Suffering from recurring disease
Ms. T.T.M.D (36 years old, living in District 10, Ho Chi Minh City), sent a letter to the Health Q&A section of TNTS complaining that she has had a yeast infection for almost 10 years and often suffers from vaginitis. She has been treated many times, but after a while, the disease relapses, making her extremely uncomfortable and significantly reducing her quality of life.
Discussing this issue, Dr. CKII Dương Phương Mai, Deputy Medical Director of Saigon International Obstetrics Hospital, said that the signs of vaginitis caused by yeast are itching, irritation, redness of the vagina and vulva, painful intercourse, painful urination, and a lot of white discharge, similar to cottage cheese. Microscopic examination of the discharge will reveal yeast cells and yeast buds. The disease often occurs in people with favorable factors such as: diabetes, pregnancy, weakened immune system, long-term use of antibiotics, high-fat and high-sugar diet, moist vaginal environment, daily use of sanitary pads, improper use of vaginal washes…
Doctor, how to prevent vaginitis?
Can you please tell me how women can prevent vaginitis and yeast infections through regular hygiene and douching? (xuanngoc_222… @yahoo.com).
This is a disease with a high risk of recurrence due to the characteristics of the moist vaginal environment, tight clothing habits, during the use of antibiotics or poor hygiene. Moreover, after inflammation and infection, many women have the habit of douching their vagina with antibacterial solutions, which will lead to a 5 times higher relapse rate than normal people. Regular douching with this solution destroys the normal vaginal microorganisms. At that time, the pH of the vagina becomes alkaline, creating conditions for the development of pathogenic agents. Healthy individuals have a self-protective mechanism against inflammation and infection, causing glycogen to transform into lactic acid and maintain a pH fluctuation from 3.8 to 4.8 for the vaginal environment. Normally, there are many living saprophytic bacteria here, including 7 types of lactobacilli that help maintain balance. When an alkaline solution disrupts the balance in the environment, inflammation and infection continue to occur, not only causing discomfort but also affecting women’s reproductive ability.
Therefore, under normal circumstances, women should only clean the vagina with clean water and dry it after urinating or having sexual intercourse.
Recently, researchers have discovered that the more stressed women are, the higher their risk of vaginitis. This may be due to stress weakening the immune system.
Men are also affected
According to Dr. Phuong Mai, men are also at risk of infection from women if the women have vaginitis. Therefore, when women have vaginitis, wives should abstain from sexual intercourse and treat it completely, and also need to treat their husbands to avoid infection. The way to determine whether you have vaginitis or not is quite simple, that is, after having sex, if you feel itching, pain, irritation, and have a foul-smelling, cloudy discharge, you should quickly see a doctor.
Early detection of female genital tract problems
(TNO) The sensitive area below a woman’s waist sometimes has problems that need to be understood for appropriate handling.
In addition, during treatment, it is important to maintain proper hygiene, such as not using sanitary pads daily, not using too much vaginal wash, wearing cotton underwear, changing underwear regularly, keeping it dry, eating less fat and sugar. Besides, you should avoid douching the vagina carelessly, especially with solutions containing chlorine or drying agents like alum, as this can also cause chemical vaginitis.
Another noteworthy point is that not only wives transmit diseases to their husbands, but sometimes husbands can also be the source of infection for their wives. Dr. Phuong Mai said that many women often contract gynecological diseases through sexual intercourse with their husbands without knowing it, as the symptoms of male genital diseases are less evident than in women. Hidden bacteria sometimes “spread” after months or even years. During this period, when having sex with their wives, many men still innocently transmit the disease to their wives as usual.
However, it is not easy for them to go to the hospital for examination and specific tests, as they rarely admit and willingly cooperate with their wives in matters related to sensitive diseases in the genital area. Therefore, the treatment of women is only temporary. When the disease is gone, if they continue to have sexual intercourse with their husbands who are still infected, re-infection is inevitable. To avoid the spread of disease from husbands, preventive measures such as using condoms or waiting until the husband is completely treated, as confirmed by doctors, should be taken.
Poor hygiene or excessive hygiene is not good
According to health experts, the most common cause of gynecological infections is poor hygiene that allows bacteria to attack and cause infection in the vagina. However, excessive hygiene is also a contributing factor. Therefore, after treatment, the disease quickly recurs because of the subjective factors of the patient, not paying attention to the doctor’s instructions, simply thinking that prescribing and taking medicine is enough, without needing to take any additional measures.
5 things know about women’s ‘intimate area’
Dr. Ahmed Ismail – one of the world-famous obstetricians specializing in reproduction in the UK – recently revealed 5 things that are lesser-known about women’s ‘V area’, on Healthista on March 29th.
During the treatment process, in addition to applying the above advice, Dr. Phuong Mai also stated that to prevent the disease from getting worse, alcohol and tobacco should be avoided because nicotine stimulation in cigarettes can reduce the amount of oxygen in the blood, thereby reducing the amount of oxygen supplied to the intimate area. Moreover, alcohol makes the female genital organs often in a hot and humid state, creating favorable conditions for the growth of bacteria and yeast.
In addition, seafood should also be limited because they can contribute to the area becoming hotter, more humid, and causing more itching. Spicy food should also be avoided as it will accumulate toxins in the internal organs, make the urine darker, cause anal burning, and create an environment for pathogenic bacteria to develop, making the disease more severe. And especially, sweet, fatty foods high in oil should be avoided. Fatty, greasy foods and high-sugar foods make the temperature in the genital area higher, thereby increasing the amount of vaginal discharge, which affects the treatment process.
Frequently asked questions
A vaginal yeast infection is a common condition caused by an overgrowth of a fungus called Candida in the vagina and vulva, resulting in irritation, discharge, and intense itchiness.
Vaginal yeast infections are extremely common, with 3 out of 4 women likely to experience it at least once in their lifetime. It is considered a ‘female curse’ due to its high prevalence and recurrent nature.
Symptoms include intense itching in and around the vagina, a burning sensation during urination or intercourse, soreness and irritation of the vagina and surrounding area, and a thick, white, odorless vaginal discharge with a cottage cheese-like appearance.
Causes include hormonal changes, such as those during pregnancy or menstruation, certain medications like antibiotics that disrupt the natural balance of bacteria in the body, uncontrolled diabetes, and weakened immune system.
Treatment options include antifungal medications, either in the form of creams, suppositories, or oral tablets. Probiotics can also help restore the balance of bacteria and fungi in the body.
While not all infections can be prevented, maintaining good hygiene practices, wearing loose-fitting clothing and cotton underwear, avoiding scented feminine products, and managing stress and blood sugar levels can help reduce the risk of developing yeast infections.
