Bacterial vaginosis (BV) treatment

Question 1

What are your telehealth options for BV treatment?

Answer

Amazon One Medical offers multiple ways to get care from the comfort of your own home.

If you're a One Medical member and you live in a state where One Medical has offices, you can schedule Remote Visits with One Medical providers, which are billable to you or your health insurance. As a member, you can also get 24/7 on-demand virtual care with Treat Me Now or Urgent Video Chat via the One Medical app at no extra cost, no matter where you live in the United States.

If you're not a One Medical member, you can start a one-time virtual visit with Pay-per-visit. Pay-per-visit offers 2 types of telehealth for Amazon customers: video visits and message-only visits. Video visits are available from $49 in all 50 states and D.C. Message-only visits are available from $29 in 36+ states.*

To see your Pay-per-visit options for this condition, start a one-time virtual visit and choose your state.

*State availability varies by condition. Prices subject to change.

Question 2

Can I use my health insurance for Amazon One Medical Pay-per-visit?

Answer

Amazon One Medical doesn't accept health insurance for Pay-per-visit care. You can submit a claim to your insurance provider for reimbursement, but we can’t guarantee they’ll reimburse you for your one-time virtual visit.

If you normally use insurance to pay for your medications, you can do that with medications prescribed through all Amazon One Medical services. Amazon Pharmacy accepts most insurance plans. For other pharmacies, please talk with your pharmacy directly about insurance coverage. The cost of medication isn’t included in the cost of your visit.

Question 3

What happens if my provider can't diagnose or treat my health issue through Pay-per-visit?

Answer

If your provider can’t diagnose or treat your health issue through Pay-per-visit, they may recommend that you see a primary care provider or a specialist for in-person care. If that happens, you won't be charged.

Question 4

Can I communicate with a provider after I get my Pay-per-visit treatment plan?

Answer

Yes. When you use Pay-per-visit, you can message with One Medical providers within your personal dashboard for an additional 2 weeks (14 days) at no extra cost. This complimentary communication window allows you time to:

• Ask follow-up questions about any prescriptions or over-the-counter medications in your treatment plan

• Connect with a provider if you think your treatment needs to be adjusted

• Tell a provider if you're experiencing side effects from your medication

• Tell a provider if there's an issue getting your prescription from the pharmacy

• Let the One Medical care team know that you're feeling better

Your secure, HIPAA-compliant message will be received by the first available provider, who will be able to review your visit’s treatment plan and any follow-up correspondence. If you still need treatment adjustments or have questions after the 14-day communication window, you'll need to start a new visit.

Question 5

What if I want to refill my medication?

Answer

If your provider didn't include refills with a prescription when they sent your treatment plan through Pay-per-visit, you'll need to start a new one-time virtual visit to request another prescription.

There are many reasons why a provider may decide that prescription refills aren't medically appropriate. For example, they may want to assess how well a medication is working and whether or not it needs to be adjusted before you continue with the same treatment.

Question 6

How does Amazon One Medical protect my health information?

Answer

Amazon One Medical protects customers’ protected health information (PHI) with stringent, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-compliant privacy and security practices to keep information safe and secure.

We’re committed to building an infrastructure that fosters and promotes a culture of customer privacy and a strong commitment to safeguarding health information. We maintain administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to protect customer information. This includes conducting rigorous security reviews and testing during product development, using encryption to protect data, and providing features like two-step verification to help customers protect their accounts.

Amazon does not sell customers’ personal information, including PHI.

Question 7

What's the difference between bacterial vaginosis and a yeast infection?

Answer

BV and vaginal yeast infections are both types of vulvovaginitis, which is the general name for inflammation of the vagina or vulva. BV is the most common type of vaginitis, followed by vaginal yeast infections, then trichomoniasis (also known as trich).

BV and vaginal yeast infections may have some overlapping symptoms, like itchiness and discomfort. But BV is associated with a fishy odor, while yeast discharge is odorless. BV discharge also tends to be thin, grayish, or foamy, while yeast infection discharge tends to be thick, white, or like cottage cheese.

You're in the right place to get bacterial vaginosis treatment. If you think you have a vaginal yeast infection, we recommend that you start from Amazon One Medical's Vaginal yeast infection page.

If you think you have trich, a sexually transmitted infection (STI), you'll need to see a primary care provider for lab testing.

Question 8

Can bacterial vaginosis go away on its own?

Answer

BV goes away on its own in about 30% of cases, but oral or vaginal antibiotics can relieve BV symptoms within days as opposed to weeks or months.

Question 9

How long do I need to treat a vaginal bacterial infection?

Answer

Depending on the type of medication, you'll need to use the prescription BV treatment for 2 to 7 days.

Question 10

What causes bacterial vaginosis?

Answer

Bacterial vaginosis is caused by vaginal dysbiosis, which in this case means too much bacterial diversity in the vaginal microbiome. A healthy vaginal environment contains mostly Lactobacillus bacteria—and sometimes just these bacteria.

Lactobacilli produce enough lactic acid to keep vaginal pH levels under 4.5. When more species of bacteria colonize the vagina, lactic acid production goes down and pH levels go up. The vaginal microbiome also loses some of its antimicrobial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties.

Although BV isn't generally defined as a sexually transmitted infection (STI), it often spreads through sexual contact. The pathogenic bacteria that characterize BV can be introduced through a variety of sexual activities, including sex without a condom or a recent change in sexual partners.

Question 11

How can I prevent another BV infection?

Answer

BV can spread through poor genital hygiene practices. To lower the risk of spreading bacteria, providers recommend the following BV prevention methods:

• Don't use vaginal douches

• Change your underwear frequently

• Urinate after having sex

Finally, smoking cigarettes, being overweight or obese, and high-fat diets have also been associated with BV risk.

Question 12

Are there any natural remedies for BV?

Answer

Some research has shown that probiotics can help prevent BV from recurring after initial treatment. While antibiotics act directly on "bad" bacteria, Lactobacillus probiotics may help your body reestablish a healthy vaginal microbiome.

You can consume probiotics naturally through foods like yogurt, or you can take probiotic supplements.

Question 13

What are the risks of having BV?

Answer

Vaginal bacterial infections often cause quality-of-life issues, but BV can also increase certain health risks. Less "good" bacteria in the vaginal microbiome can make a person more vulnerable to other infections of the genital tract.

For example, someone with bacterial vaginosis is more likely to contract an STI like herpes, human papillomavirus (HPV), or HIV. They may also be more vulnerable to urinary tract infections (UTIs) and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).

BV in pregnancy can increase the risk of preterm labor and other pregnancy complications. If you're pregnant and you're experiencing BV symptoms, you're eligible for treatment through Amazon One Medical Pay-per-visit.

If you're pregnant without symptoms of BV and want to lower your risk, you'll need to discuss your options with a primary care provider.

Question 14

Clinical sources

Answer

1. Abou Chacra, L., Fenollar, F., & Diop, K. (2022). Bacterial Vaginosis: What Do We Currently Know?. Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology, 11, 672429. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8805710/

2. 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. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6989391/

3. Fredricks, D. N., Fiedler, T. L., & Marrazzo, J. M. (2005). Molecular identification of bacteria associated with bacterial vaginosis. The New England journal of medicine, 353(18), 1899–1911. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16267321/

4. Muñoz-Barreno, A., Cabezas-Mera, F., Tejera, E., & Machado, A. (2021). Comparative Effectiveness of Treatments for Bacterial Vaginosis: A Network Meta-Analysis. Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland), 10(8), 978. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8388924/

5. Webb L. (2021). Probiotics for preventing recurrent bacterial vaginosis. JAAPA : official journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants, 34(2), 19–22. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33448711/

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Bacterial vaginosis (BV) treatment

Quickly treat BV with 24/7 virtual care

Pay-per-visit New Customer Promotion Details

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Membership

Pay-per-visit

Same/next-day office appointments, complemented by 24/7 virtual care

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Quickly treat BV with 24/7 virtual care

Pay-per-visit New Customer Promotion Details

Eligibility:

Terms:

Membership

Pay-per-visit

Quickly treat BV with 24/7 virtual care

Pay-per-visit New Customer Promotion Details

Eligibility:

Terms:

Same/next-day office appointments, complemented by 24/7 virtual care

$99

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