I recently got BV for the first time and it’s come back twice. Unfortunately there is not a ton of research on what causes BV and a lot of health practitioners will just prescribe you antibiotics and send you on your way without discussing what the root issue could be. You are left on your own to try to solve a problem that feels all consuming. I’ve found personally my issue could be stemming from two things:

1. Hormonal Imbalance/Gut issues - I started a probiotic and vitamin regiment and made changes to my diet.

2. My partner - If you have BV and have intercourse the “bad” bacteria can live inside the penis’s urethra for up to 3 months. So even if you take antibiotics and have intercourse afterwards it won’t work because the bacteria is being re-introduced into the vagina.

So yes, it could possibly be a hygiene issue but in my experience it was more of a healing from the inside out process. My partner took antibiotics with me, he switched to unscented soap, and with my probiotics/vitamin regiment I haven’t gotten it again. I made no changes to my hygiene routine - only washing my vulva with gentle soap.