To treat or not to treat vaginitis
By Lee Hye-jun
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All young women have a vaginal discharge — it is physiologically normal for vaginas to produce cleansing secretions. A normal discharge generally appears clear and odorless, or is white and sometimes yellowish. These characteristics change during the menstrual cycle. You may notice quantities increasing during ovulation.
As it is the most sensitive part of a woman’s body, they sense even the smallest changes in the color, odor and amount of vaginal discharge as well as any itching or discomfort around the area. When such changes occur, concern arises along with unpleasant feelings.
“Is something wrong with my reproductive organs? Will it affect my fertility? Oh, it is annoying to have so much discharge.”
There are two ways of responding to those changes. To get extra nervous and run to the gynecologist immediately or to give it some time hoping that things will get better on their own. Both of the strategies are correct if you know exactly when to follow them. It depends on whether you are experiencing infectious vaginitis or non-infectious vaginitis.
As a passageway to the reproductive organs, the vagina plays a protective role by keeping the pH balance acidic, which discourages infections from occurring. When you are infected with bacteria or the pH balance breaks or your immune system weakens, vaginal infection occurs. Then, vaginal discharge changes in color, consistency, amount and smell. If it is green, yellow or gray in color with a bad odor, you may have trichomonas, gonorrhea, chlamydia or bacterial vaginosis.
When infectious vaginitis is suspected, there is no need to wait. If you leave the infection untreated it can ascend along the fallopian tubes and spread into the pelvic cavity, causing pelvic inflammation disease and fallopian tubal damage. Please note if you have abdominal cramps and vaginal discharge with bad odor and/or fever, antibiotic treatment should be started immediately.
On the other hand, non-infectious vaginitis results from physical or chemical irritation. Physical irritation is often caused from sexual contact, tampons and vaginal suppositories. Chemical irritation occurs from perfumed soaps, vaginal sprays and repeated douching. For non-infectious vaginitis, home remedies and life style modifications can be good enough. Avoid irritating substances and allow more airflow around the genital area by wearing loose cotton underwear. You also need to avoid skinny jeans or tight spandex including nylon pantyhose. A lot of women douche repeatedly to get rid of the odor, but they’re washing away normal bacteria and making the vaginitis worse. Itching and a burning sensation can also occur from discharge and menstrual blood, so change underwear and sanitary pads more frequently.
It would be prudent to go see a gynecologist if you sense any abnormal symptoms related to infectious vaginitis. Yet if you have been experiencing mild symptoms only for a couple of days and non-infectious vaginitis is suspected, it is not a bad idea to give a chance to your natural healing system. You do not always need a doctor for a simple irritation.
The writer is a doctor at Maria Fertility Hospital in Seoul. For further questions, send an email to the writer at hyejunlee@mariababy.com, or call the hospital’s English-speaking coordinator at 82 (Korea country code) 2 (Seoul area code) 2250-5577, or visit the hospital’s website, https://eng.mariababy.com/.