Vaginitis
What is Vaginitis?
It is a gender specific problem happening due to some tenderness or inflammation in the vagina of a woman. The tenderness is caused due to some medical disorders or infections attacking in the vagina.
In addition, when the infection strikes both vagina and vulva, simultaneously, it becomes the case of vulvovaginitis. Vulva is the outer part of the skin that cover vagina from surrondings. The causes behind these infections are many, including infections from the micro-organisms, like yeast, bacteria, and viruses, or by the usage of vaginal creams or suppositeries. Further, it can be caused due to other diseases like diabetes, hormonal changes, weak immune system.
Addictions, like drinking a lot of alcohol or usage of steroid, can further end up to these types of infections.
Well, sometimes very normal reason like not wearing underwear of suitable fabric is seen to be a prompting factor of vaginitis.
Infection can be spread through sexual partner, who is already affected by the infection. And, it probability of affecting women of all age is same.
To treat vaginitis and vulvovaginitis, it is necessary to analyze the exact cause of the disorder.
Symptoms of Vaginitis
1. Initially, women start feeling burning sensation and itchiness, during and after urination.
2. Itchiness further takes to the tenderness in the vagina, accompanying redness and swelling in the region.
3. Excess amount of vaginal discharge is secreted and it usually produces fouly smell.
4. Due to infections, the woman might feel some pain during sexual intercourse, it further causes irritation in the woman’s genital region.
5. Due to attack of Herps, some water blisters are formed in the genital region surrondings.
6. Burning sensation, along with pain and irritation, causes discomfort in the body of woman, especially in night.
7. Urge of urination increases during night time, causing very much discomfort.
8. Vagnitis can further cause other diseases like gonorrhea.
9. Frequent itching results in scratching, further causing other skin complication in the body of the patient.
These are some of the very distinctive symptoms that help in recognizing the cause behind the disease very well. But, in some cases no symptoms are noticed calling for routine gynaeclogical examination.
Types of Vaginitis
There are six types of vaginitis and are differented according to the exact reason causing them. They are listed below:
1. Candida vaginitis: Resulting from yeast infections
2. Bacterial vaginitis: Resulting from bacterial infections.
3. Trichomoniasis vaginitis: Resulting from protozoan infections.
4. Chlamydia vaginitis: Resulting from sexually transmitted disease.
5. Viral vaginitis: Resulting from viral infections.
6. Noninfectious vaginitis: Resulting from allergic reactions.
Causes of Vaginitis
1. Infection:
a) Yeast infection: Mainly, the medical disorder is caused due to the attack of yeast in the vaginal discharge. One can find that the discharge is infected by looking at the composition of it. Candida albican is the yeast which is found behind most of cases of yeast infections. Medically the infection is known as Candidiasis.
The infected discharge seems to be changed into a thick, cheesy like fluid. Along with this, the vagina becomes red and itching starts happening in it. Sometimes it occurs when a woman is on antibiotics course, to treat urinary tract infection. The antibiotics taken usually kills both bacteria, good and bad, residing in the vaginal discharge. Now, because of shortage of good bacteria, the immune system of the body part become weak and probability to get affected by infection increase.
Research has shown that around 90% of the disorders are happening due to attack of this yeast infections.
The affect of yeast infection is not seen in the body of girls because the internal condition of the vagina, the pH balance, is not at all conductive to react with it.
b) Bacterial infections: Infection through bacteria causes bacterial vagionosis. And, it is caused by the attack of a bacterium, named Gardnerella. Another bacteria that causes this disease in different conditions include Strep.
The infection can be induicated by examining the vaginal discharge, which has been changed to a very foul smelling, thin and white fluid. The odor is highly noticable after secrettion of discharge at the end sexual intercourse.
Treatment include common practices like giving antibiotics or sometimes creams to recover from it completely.
c) Protozoan infections: The infection is caused due to the attack of a protozoan, named Trichomonas or trick.
The symptoms seen in the vaginal discharge is quite different to other infections. Like the infection changes the color of the normal vaginal discharge to the greenish-yellow. Very noticeable sign is the presence of foully smelly coming out from the discharge, along with the redness and itchiness it is causing in the lining of the vagina and vacula.
In severe cases, the infection starts producing burning sensation in the vagina while urinating.
Although, it is specific to women only, but, traces of infection can be seen in men also due to the fact that it is a sexually transmitted infection.
d) Viral infections: Infections caused by viruses lead to viral vaginitis. Herpes simplex is the main virus which spread this infection during sexual intercourse.
It, generally, causes soreness and itchiness in the vagina or vacula and can be detected through gynecological examinations.
Other than these infections, some common infections like gonorrhea, mycoplasma, or parasites can also lead to vaginitis in the body of a woman.
e) Through sexually transmitted disease: Vaginitis can be sometimes caused due to affect of sexually transmitted disease, like Chlamydia. Although, there are no noticeable symptoms to trace the disease, but bleeding in discharge is seen in some severe cases.
Well, the cases are more from women who have more than one sexual partner, basically less than 30 years of age.
f) Allergic infections: Allergies caused due to usage of some vaginal products like creams, sprays or through douching lead to some allergic infections in the vaginal discharge. It further results in allergic vaginitis.
Sometimes normal reasons like wearing undergarments made up of unsuitable fabric or washed by hard detergent can also lead to vaginitis.
In girls, vaginitis is basically caused due to improper cleanliness of the vagina and attack of some bacterial infection.
2. Hormonal changes:
Hormonal changes during postmenopausal or postpartum in women causes atrophic vaginitis. Other than this, some girls do not have enough estrogen support in their body causing for this type of vaginitis.
3. Foreign body:
Usage of overused condoms or tempos, inserted in the vagina, causes excess amount of vaginal discharge discretion resulting in vaginitis.
Treatment of Vaginitis
Before starting the treatment of vaginitis, it is necessary to find out the exact reason behind it. Looking at the symptoms and by analyzing patient’s medical history, one can find out the exact reason. On the basis of these results some oral and topical antibiotics are given to treat vaginitis. Prior to this, to better and speedy recover the disease, antibacterial and antifungal creams are given to be applied on the affected region. Typical hormonal creams, estrogen cream, are developed to cure the vaginitis caused due to hormonal imbalance.
Medicines that are available to treat vaginitis include Flagyl, doxycycline, azithromycin, and Diflucan.
It is advised to the patient to take more and more diet rich in Lactobacillus, like yogurt, to keep this good bacteria stored in the body.
Prevention of Vaginitis
To be prevented from the disease, one should adopt some habits in her life style. Like:
1. First and foremost thing is to keep your genital area clean and clear every time. The infections generally attack due to dirtiness accumulated in the vaginal discharge.
2. Practice of doing douching should be completely prohibited in order to decrease the risk of vaginitis.
3. Usage of strong soaps and detergent should be avoided to keep the genital region safe from the allergy happening due to this.
4. Underwear made of synthetic fabrics should be avoided. It is always recommended to wear cotton underwear, because cotton has the capacity to fully soak the fluid spread in the surrounding of the region.
5. Usage of tempos, especially deodorized tampons, should be completely restricted. Else, it should not be kept inside for long time.
6. If you are having diabetes, it is recommended to keep check on your sugar level to keep the diabetes in control.
7. Avoid sexual intercourse, in case you having vaginitis, because it can cause some severe sexually transmitted disease to your sexual partner also.
8. Do not control your bowel moments if you having urge for it. Smooth bowel moment on time reduces the risk of vaginitis.
