My boyfriend is convinced that I should douche. I have told him about what I've read on this site about how bad they can be for you but he argues that they wouldn't exist if they were that bad. I have recently had 2 UTIs and 2 yeast infections within a couple of months so now I am wondering if maybe he is right and that I should douche... According to him, my vagina smells and tastes differently than it used to. Could douching "fix" this? Should I douche?? HELP!

I got something called bacteria vaginosis and while some doctors say it's not a STD, a lot of the state health department's professionals consider it one. They say that although girls and women get it sometimes without sexual contact, a lot of them get it right after having sex. I have, and will consider it one. I've been treated for this thing three times and it never seems to go away. Do you or could you consider BV a STD? I didn't bleed after the first time, just horrible pain during and up to one hour after in my vagina. But the next day I felt this horrible cramp-like pain in the pit of my stomach like if I had my period -- is that normal? Will this thing ever go away?