Don't Live With Pain: Seek Treatment For Vaginal Health Problems

The medical world uses many different and often unfamiliar terms to describe issues associated with vaginal health problems. You may be experiencing vaginitis, vulvovaginitis, vaginosis, or any of several other conditions that can affect the sensitive internal and external skin and other soft tissue structures related to your vaginal health.

The itching, burning, and discomfort you’re experiencing may be constant, intermittent, or occur only with sexual intercourse. You may have tried over-the-counter remedies that don’t help or only temporarily improve your symptoms. But what do you do when your symptoms return with a vengeance once you stop the treatment?

The good news is that most of these conditions do respond quickly to treatment – if you’re using the correct therapy. Vaginal health issues can be the result of a wide variety of conditions and can affect women of all ages. The right treatment for you depends on what’s causing the problem.

That’s why internationally respected urogynecologist, Dr. Kohli recommends you see him sooner rather than later if you’re experiencing symptoms related to your vaginal health.

What are the symptoms related to vaginal health problems?

Symptoms of poor vaginal health can vary widely from woman to woman and may include one or more, or all, of the following:

• Persistent itching in the vaginal and external genitalia area
• Vaginal dryness
• Painful sexual intercourse
• Urinary incontinence
• Vaginal bleeding between menstrual cycles and/or with sex
• Pain with urination
• Increase or other changes in vaginal discharge that is often malodorous
• Generalized irritation and discomfort of the vulva (external genitalia)
• Bulge in the vaginal area

Depending on the cause of your symptoms, you may also experience generalized discomfort in your lower abdomen or pelvic region.

What causes vaginal health problems?

Many underlying conditions can lead to vaginal health issues. Sometimes infections are to blame, including an unresolved yeast infection or viral and bacterial infections related to sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

Other causes of vaginal health problems include:

• Vaginal delivery with childbirth, which can decrease muscle tone in the vagina
• Hormonal changes, like those associated with menopause, can lead to dryness, loss of elasticity, and thinning skin in the vaginal and vulvar regions
• Lichen sclerosus, which causes patchy areas of whitened, thinning skin in the genital and anal area

Pelvic organ prolapse can also cause vaginal health problems. This fairly common condition is related to decreased strength in pelvic floor muscles, which can cause your pelvic organs to drop out of place (prolapse) and create a bulge in the vaginal wall.

Also, many conditions related to vaginal health problems create other issues as they worsen. Vaginal dryness and thinning skin, for instance, can cause cracks and fissures in the tissue that make you more susceptible to bacterial infections. Pelvic organ prolapse can lead to urinary incontinence, increased incidence of urinary tract infections (UTIs), and pain during sex.

What treatments improve vaginal health?

The treatments for vaginal health issues depend on what’s causing the problem. Dr. Kohli focuses first on diagnosing your condition and then creating a treatment strategy that relieves your symptoms and corrects the underlying issue.

Your therapy may include:

• Hormone replacement in the form of pills, implants, or topical ointments
• Antibiotics to treat bacterial infections
• Antifungal medicine
• Exercises to restore pelvic floor muscle strength
• Minimally invasive surgery to repair structural issues or problems associated with pelvic organ prolapse

Regardless of what is causing your vaginal health problems, you don’t have to live with the discomfort. Seek treatment! Schedule your appointment today with top-rated women’s health specialist, Dr. Kohli at Boston Urogyn.