Inflammatory processes in the vagina by doctors are called vaginitis. They can occur due to the ingestion of bacteria from the intestines or as a result of a decrease in the concentration of estrogen during menopause.
Disease characteristics
Before figuring out how vaginitis is treated, it is necessary to understand what kind of disease it is, how it manifests itself and what it can lead to. The main symptoms are heavy
discharge, itching and pain. Also, women complain:
- to change the color and smell of natural secretions, a noticeable increase in their number;
- a feeling of irritation, itching, pain;
- discomfort during intimacy;
- pain during urination;
- spotting or even vaginal bleeding.
The disease itself is not scary, but it can cause the development of other problems. In addition, living with a feeling of constant discomfort in the vagina is unlikely to be pleasant to someone. Therefore, treatment is indispensable. It is also necessary to be more careful about contraception, because with this disease there is a higher risk of contracting infections that are transmitted during sexual intercourse.
Types of Vaginitis
Specialists distinguish several types of disease. Depending on the diagnosis, a decision will be made on how to treat vaginitis in women. So, doctors distinguish the following types:
- bacterial;
- fungal;
- viral;
- atrophic;
- vaginitis, developed against the background of trichomoniasis.
Often, only one clinical manifestation can determine what exactly a woman suffers from. You also need to understand that it’s worth figuring out how vaginitis is treated only after the results of the tests come and a specific type of disease is established.
The following species are considered the most common: bacterial vaginosis, vaginal candidiasis and a disease caused by trichomoniasis. These types account for almost 90% of all diseases.
Features of bacterial vaginitis
If you began to worry about pain, a feeling of discomfort, incomprehensible discharge and the appearance of an unpleasant odor, then it is better to go to the gynecologist. At the examination, the doctor can see the reddened and swollen walls of the vagina, evaluate the discharge and take the necessary tests.
Among all vaginoses, bacterial occur in almost 50% of cases. They arise due to imbalance in the microflora and are found even in sexually inactive people, although one of the transmission routes is sexual. Those women who have a new partner or who are close to several men at the same time are most vulnerable to infection. The likelihood of developing vaginitis in pregnant women and those who use intrauterine contraceptives also increases.
With this type of disease, white-gray discharge with an unpleasant fishy odor appears. It becomes more distinct after intimacy.
The tactics of getting rid of bacterial problems
Before understanding what to treat bacterial vaginitis, it is necessary to accurately establish the diagnosis. So, if the reproduction of pathogenic microflora and the disappearance of lactobacilli has been clinically confirmed, then local remedies are prescribed that can restore the natural environment in the vagina. Treatment is usually carried out at home. For these purposes, local remedies such as Metrogil, Clindamycin, Ornidazole, and Tinidazole are used. Also, if necessary, appoint vaginal tablets "Fluomizin".
Separately, it is worth noting how to treat acute vaginitis. This can be done on an outpatient basis. The doctor may recommend one of the following treatment measures:
- irrigate the vaginal mucosa with a strong infusion of chamomile, a solution of lactic or boric acid;
- make baths for the vagina from Protargol (3-5% concentration is used), from silver nitrate (2% solution is used);
- put swabs with syntomycin emulsion.
Do not forget that a man can transmit vaginitis. How to treat a partner, you can find out from your gynecologist. But it is desirable that the man consulted with a urologist or venereologist.
Infectious problems
In approximately 15–20% of cases, Trichomonas is the cause of vaginitis. Both women and men suffer from the disease. It is manifested acutely. In women, the mucous membrane of the vagina and cervix becomes inflamed, irritation and ulcers appear. This is accompanied by fetid foamy secretions, perineal skin suffers. In men, microorganisms are located in the prostate gland and seminal vesicles.
In this case, it is necessary to understand not how vaginitis is treated, but how to get rid of a sexually transmitted disease. It is impossible to neutralize these problems with folk remedies without special medications. Treatment is carried out by means of "Trichopolum". It is taken orally twice a day for 7 or 10 days. Local treatment with a solution or balls of Octilin is also recommended.
Fungal infections
In approximately 20–25% of cases, vaginitis is caused by microorganisms known as candida albicans. The growth of a colony of fungal microorganisms may begin:
- due to the use of antibacterial or steroid agents;
- first sexual intercourse at an early age;
- uncontrolled diabetes;
- hormonal changes associated with the use of contraceptives, pregnancy or menopause;
- immunodeficiency virus.
This disease is also known as thrush. It can occur in acute or chronic form. Problems intensify on hot days, after visiting baths, saunas, and taking hot baths.
Treatment of fungal vaginitis
Given the fact that in each case it is necessary to approach the treatment individually, it is important to identify in time what exactly caused the problems. If the results of the analyzes show that vaginitis was caused by fungi of the genus Candida, then the treatment should be appropriate.
The vagina is treated with a 3% sodium tetraborate solution (better known as borax). Effective in the treatment of fungal vaginitis are considered drugs such as Nystatin and Levorin. Also use "Clotrimazole".
Do not forget about folk remedies. A good effect is given by douching with infusion of chamomile.
Problems of expectant mothers
If vaginitis has begun in a pregnant woman, then it is necessary to consult a doctor. This disease can cause the onset of premature birth and the birth of a small baby. Only with a doctor you need to figure out how to treat vaginitis during pregnancy.
As with other women, it is important to conduct a comprehensive diagnosis in a timely manner and determine what led to this disease. Based on this, a treatment regimen is selected. But at the same time, it is important to remember that many drugs are forbidden to expectant mothers, so emphasis can be placed on the use of local folk remedies.
It is worth considering that during pregnancy, trichomoniasis and bacterial vaginosis are considered the most dangerous. These diseases not only lead to premature birth and birth of small babies, they can cause the development of postpartum endometritis.
Problems in girls
Sometimes this disease develops in children. In this case, parents should not ignore complaints of itching in the perineum, unusual vaginal discharge and discomfort when wearing familiar clothes.
In this case, together with the pediatric gynecologist, it is necessary to find out how to treat vaginitis in girls. Often it develops from improperly performed hygiene procedures. It is important not only to monitor cleanliness, but also to properly wash the external genital organs. All movements should be directed from front to back. Otherwise, there is a risk of the transfer of opportunistic microorganisms from the intestine to the vagina.
The disease in girls can provoke chemicals contained in soap, gel or napkins. Non-specific vaginitis may even be accompanied by the appearance of bloody discharge. This disease also develops when infected with staphylococci, streptococci, candida and even pinworms. In each case, it is necessary to individually understand why vaginitis appeared in the child. What to treat should not be decided by the parents, but by a competent doctor.
Atrophic vaginitis
In the postmenopausal period, problems regarding gynecology in women do not end there. Some may develop what is called atrophic vaginitis. This problem is caused by low estrogen levels.
An experienced gynecologist can easily explain how to treat atrophic vaginitis. For this, it is necessary to artificially saturate the body with the missing hormone - estrogen. You can do this with a special cream, rings or tablets. Prescribed can be, for example, suppositories "Estriol".
Atrophic vaginitis is characterized by the following symptoms:
- dryness and burning sensation in the vagina;
- minor bleeding after sexual intercourse;
- pain during sex.
You can alleviate the condition by douching with lactic acid diluted 1: 1 with water, the introduction of tampons with syntomycin emulsion, or using oily solutions of estrogen.
Chronic problems
If untreated, the disease does not go away. It just goes into a chronic form. At the same time, during periods of calm, patients have practically no complaints, so it seems to them that they got rid of the problem. But with the use of alcohol, fatty foods, during pregnancy and on the eve of menstruation, the situation may again aggravate. In this case, it is already necessary to find out how to treat chronic vaginitis.
The specified form is difficult to treat. In this case, antibacterial agents are often prescribed. But before using them, it is advisable to pass a special analysis - bacteriological culture. According to its results, it is already necessary to select medicines. Therapy can be carried out using such means as “Cefazolin”, “Pimafucin”, “Metrogil”, “Metronidazole”. It is necessary to focus on recommendations on how to treat bacterial vaginitis. But at the same time you need to be prepared that several courses may be needed to get rid of problems.
If the cause is a fungal infection, then the drugs "Mikosist", "Flucostat", "Futsis" can be prescribed. It is possible to alleviate the condition and relieve itching with the help of candles "Iodoxide", "Betadine". Douching and baths with solutions of soda, potassium permanganate, boric acid, hydrogen peroxide are recommended.
Alternative methods of treatment
In conjunction with traditional prescriptions, doctors often recommend some proven treatment options. So, gynecologists, telling what they treat vaginitis with, can mention douching with a strong infusion of chamomile. Also for these purposes, a filtered broth of St. John's wort is used.
Hot baths can be done with pine branches. To do this, they are brewed in water and boiled for half an hour. After this, the broth is infused for another hour and filtered.
For douching, you can also use walnut leaves. The procedure is performed twice a day. To prepare a decoction, you need 50 g of leaves and a liter of water. Instead of walnut leaves, you can use pharmacy sage, nettle, calendula or mallow.
Also, many are advised to prepare phytosport from chamomile, oak bark and thyme. They are mixed in a proportion of 5: 5: 3. The mixture is poured with boiling water and infused for at least 20 minutes. Use infusion for soaking tampons inserted into the vagina, or for irrigation.
Equally popular is a mixture of oak bark, yarrow, sage and rosemary. They are taken in a ratio of 2: 1: 1: 1. The mixture is boiled for 5 minutes under a closed lid, over low heat. After filtering, the specified broth can be used for douching.
If you decide to treat vaginitis at home without the use of medications, remember that using folk methods you can only temporarily alleviate your condition. To remove the cause of the problems with douching with decoctions of herbs alone will not work.