If you suspect you have a vaginal infection, pay attention to your symptoms. Not all women with BV have symptoms, but the following symptoms are often associated with BV:  Vaginal discharge with an unpleasant or "fishy" odor Yellowish discharge Burning or discomfort when urinating Itchiness and irritation in and around the vagina The symptoms of a yeast infection are similar to BV. They include:  Abnormal vaginal discharge which can range from a thin, watery, white discharge to a thick, white, and chunky discharge (often described as looking like cottage cheese) Itching and burning of the vagina and labia Painful intercourse Painful urination Redness and swelling of the area just outside of the vagina. While many people with a trich infection have no symptoms, these symptoms are signs of an infection:  Vaginal discharge that is smelly, frothy, bubbly, or foamy Vaginal itching Yellow or gray-green discharge Painful urination There is not always a specific cause for BV or a yeast infection other than a bacterial imbalance. Trich is an STI that is caused by a protozoan parasite called Trichomonas vaginalis. Most women have probably had at least one bacterial infection.  The risk of getting BV increases with a new sexual partner (or multiple partners), douching, having sex without a condom, or using an intrauterine device (IUD) as a method of birth control.  If you are diagnosed with trichomoniasis, you'll need to inform any sexual partners so they can be treated. Yeast infections and BV can be caused by antibiotic use. Antibiotics disrupt the normal balance of bacteria in your vagina which can allow "bad" bacteria or yeast to thrive. Other causes may include: wearing tight underwear or non-cotton panties (which can increase the temperature around the vagina and increase the moisture levels), a weakened immune system, using vaginal douches or perfumed feminine hygiene sprays, or vaginal trauma (scratches in the vagina caused by inserting objects like tampons or during rough sex). You should also tell any sexual partner about any vaginal infection, but you aren't required to. Since different infections often have similar symptoms, it's critical that your doctor make a diagnosis so you get the correct treatment. See your doctor if you have any symptoms of a vaginal infection. Your doctor will prescribe a course of treatment, but if you don't notice an improvement after three days, have a fever, if the discharge symptoms worsen, or a new rash appears anywhere on your body contact your doctor. Keep in mind that recurrent yeast infections can be a sign of a more serious underlying disorder such as diabetes, cancer or HIV-AIDs. Recurrent yeast infections might suggest there's a problem with your immune system. At the doctor’s office, your physician will probably take a sample of the vaginal discharge, ask for a urine sample and perform a vaginal exam. This exam may be uncomfortable but it is usually over quickly. The discharge will be tested for the presence of bacteria, yeast or other organisms such as Trichomonas. Your doctor will also ask about your sexual history, menstruation, vaginal hygiene, and any medications you're taking. Since different types of vaginal infections are treated differently, it's critical to get the correct diagnosis from a doctor before you start any treatment. Usually, after your first vaginal infection, you'll be able to tell when you have an infection, but it's still important to find out the type of infection.   Untreated or incorrectly treated bacterial infections can cause complications like pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), pre-term births and low-birth weight babies and can put a woman at higher risk of sexually transmitted infections such as HIV, herpes simplex virus (HSV), chlamydia and gonorrhea. Untreated or incorrectly treated trichomoniasis infections can also lead to increased risk of HIV.
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One-sentence summary -- Look for symptoms of bacterial vaginosis (BV). Pay attention to signs of a yeast infection (candidiasis). Look for signs of a trichomoniasis infection (trich). Consider the cause of your bacterial infection. Know when to get medical attention. Get a physical examination. Learn how to handle recurring infections.


Write the author (last name or organization name) and year in parentheses with a comma in between. If you pulled a direct quote from the original text, add "p." and a space before the page number if the statement is a direct quote. If the author is already mentioned in the statement, put the year in parentheses next to the name (and put the page number in parentheses at the end of the statement, if applicable). Place the citation before the final punctuation mark. If there are two or three authors in parentheses, use "&" instead of “and". You don't need to indicate that this source is in a PDF file here.  Basic example: Higher education professionals think that “education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” (Mandela, 1996, p. 35).  If your file does not have page numbers and you want to use a direct quotation, provide a paragraph number: Higher education professionals think that “education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” (Mandela, 1996, para. 18). You can also use a shortened heading in quotation marks: Higher education professionals think that “education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” (Mandela, 1996, “A few words on education”). In APA style, you must state the type of file you consulted in square brackets, such as [Data set] or [PowerPoint slides] If you are using a proprietary ebook format, such as a Kindle file, you should note this too.  The basic format is: Author’s last name, Author’s first initial. (Year of publication). ‘’Book title’’ [PDF document]. Available from web address:  Basic example: Smith, J. (2011). The fantastic novel [PDF file]. Available from http://www.books.google.com For a proprietary file, provide the e-reader version in square brackets: Smith, J. (2011). The fantastic novel [Kindle DX file]. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com APA style does not use “title caps” for journal article titles. This means you only capitalize the first word of the title. Do not use quotation marks to set off titles.  The basic format is: Author's last name, Author’s first initial. (Year of publication). Title of article [PDF file]. Journal title, volume number(issue number), page numbers. Retrieved from web address:   Basic example: Doe, J. (2006). Interesting citation article [PDF file]. Online Journal of Citation Information, 4(3), 82-5. Retrieved from http://www.random-example-URL.com Note that the volume number is italicized but the issue number (in parentheses) is not! If your article includes a doi number, provide this at the end of the citation.
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One-sentence summary --
Insert the proper in-line APA reference. Format ebook PDFs in APA format correctly for your bibliography. Format journal article PDFs in APA format correctly for your bibliography.