FNU Specific Goals for Treatment of The Bacterial Vaginosis Patient Discussion

The specific goals for treatment of the bacterial vaginosis patient include; relieving the signs and symptoms of the infection; odor and white vaginal discharge, reducing the risk of complications associated with the disease, reducing the risk of acquiring STDs, and finally, the patient wants to recover from the bacteria vaginosis fully. The recommended regimen would be oral metronidazole or metronidazole gel to be used intravaginally. Metronidazole is the best option as it has the benefit of treating present upper-tract infections. Metronidazole vaginal gel is an effective treatment that is applied to the vagina before bed for five days. This treatment is associated with minimal side effects as compared to oral metronidazole. The side effects of oral metronidazole include nausea, metallic taste, and short-term low blood count. Follow-up visits may not be necessary if the symptoms improve after treatment. Pregnant women with bacterial vaginosis infection are at the risk of preterm birth and, therefore, should seek treatment, preferably oral therapy with metronidazole (Coudray & Madhivanan 2020). The use of douching to treat or relieve BV symptoms is not recommended for patients with bacterial vaginosis as it may increase the chances of infections. It may increase the risk of relapsing. Women should note that symptoms of BV may recur because of the infection’s recurrent and persistent nature. Patients should therefore return to care probe evaluated if the symptoms recur. During the treatment regimen, patients should use condoms or refrain from sex. Further, they should abstain from alcohol during the treatment.

Women who are intolerant or allergic to metronidazole may opt for alternative medications. Patients should abstain from alcohol consumption during treatment with metronidazole to avoid a disulfiram-like reaction. Alternative medication for BV treatment for the patient is clindamycin which may be in pill form to be taken orally or as a gel/cream inserted in the vagina. Secnidazole is also available as a single-dose medication that is taken orally (Aziz 2019). Optimal nutrition is vital in countering BV infection. Increasing the intake of vitamin A, calcium, and folate reduce BV infection risk and severity. On the other hand, women should reduce dietary fat intake as it increases the risk and severity of BV (Mizgier et al., 2020). Additionally, patients with bacterial vaginosis can take Tinidazole medication taken orally; however, the patients should avoid consuming alcohol to reduce the side effects of stomach upset and nausea caused by the medication (Woo & Robinson, 2015). Pregnant women should seek consultation and medication earlier to prevent the risk of low birth and premature delivery. Patients with bacterial vaginosis should adhere to the doctor’s prescription even if symptoms go away. Failure to complete the dose as prescribed by the doctor may increase the risk of recurrence. If the medication does not stop the signs, seek further medication whereby the doctor will prescribe an extension of metronidazole. Moreover, women need to create a well-balanced vagina environment (Javed et al., 2019). They should do lactobacillus therapy by consuming yogurt and foods with lactobacilli to improve the number of good bacteria in the vagina.

References

Abd El Aziz, M. A., Sharifipour, F., Abedi, P., Jahanfar, S., & Judge, H. M. (2019). Secnidazole for treatment of bacterial vaginosis: A systematic review. BMC Women’s Health, 19(1).

Coudray, M. S., & Madhivanan, P. (2020). Bacterial vaginosis—A brief synopsis of the literature. European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, 245, 143-148.

Javed, A., Parvaiz, F., & Manzoor, S. (2019). Bacterial vaginosis: An insight into the prevalence, alternative treatment regimen, and its associated resistance patterns. Microbial pathogenesis, 127, 21-30.

Mizgier, M., Jarzabek-Bielecka, G., Mruczyk, K., & Kedzia, W. (2020). The role of diet and probiotics in preventing and treating bacterial vaginosis and vulvovaginal candidiasis in adolescent girls and non-pregnant women. Ginekologia Polska, 91(7), 412-416.

Woo, T. M., & Robinson, M. V. (2015). Pharmacotherapeutics for advanced practice nurse prescribers. FA Davis.