Vaginitis

One of the most troublesome condition for women, vaginitis can have many causes.  In young, premenopausal women, vaginitis is often a result of an infection.  The most common type of infection is yeast or manila.  This condition may follow a course of antibiotics taken for an upper respiratory, sinus or bladder infection.  Yeast vaginitis is more common in the summer months usually resulting from perspiration or wet bathing suits.  A yeast medication will usually take care of this.  Recurrent yeast infections may be the first sign of diabetes and a simple blood test will rule this out.  Other infections often referred to as STD’s or sexually transmitted diseases may also cause infectious vaginitis.  These are most commonly a bacterial infection which may be easily diagnosed and treated.  A gynecologic exam can determine the cause of infectious vaginitis.

Menopausal atrophic vaginitis is quite common resulting from loss of hormone stimulation of the vagina and surrounding tissue.  Symptoms may include itching, dryness, urinary symptoms, difficulty with intercourse, pain and slight bleeding.  Often an estrogen cream is prescribed.  It is important to achieve hormone balance using the proper combination of hormones to get the best result rather than simply using estrogen alone.  Specifically, estriol (E3), the weakest of the 3 main estrogens gives excellent results rather than using estradiol (E2), the strongest of the estrogens alone.  A specialist in hormone balancing, Dr. Monaco is often able to relieve the troubling symptoms of atrophic menopausal vaginitis.

Chemical vaginitis results from a sensitivity or allergic type reaction to some topical or foreign substance, such as vaginal creams, lubricants or contraceptive gels and creams.  Occasionally, the soap residue in underwear left after washing may be the culprit.  Identifying the cause may be difficult to pinpoint.  Often, a topical steroid cream will give relief.

It is important to rule out vulvar disease which may have some of the same symptoms as vaginitis.  It is important to have an examination by a trained gynecologist to make the correct diagnosis.