.

What Do Scientific Studies Show about Treatment of Bacterial Vaginosis with Probiotics?

A 2017 study showed that women with higher levels of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus were linked to lower risk of premature birth, while higher levels of several anaerobic bacteria were linked to a higher risk. In other words, BV may increase the risk of premature birth.

A 2017 Human Microbiome Project study showed that while the vaginal microbiome can be characterized in general terms, there are stable community types that are more personalized in each microbiome. This can be one reason why drugs targeting BV are not very effective.

Treatment of Bacterial Vaginosis with Two Well-Known Probiotics

Successful treatment of bacterial vaginosis with probiotics using two Lactobacillus strains, L. rhamnosus GR-1 and L. reuteri RC-14, was proven in clinical performance. No side effects were reported in studies.

Note that these are not the only 2 probiotics which can be effective.

Where to Find L. rhamnosus GR-1 and L. reuteri RC-14

My first advice is to see your doctor for an accurate diagnosis and to know the severity of your infection. Then, discuss how to cure BV using either:

  • probiotics in combination with antibiotics;
  • or probiotics alone.

NOTE: If you don't make the appropriate changes to your diet and lifestyle, chances are that you are going to relapse with BV. Taking probiotic supplements to help with a condition like BV is fine, but just like a drug, shortly after you stop taking it the advantages cease. Knowing how to cure BV means knowing that long-term positive changes in your life have more impact than short-term ones do, so consider nutritional consultations for help in making the best choices for you.

As Albert Einstein said, "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them."

As of the time this page was written, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1 and Lactobacillus reuteri RC-14 are patented probiotic strains and are found in two main products:

Fem-Dophilus, marketed by Jarrow and available to the general public. For my review of this probiotic supplement, click here.

Or you can buy now at at this link.

Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1 and L. reuteri RC-14 are in Fem-Dophilus

RepHresh Pro-B, marketed by Lil’ Drug Store Products and available to the general public. For my review of the product, click right here.

Or you can buy now at at this link.

Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1 and L. reuteri RC-14 are in RepHresh Pro-B

Another Option for BV

Another product marketed for BV is a product called "FloraFemme". FloraFemme is a probiotic suppository capsule that is inserted directly into the vagina. You can read about it here.

You can purchase FloraFemme here.
FloraFemme is a Women's Vaginal Suppository Probiotic supplement

Return to conventional treatment of BV.

Return to BV diagnosis.

Return to page about BV.

Go to page about Vaginitis.

Return to Homepage.

I research studies and share my clinical experience to write this free site to help you find solutions to your problems. As part of that, I recommend products and services that I genuinely believe will be of help to you. If you click on a link to a product/service, I may receive a small commission to support my efforts if you buy something. The item does not cost you more.

Thanks for visiting this site! If you've enjoyed reading this page or have found the information to be useful to you, please "like", tweet about it, or share it so others can benefit, too. You can leave comments below via Facebook or Disqus.

Comment with Facebook!

I'd love to hear your opinion about what you just read. Leave me a comment in the box below! Other commenting options follow the Facebook comments.

Comment with Disqus (including as a guest), Twitter or Google accounts:

If you are one of my many readers without a Facebook account, you can still comment.


Disclaimer: Please note: By law, I cannot provide any personalized recommendations for your specific health concern on this site. The information contained in this site is educational in nature and is not intended as diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure for any physical or mental disease, nor is it intended as a substitute for regular medical care. Consult with your doctor regarding any health or medical concerns you may have.

Subscribe to my monthly newsletter and receive a free copy of "How to Use Probiotics to Lose Weight and Be Healthier".

To comply with the EU's GDPR data privacy regulation, please subscribe here:


Looking for some quality professional supplements, including probiotics? Check out my online dispensary, as I will be doing reviews of some of these products in the future. Click on the Fullscript picture. (Note: If you were a former Wellevate customer, please switch to Fullscript for a better customer experience. Thanks!)


SiteSell Hosting

Some competitors of SBI (Solo Build It) are posting fake negative reviews of SBI. If you are considering creating your own website business, or if you have a brick-and-mortar business but want an online presence, I highly recommend SBI!