Women's Health
Know Your Body 🌿
Understand what's happening in your body with honest, evidence-based information, then take a moment to listen, track, and know when it's time to ask for care.
A gentle reminder: This is educational information shared with love, not medical advice. Always talk with your trusted healthcare provider about what's right for your body.
What brings you here today?
Start with what feels closest to what you're experiencing.
Your Cycle & Periods
Understand changes in your cycle, bleeding, symptoms, and period care.
Vaginal & Sexual Health
Find clear, shame-free guidance for common symptoms, infections, and sexual health.
Fertility & Pregnancy
Explore early pregnancy, fertility experiences, and the people who can support your care.
Conditions & Women's Health
Learn about common conditions, procedures, and changes that deserve informed care.
Hormones & Life Changes
Make sense of hormonal transitions and the changes they can bring.
Preventive & Clinical Care
Prepare for screenings and everyday preventive care with confidence.
What is BV?
Bacterial vaginosis is the most common vaginal condition in people of reproductive age. It happens when the balance of bacteria in the vagina shifts, the protective Lactobacillus decreases and other bacteria overgrow. It's not an STI, but sex can trigger it.
Causes & triggers
- New or multiple sexual partners
- Unprotected sex, semen changes vaginal pH
- Douching
- Scented products, harsh soaps
- Hormonal changes (period, pregnancy)
- IUDs (in some cases)
- Sometimes no clear cause
Symptoms
- Thin, gray, white, or greenish discharge
- Strong "fishy" odor, often stronger after sex
- Mild itching or burning (often less intense than yeast)
- Sometimes no symptoms at all
BV vs yeast, how to tell
| Sign | BV | Yeast |
|---|---|---|
| Discharge | Thin, gray/white | Thick, white, "cottage cheese" |
| Odor | Strong, fishy | Usually none |
| Itching | Mild or none | Intense |
| Cause | Bacterial imbalance | Fungal overgrowth |
Treatment
- Metronidazole (oral or vaginal gel), prescription, 5–7 days
- Clindamycin cream, prescription alternative
- Tinidazole, oral option
- Avoid alcohol while on metronidazole or tinidazole
- BV often recurs, some providers recommend maintenance gel after treatment
Prevention
- Don't douche, ever
- Skip scented products and harsh soaps
- Condoms reduce BV risk
- Cotton underwear
- Probiotics with Lactobacillus crispatus and L. rhamnosus
- Wipe front to back
See a doctor if…
- You suspect BV (it needs prescription treatment, no OTC option)
- You're pregnant, untreated BV is linked to preterm birth
- BV keeps coming back
- You have fever, pelvic pain, or unusual bleeding
Symptom check
Where your health journey continues
Know Your Body can help you understand what's happening. When you're ready to go deeper, explore the part of the garden that fits your season.
Cycle Garden
Track your cycle and understand your rhythm.
Growing
Support for fertility, conception, and trying to conceive.
Blooming
Pregnancy guidance for each stage of the journey.
Mother Bloom
Care for recovery, feeding, and life after birth.
Final Bloom
Navigate perimenopause, menopause, and what comes next.
Inner Garden
Tend to your emotional and mental well-being.