How to Prevent Bacterial Vaginosis

That on-and-off fishy odor, the thin grayish discharge, the worry that it keeps coming back no matter what you do. If you have dealt with bacterial vaginosis (BV), you are probably wondering what you can actually do to stop it from happening again.

Here is the honest answer: you cannot fully prevent BV, because no one can perfectly control the mix of bacteria in the vagina. But you can lower your risk with a few practical habits, and you can work with a clinician to break the cycle of recurrence.

What Is Bacterial Vaginosis?

Bacterial vaginosis happens when the natural balance of bacteria in the vagina is disrupted. A healthy vagina is dominated by protective lactobacilli, the "good" bacteria that keep the environment slightly acidic and discourage overgrowth of other microbes. In BV, those protective bacteria drop and a mix of other bacteria takes over, often causing a thin discharge and a fishy odor.

BV is the most common cause of vaginal symptoms in people of reproductive age. It is not classified as a sexually transmitted infection, but sexual activity is closely linked to it.

How to Lower Your Risk of BV

There is no guaranteed way to prevent BV, but a few habits are linked with lower risk. The strongest, most consistent advice is simple: leave your vagina's natural cleaning to itself, and avoid the things that strip away protective bacteria.

• Skip douching. Douching washes out protective bacteria and is one of the better-established risk factors for BV. The vagina cleans itself, so douching is never needed and may also raise the risk of BV returning.
• Be thoughtful about sexual exposures. BV is more common with a new sex partner and with multiple partners. These are observational associations rather than proven cause-and-effect, but they may be worth keeping in mind if your BV keeps returning.
• Consider condoms. Lack of condom use is associated with higher BV risk in studies, so consistent condom use may be associated with lower risk. The evidence here is observational, not a proven preventive treatment.
• Practice gentle hygiene. Wipe from front to back, avoid moving anything from the anal area to the vagina, clean sex toys before and after use, and choose breathable cotton or cotton-lined underwear.
• Know that smoking is a risk factor. Smoking is associated with BV. Quitting has not been proven to prevent BV on its own, but it removes a known risk factor and benefits your health in many other ways.

Can You Prevent BV From Coming Back?

Recurrence is the hardest part of BV. Even after successful antibiotic treatment, a large share of people have it return: studies consistently show that roughly 50 to 80 percent of women have BV recur within a year. One reason is that the bacteria can form a protective layer called a biofilm that standard antibiotics do not fully clear.

If BV keeps coming back, this is a conversation to have with a clinician rather than a problem to solve with more home remedies. Depending on your situation, options may include a longer or suppressive course of antibiotics, vaginal therapies, or strategies to support healthy vaginal bacteria. Do not start or stop prescription treatment on your own.

Should Your Partner Be Treated?

For years, the guidance was clear: routine treatment of sex partners was not recommended, because earlier studies did not show it helped. That picture is changing for recurrent BV specifically.

A 2025 randomized trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine (the StepUp trial) tested treating male partners with both oral and topical antibiotics alongside the woman's treatment. BV recurrence within 12 weeks fell from 63 percent in the standard-care group to 35 percent when the male partner was also treated, roughly cutting recurrence in half. Building on this, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists issued a clinical practice update in October 2025 stating that clinicians may consider concurrent treatment of male partners for adults with recurrent, symptomatic BV.

This is an emerging area. The long-standing CDC position is still that routine partner treatment is not recommended for typical BV, and the new guidance applies to recurrent cases. If your BV keeps returning, ask your clinician whether partner treatment makes sense for your situation.

When to See a Doctor

See a healthcare provider if you notice unusual vaginal discharge, a fishy odor, itching, burning, or irritation that does not go away. These symptoms can be caused by BV, a yeast infection, or a sexually transmitted infection, and the treatments are different, so getting an accurate diagnosis matters.

Get care promptly if you are pregnant and have BV symptoms, because BV can affect pregnancy outcomes. Also seek care if symptoms keep coming back after treatment, or if you develop pelvic pain, fever, or symptoms after a new sexual exposure, since these can point to a different or more serious infection that needs evaluation.