Yeast Infection Symptoms and Bacterial Vaginosis Symptoms – What’s the Difference?

Did you know that yeast infections are not the most common type of vaginal infection in the United States?  Surprisingly, bacterial vaginosis (BV) infections have taken the lead in female gynecological disorders.

Unfortunately, yeast infection symptoms can be somewhat similar to bacterial vaginosis symptoms.  Therefore, it’s good to know the difference in the two before you decide on a course of treatment or spend money on yeast infection medicine.

Unfortunately, BV goes undiagnosed quite often and leads to lingering gynecological problems for many women.

As we discussed previously, yeast, or candida albicans, infections occur when the good bacteria or gut flora is outnumbered by an overgrowth of yeast in the vagina.

Conversely, bacterial vaginosis occurs when there is an overgrowth of the naturally occurring bacteria in the vagina.  It is thought that BV may be caused by increased sexual activity—causing a bacterial imbalance in the vagina.

A couple of yeast infection symptoms that both  share are the presence of a bad odor, a white discharge, a burning sensation when you urinate, and irritation and itching outside of the vaginal area.

That sounds pretty much like a classic case of a yeast infection, doesn’t it?  Now you can see why it’s important to be able to distinguish between the two.

While yeast infections are mostly just unpleasant and may clear up on their own, bacterial vaginosis is a little more serious and could cause serious health concerns under certain conditions if it is left untreated.

For instance, while yeast infections pose little to no risk to pregnant women, bacterial vaginosis causes premature labor or low birth weight risks.  Recurrent bacterial vaginosis may also lead to infertility in women if left untreated.  It also puts you at higher risk of getting pelvic inflammatory disease after having a surgical procedure as well as putting you at an increased risk of contracting a sexually transmitted disease or STD.

So what are yeast infection symptoms that don’t resemble those of bacterial vaginosis?

For one, the smell is often different.  If there is vaginal odor that smells like beer, bread, or, well…yeast, then it’s a pretty good indicator that it is in fact a candida albicans infection.  Even though the yeast used in baking is an entirely different species from the one that grows in your vagina, they tend to emit the same smell.

Bacterial vaginosis discharge will smell like something rotting or like fish (and you thought yeast infections were unpleasant).  Also, symptoms of itching may be somewhat milder with BV as opposed to typical yeast infection symptoms.

Many people think that in order for an infection to be caused by yeast, there must be discharge resembling cottage cheese present.  This isn’t so.  Yeast infections can cause discharge to look white and watery or thick and chunky.  However, if you have vaginal discharge that is yellow, green, grey, or brown in color, it’s time for a visit to your doctor.  Yeast infections do not cause discharge to turn any of these colors.

The truth is, yeast infection symptoms can be difficult to distinguish from bacterial vaginosis symptoms without a doctor’s diagnosis, unless you’ve been diagnosed with BV before and are familiar with the symptoms.

If you have any doubts about the nature of your infection, make an appointment with your doctor for a definitive diagnosis so that your problem may be treated effectively.