Main types and their differences
- Candidiasis (thrush) - white curdled discharge, severe itching, redness and swelling
- Bacterial vaginosis - thin grayish discharge with a fishy odor, usually no itching, little inflammation
- Aerobic vaginitis - yellowish purulent discharge, severe redness, many leukocytes in the smear
- Trichomonas - profuse foamy yellow-greenish discharge, itching, pungent odor
- Caused by STIs - chlamydia, gonococcus, mycoplasma genitalium
- Atrophic - in menopausal women: dryness, burning, discomfort, scanty discharge
- Allergic and contact - reaction to hygiene products, latex, lubricants, washing powder
- Viral - herpetic with painful blisters and sores
- Vulvovaginitis in girls - often associated with hygiene, helminthic infestation, foreign body
Symptoms
- Changes in the amount, color and consistency of discharge
- Unpleasant smell
- Itching and burning in the external genital area
- Redness, swelling, sometimes cracks
- Pain and discomfort during sexual intercourse
- Burning sensation when urinating
- Dryness in the atrophic form
- Drawing discomfort in the lower abdomen
- Increased symptoms before menstruation or after intercourse
What provokes
- Taking antibiotics
- Douching and aggressive intimate hygiene products
- Insufficient or, conversely, excessive hygiene
- Synthetic tight underwear, panty liners without changing
- Changing sexual partners and unprotected contacts
- Diabetes mellitus
- Decrease in estrogen during menopause and after childbirth
- Hormonal contraceptives
- Chronic diseases and decreased immunity
- Foreign bodies, including a forgotten tampon
- Allergies to lubricants, condoms, hygiene products
Diagnostics
- Examination in the mirror - the nature of the discharge, the condition of the mucous membrane
- Flora smear microscopy - a basic and very informative study
- Determination of vaginal pH
- Sowing with determination of sensitivity during persistent flow
- PCR for sexually transmitted infections
- Femoflor - quantitative assessment of microflora
- Blood glucose during relapses
- Colposcopy for suspicious changes in the mucosa
- Examination of a partner when identifying an STI
- For girls - examination by a pediatric gynecologist, analysis for enterobiasis, exclusion of a foreign body
Treatment
- Antifungal drugs for candidiasis
- Antibacterial drugs for bacterial vaginosis and aerobic vaginitis - based on smear results
- Specific therapy for STIs with mandatory treatment of the partner
- Combined local preparations for mixed flora
- Sanitation of the vagina - as prescribed by a doctor, especially with severe inflammation
- Local estrogens for atrophic vaginitis are the main method for menopausal women
- Eliminating the allergen during a contact reaction
- Restoration of microflora by lactobacilli in the second stage
- Refusal of douching and aggressive hygiene products
- Compensation for diabetes mellitus
- Sexual rest for the period of treatment with severe inflammation
Atrophic vaginitis: a separate topic
In menopausal women, a decrease in estrogen leads to thinning of the vaginal mucosa, a decrease in the number of lactobacilli and a decrease in natural protection. This condition is called atrophic vaginitis or genitourinary menopause syndrome.
- Dryness, burning, discomfort, feeling of tightness
- Pain during sexual intercourse, sometimes with microcracks and bleeding
- Frequent urination and recurring cystitis
- Scanty discharge instead of heavy discharge
- Antifungal and antibacterial drugs do not help here
- The main treatment is local estrogens, which act in the area of application and are prescribed by a gynecologist
- Additionally - moisturizers and lubricants
This condition often goes untreated because women consider it an inevitable part of age and do not tell their doctor about it. Meanwhile, it responds well to therapy and significantly improves the quality of life.
Where to get examined in Tashkent
An accurate diagnosis requires examination, smear microscopy and, if necessary, culture, PCR and microflora assessment.
In Tashkent, such examination and treatment of vulvovaginitis is carried out at the UROLOGIC COMPLEX medical center and at the Tashkent Medical Park clinic.
A simple rule that saves time and money: do not start treatment before the smear. One test separates thrush from vaginosis and from infections that require completely different treatment. Clinic contacts are below.
