Vaginal Infections
Inflammation occurs due to an imbalance of naturally present bacteria and yeast inside the vagina. Inflammation is accompanied with pain, itching, and vaginal discharge. An unusual odour may be noticed in some cases. Almost all women have vaginal infection at some point in their life. Mostly women in reproductive ages are more prone to vaginal infections.
Symptoms
Signs and symptoms of vaginal infection include:
- Painful sex
- Burning, redness, and swelling of vagina and vulva
- Pain during urinating
- Change in odour, colour of vaginal discharge
- Soreness
Causes of Vaginal Infections
Common causes of vaginal infections include:
Yeast infections: Yeast infection is normally caused by fungus called as candida albicans. Various factors are responsible for reduction in anti-fungal bacteria. Consumption of antibiotics can also cause reduction in anti-fungal bacteria. This can lead to overgrowth of fungi.
Bacterial infections: Various bacteria are present in the vagina. When one type of bacteria overgrows this disturbs the balance causing bacterial infection.
Vaginal atrophy: When the estrogen levels in the body decline this can cause vaginal thinning and increased dryness. This can lead to vaginal inflammation.
Trichomoniasis: This is caused by a protozoan parasite called as trichomonas vaginalis. This is a sexually transmitted infection. In men it infects the urinary tract but often is asymptomatic. In women this infects the vagina and increases the risk of other STIs.
Irritants: Perfumes, soaps, scented detergents, vaginal contraceptives, etc. can cause irritation and allergic reaction in the vaginal tissues.
Due to the following risk factors a woman is more prone to vaginal infections:
- Hormonal changes due to pregnancy, menopause, and birth control pills due to which estrogen levels rise.
- Wearing tight fitting clothes resulting in heat rashes may occur
- Consumption of antibiotics
- Diabetes
- Use of intra uterine device for birth control
- Sexual activity
When to seek medical help
Get in touch with your doctor if you experience:
- Unusual or unpleasant odour
- Very thick discharge
- Itching
- Already had vaginal infections
- Fever
- Pelvic pain
Diagnosis and Treatment
Doctor may enquire about sexual health, other health details, history of past vaginal infections, STIs and no. of sexual partners. The doctor may also perform a pelvic exam to look for any inflammation or discharge. He may then collect a sample of the discharge for lab testing to ascertain the cause and kind of the infection. A pH test can also be done along with other tests. Elevated pH levels may indicate bacterial infection.
Treatment for vaginal infections is done on the basis of the cause of the infection. For bacterial and fungal or yeast infection, oral medication or anti-fungal or other creams/gels for vaginal application may be prescribed. For vaginal atrophy, estrogen in form of cream or tablets may be prescribed to increase the estrogen level. For non-infectious vaginitis the doctor may recommend change of soap, detergent or sanitary products.
Prevention
Most of the vaginal infections can be prevented by the following:
- One should avoid irritants like scented perfumes, soaps, detergents
- Avoid hot tubs, baths, etc.
- After using the toilet one should clean from front to back this will prevent the faecal bacteria from spreading to the vagina
- Avoid tight, heat or moisture retaining clothes
- Wearing cotton underwear
- Using latex condoms to prevent any STIs
- Vagina doesn’t require any douching other than normal cleaning. Use of any products for cleaning the vagina can make the environment more favourable for growth of bacteria that cause infections
