Many women know firsthand what colpitis is. In women, this disease is characterized by inflammation of the vaginal mucosa and is one of the most common female pathologies. According to statistics, every 3rd woman in modern time suffers from various forms of colpitis, often without even knowing about it. Moreover, according to some sources, there are practically no women who have not suffered this disease at least once in their lives.
Causative agents of the disease
The direct causative agents of colpitis in women are bacteria, fungi and viruses.
- When bacteria are the cause of the inflammatory process, bacterial colpitis occurs. Proteus, gardnerella, E. coli, staphylococci, streptococci can cause it.
- Fungal colpitis, better known as thrush, provokes fungi of the genus Candida.
- Various viruses can cause inflammation of the vagina, such as papilloma virus, cytomegalovirus or herpes.
Causes of Colpitis
A variety of factors can affect inflammation of the vaginal mucosa. In most cases, pathogens are the culprits. The natural microflora of the vagina in the body of a healthy woman successfully suppresses their vital functions. However, when malfunctions occur in her work, she is unable to cope with the pathogenic flora. These factors include:
- Infectious diseases that are different in nature in the female body. They significantly weaken the microflora of the vagina and thereby provoke inflammation. In this case, non-specific colpitis occurs.
- Sexually transmitted diseases. Representatives of the stronger sex can not develop colpitis, however, men themselves can cause this disease in women.
- Damage to the vaginal mucosa, having a mechanical nature. In most cases, they occur with frequent sexual intercourse or during childbirth, in rare cases, the use of vibrators can also provoke the development of colpitis.
- Diseases of the endocrine system. Usually, if there is a malfunction of even one endocrine gland, a hormonal failure occurs in the female body, which leads to the occurrence of many ailments, including problems with the vaginal microflora.
- Long-term use of antibiotics. As you know, taking antimicrobials affects the entire body, weakening the immune system and making it vulnerable to various diseases.
- Allergic reactions. The occurrence of colpitis can be associated with the use of special ointments, suppositories for the vagina or condoms.
- Non-observance of personal hygiene. For this reason, inhibition of the vaginal microflora occurs, a natural consequence of which is the inflammatory process.
Symptomatology
In order to fully understand what colpitis in women is, it is necessary to consider the features of the manifestation of this disease and its characteristic symptoms. So, you can suspect the presence of this ailment in the body if you observe such manifestations in yourself:
- Burning and itching of the genitals, aggravated during menstruation, after intercourse and during physical activity.
- Abundant vaginal discharge (milky, curdled, purulent, frothy, bloody), which have an unpleasant odor, different in their characteristics.
- Swelling and redness of the external genitalia.
- Pain during sex, aching pains localized in the lower abdomen.
- Fever.
- Rapid urination.
These symptoms of colpitis in women can have varying degrees of severity, which depends on the form of inflammation and the cause of its occurrence. So, in the acute form of the disease, the symptoms of inflammation are pronounced and cause the patient serious discomfort, while in the chronic form they are manifested rather weakly.
Types of colpitis
- Atrophic colpitis . A disease is diagnosed when the cause of the development of the inflammatory process in the vagina is a decrease in the estrogen level in the female body. In most cases, this ailment occurs in women after menopause, when, due to a decrease in estrogen levels in the body, the vagina becomes almost defenseless against infections.
- Candidiasis colpitis . It is an inflammation of the vaginal mucosa resulting from a lesion of yeast-like fungi. Most often, candidal colpitis is diagnosed along with damage to the vulvar mucosa. This disease is mainly found in women of reproductive age. Pregnant women are particularly at risk.
- Trichomonas colpitis . It is a widespread sexually transmitted disease. Often, Trichomonas colpitis in women is combined with inflammation of the urethra and cervix. Mostly the disease has a chronic course with occasionally occurring periods of exacerbations.
How to relieve symptoms of colpitis before diagnosis?
Before the delivery of the tests necessary for the diagnosis, the treatment is highly discouraged, since it can distort the results of laboratory tests.
The only drug that experts recommend taking to alleviate such manifestations of the disease as having an uncharacteristic smell or type of vaginal discharge, as well as severe genital itching, is Fluomizin. This tool - a broad-spectrum antiseptic - will help in a short time to eliminate discomfort and at the same time, which is very important, will not affect the test results.
Diagnostics
Knowing what colpitis is in women, and having suspected the first signs of this disease, you should immediately visit a specialist. Reliably learn about the presence or absence of this ailment in the body is possible only after a diagnostic examination.
In addition to examining a gynecologist, a woman needs to undergo a bacterial diagnosis, which consists in taking smears from the vagina, cervical canal and urethra. Another method for diagnosing this disease is colposcopy, in which the vaginal mucosa is examined for lesions.
Colpitis in women: treatment
Colpitis treatment should be comprehensive and based on an individual approach to each of the patients. With a diagnosis of colpitis, the signs and treatment of the disease depend on the physiological characteristics of the female body, and therefore the selection of funds is carried out only after passing all the necessary tests and a thorough examination of the patient and, very importantly, her sexual partner.
To eliminate colpitis, etiotropic drugs and anti-inflammatory drugs are usually prescribed. Antibacterial drugs turn out to be powerless before colpitis, since many pathogens tolerate the action of antibiotics quite persistently. In rare cases, antibiotic therapy can still be prescribed, but antibiotics will be used locally (in the form of solutions and emulsions) and for a short time.
The specialist should identify concomitant colpitis diseases and also prescribe a course of treatment. An important point in getting rid of this ailment is to abstain from sexual intimacy with a man for the entire period of treatment.
Candle Colpitis Treatment
An effective tool to help get rid of colpitis are candles. Often, in the treatment of the disease, Terzhinan suppositories are used , which are an antifungal and antimicrobial drug that has an anti-inflammatory effect. Also, Vokadin, Klion-D100, and Pimafucin candles have proven themselves well.
With colpitis, accompanied by mycoplasmosis, chlamydia or ureaplasmosis, Genferon suppositories are indicated, which must be combined with tablets such as Fluconazole or Metronidazole. Use suppositories for colpitis is necessary only as directed by a doctor.
Remediation as a way to treat colpitis
For the treatment of colpitis, experts recommend a reorganization of the vagina and vulva. To this end, a woman needs to perform washing. Effective washing with decoctions of herbs (calendula, sage, chamomile) or with a weak solution of manganese.
In the acute form of the disease and purulent discharge from the vagina, douching with chamomile broth, as well as a special composition prepared from a solution of manganese and rivanol are shown. It is important to pay attention to the fact that douching is forbidden to do more than three days in a row, as otherwise you can disrupt the normal microflora of the vagina.
To perform the rehabilitation, pasteurized peach oil and rosehip oil, as well as streptomycin emulsion, are still used. It is necessary to mix all the fluids and the resulting composition for one week to process the walls of the vagina. Vaginal baths with chamomile infusion and chlorophyllipt have proven themselves well.
Having examined what colpitis is in women, we came to the conclusion that this is an extremely unpleasant ailment, the treatment of which should not be postponed. Timely diagnosis and appropriate response measures will help to quickly and effectively eliminate colpitis and prevent it from developing into a chronic form.