Dannie is a Maryland-based woman who recently went viral on TikTok for using a zucchini, water, and ranch dressing to demonstrate how a person may get bacterial vaginosis.
In her video, she explains: "This is Ashley [the front bowl with water], this is Ashley's boyfriend Brandon [the zucchini], and this is Britney [back bowl]. ... Britney wipes from back to front all the time, so she struggles with bacterial infections [represented by the ranch dressing]. Even though Ashley and Brandon's relationship is really healthy, Brandon went to the market one day and just couldn't help himself..."
Dannie continues: "So he decided to dip into Britney. Now, Britney is bacteria-filled because she wipes from back to front. He [Brandon] doesn't know this and he's enjoying it. In order to get away with this, he can't tell Ashley. So he comes back home to Ashley like everything is normal and dips back into Ashley. This is what Ashley looks like now [pic on the right]."
She adds, "Ashley notices something is wrong, she takes medicine and comes back into the picture, she's again balanced."
But we get to the ongoing problem in Part 2 of Dannie's video — which has nearly 4 million views:
"Brandon goes back into Ashley, and this is what Ashley looks like — all over again. Now, this keeps happening for months because Brandon never told Ashley about Britney. Ashley continues to go to the doctor, but because this is what her cultures commonly look like, the doctor simply just diagnosed her with chronic BV [bacterial vaginosis]. Now Ashley thinks she has a huge issue with her vajay, when the issue in this entire situation is Brandon."
BuzzFeed spoke to Dannie, who said she decided to make the video after struggling with BV for four years and never having any related issues previously: "I began to notice I would only get it after sex with my partner. I had been to so many doctor's appointments searching for answers, but to no avail. Every doctor told me I was suffering because of my soap and detergent. Finally, I decided to participate in a study for bacterial vaginosis because I thought something was terribly wrong with me."
It was after that study that a specialist told Dannie there was a high possibility she kept getting BV from her partner. "The specialist explained that most doctors cannot treat men because they do not know how. There is no way of testing or proper dosage in the 'doctor rule book' for treating men. I thought that was such a wild thing because most doctors actually tell you that it's impossible for men to have it."
According to several credible medical websites, what Dannie said checks out. Healthline states that men can't get BV, but some experts aren’t sure whether or not men can spread BV to their female partners. Other websites claim that men can spread BV through accumulation of the bacteria on the penis or in the urethra. In short, it seems very possible for men to spread BV through sexual intercourse with an infected woman.
Dannie knows she isn't a doctor or nurse — and she isn't claiming to be one. "It's funny because I've struggled with BV for so long, I feel like I have a bacterial vaginosis degree, lol. Once I learned information from the specialist, I knew that treatment was a possibility. She prescribed me meds, and I simply gave them to my partner. I was so shocked because it worked! It was such a simple fix that could've saved me years of struggling."
Obviously, this type of problem can happen after any and all casual, unprotected sex. But that being said, Dannie explained it goes way beyond condoms. "Protect your pH balance and your mental health. If you feel like something is wrong, don't be afraid to point it out. Don't let anyone make you feel crazy or dirty — not even your doctor!"
