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Family Medicine (Expert Forum)
Vaginal itching, burning, and swelling
Questions in the Family Medicine forum are answered by Dr. J.M. Keyes. Topics covered include general health issues, adolescence, babies, child health, eating disorders, fitness, immunizations and vaccines, infectious diseases, medical tests and procedures, and senior health.
Doctor's Answer
by Forum-M.D.-DT, Jan 25, 2002 12:00AM
Thank you for your question and for visiting www.NetLiveMD.com - Your online health advocate.
There are a couple of possibilities here. One is that you may have a yeast infection. While yeast infections commonly are associated with a thick white discharge, in many cases, the infection is characterized by redness of the skin alone.
Here is some information taken from the website www.FamilyDoctor.org which further explains this condition.
Vaginal yeast infections are caused by a fungus know as Candida albicans. Yeast infections can be very uncomfortable, but are usually not serious. Symptoms include the following:
· Itching and burning in the vagina and around the outside of the vagina (the vulva, the "lips" of skin that surround your vagina)
· A white vaginal discharge that may look like cottage cheese
· Pain during sexual intercourse
· Swelling of the vulva
Yeast infections are so common that ¾ of women will have one at some time in their lives. Half of all women have more than one infection in their lives. If you have symptoms of a yeast infection, your doctor will probably want to talk to you about your symptoms and examine you to make sure a yeast infection is the cause.
Causes
Yeast are tiny organisms that normally live in small numbers on the skin and inside the vagina. The acidic environment of the vagina helps keep yeast from growing. If the vagina becomes less acidic, too many yeast can grow and cause a vaginal infection.
The acidic balance of the vagina can be changed by your period (menstruation), pregnancy, diabetes, some antibiotics, birth control pills and steroids. Moisture and irritation of the vagina also seem to encourage yeast to grow.
Treatment Options
Yeast infections are usually treated with medicine that you put into your vagina. This medicine may be a cream that you insert in your vagina with a special applicator, or it may be a suppository that you put into your vagina and allow to dissolve on its own. Medicine in a cream form can also be put on your vulva to help relieve the itching on the outside. Medicine in a pill form that you take by mouth is also available
Be sure to see your doctor the first time you have symptoms of a yeast infection. It's very important to make sure you have a yeast infection before you start taking medicine. The symptoms of a yeast infection can also be the symptoms of other infections. Treating yourself for a yeast infection when you actually have another type of infection may make the problem much worse.
If you have often been diagnosed with yeast infections, talk to your doctor about using a medicine you can buy without a prescription.
Avoiding Yeast Infection
Here are things you can do to help prevent another yeast infection:
· Don't wear tight-fitting or synthetic-fiber clothes.
· Wear cotton panties.
· Don't wear pantyhose or leotards every day.
· Use your blow dryer on a low, cool setting to help dry your genital area after you bathe or shower and before getting dressed.
· Wipe from front to back after using the toilet. This may help prevent the bacteria that normally live in your rectum from getting into your vagina.
· Change out of wet swimsuits or other damp clothes as soon as you can.
· Don't ****** or use feminine hygiene sprays, deodorant sanitary pads or tampons, or bubble bath, and avoid using colored or perfumed toilet paper. These items seem to affect the balance of acidity of the vagina and can lead to symptoms of a yeast infection.
A SECOND possibility is that you may be having some atrophic vaginitis. Up to 40 percent of postmenopausal women have symptoms of atrophic vaginitis. Because the condition is attributable to estrogen deficiency, it may occur in premenopausal women who take antiestrogenic medications (such as Tamoxifen), or who have medical or surgical conditions that result in decreased levels of estrogen. The thinned endometrium and increased vaginal pH level induced by estrogen deficiency predispose the vagina and urinary tract to infection and mechanical weakness. The earliest symptoms are decreased vaginal lubrication, dryness, itching, burning, pain with intercourse, and feeling of pressure. The use of estrogen either in pill form or through the use of vaginal creams is very effective at relieving these symptoms. These are medications given by prescription and are not prescribed in patients with a strong family history of breast, uterine or ovarian cancer.
I hope this helps you!
Dean M. Tomasello, M.D.
There are a couple of possibilities here. One is that you may have a yeast infection. While yeast infections commonly are associated with a thick white discharge, in many cases, the infection is characterized by redness of the skin alone.
Here is some information taken from the website www.FamilyDoctor.org which further explains this condition.
Vaginal yeast infections are caused by a fungus know as Candida albicans. Yeast infections can be very uncomfortable, but are usually not serious. Symptoms include the following:
· Itching and burning in the vagina and around the outside of the vagina (the vulva, the "lips" of skin that surround your vagina)
· A white vaginal discharge that may look like cottage cheese
· Pain during sexual intercourse
· Swelling of the vulva
Yeast infections are so common that ¾ of women will have one at some time in their lives. Half of all women have more than one infection in their lives. If you have symptoms of a yeast infection, your doctor will probably want to talk to you about your symptoms and examine you to make sure a yeast infection is the cause.
Causes
Yeast are tiny organisms that normally live in small numbers on the skin and inside the vagina. The acidic environment of the vagina helps keep yeast from growing. If the vagina becomes less acidic, too many yeast can grow and cause a vaginal infection.
The acidic balance of the vagina can be changed by your period (menstruation), pregnancy, diabetes, some antibiotics, birth control pills and steroids. Moisture and irritation of the vagina also seem to encourage yeast to grow.
Treatment Options
Yeast infections are usually treated with medicine that you put into your vagina. This medicine may be a cream that you insert in your vagina with a special applicator, or it may be a suppository that you put into your vagina and allow to dissolve on its own. Medicine in a cream form can also be put on your vulva to help relieve the itching on the outside. Medicine in a pill form that you take by mouth is also available
Be sure to see your doctor the first time you have symptoms of a yeast infection. It's very important to make sure you have a yeast infection before you start taking medicine. The symptoms of a yeast infection can also be the symptoms of other infections. Treating yourself for a yeast infection when you actually have another type of infection may make the problem much worse.
If you have often been diagnosed with yeast infections, talk to your doctor about using a medicine you can buy without a prescription.
Avoiding Yeast Infection
Here are things you can do to help prevent another yeast infection:
· Don't wear tight-fitting or synthetic-fiber clothes.
· Wear cotton panties.
· Don't wear pantyhose or leotards every day.
· Use your blow dryer on a low, cool setting to help dry your genital area after you bathe or shower and before getting dressed.
· Wipe from front to back after using the toilet. This may help prevent the bacteria that normally live in your rectum from getting into your vagina.
· Change out of wet swimsuits or other damp clothes as soon as you can.
· Don't ****** or use feminine hygiene sprays, deodorant sanitary pads or tampons, or bubble bath, and avoid using colored or perfumed toilet paper. These items seem to affect the balance of acidity of the vagina and can lead to symptoms of a yeast infection.
A SECOND possibility is that you may be having some atrophic vaginitis. Up to 40 percent of postmenopausal women have symptoms of atrophic vaginitis. Because the condition is attributable to estrogen deficiency, it may occur in premenopausal women who take antiestrogenic medications (such as Tamoxifen), or who have medical or surgical conditions that result in decreased levels of estrogen. The thinned endometrium and increased vaginal pH level induced by estrogen deficiency predispose the vagina and urinary tract to infection and mechanical weakness. The earliest symptoms are decreased vaginal lubrication, dryness, itching, burning, pain with intercourse, and feeling of pressure. The use of estrogen either in pill form or through the use of vaginal creams is very effective at relieving these symptoms. These are medications given by prescription and are not prescribed in patients with a strong family history of breast, uterine or ovarian cancer.
I hope this helps you!
Dean M. Tomasello, M.D.
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