Vagina candidiasis
By Kemi Olatunde
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It is common in our society especially among young ladies and even some women to say ‘I have toilet disease’ due to the discomfort they might be going through at that particular moment. It is very embarrassing to see a lady feel so uncomfortable and look for any slight opportunity to do justice to the itches in her vagina. Health is wealth and that is why it is very important to seek medical attention for every underlying health issue that affects the body.
Deputy Director, Medical Services, Ondo State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Tolu Ademujimi puts living healthy through on the above topic.
Vagina Candidiasis is one of the most common vagina infections in women and it is caused by a fungus(it is a fungi infection). The name of the fungal organism is candida albicans.
A vaginal yeast infection, also known as candidiasis, is a common condition. A healthy vagina contains bacteria and some yeast cells. But when the balance of bacteria and yeast changes, the yeast cells can multiply. This causes intense itching,swelling, and irritation.
This is not considered a sexually transmitted infection (STI). Sexual contact can spread it, but women who aren’t sexually active can also get them. An important thing to note is that once you get a yeast infection, you’re also more likely to get another one.
Risk factors
– Sharing towel with infected persons.
– Wearing of damp/improperly dried under wear: many women spread their panties in the bathroom, which are usually damp environment. They don’t spread them in the sun. Some also spread them in the sun but fail to pack them inside the house when dried and thus leave them in the evening dew which is usually damp.
– Wearing of leather under wears: some fashion-conscious women buy and wear leather made panties which do not allow proper aeration of the vagina thereby creating a suitable medium for fungal infections to thrive.
– Douching: using soap, antibacterial reagent etc to ‘wash out’ the vagina. This is a wrong practice because the antimicrobial agents in the soap etc kill the normal bacteria in the vagina (normal flora) and in turn permit the growth of opportunistic infections such as candida.
– Diabetes Mellatus: It suppresses the immunity of the woman’s body and makes opportunistic infections like candida to thrive.
– HIV/AIDS
– prolonged used of steroids
– other disease like connective tissue disease
– May be transmitted by having unprotected sex with an infected male partner
– may co-exist with some sexually transmitted disease
Signs and symptoms
A Whitish/cream-coloured, cheese like vagina discharge usually itchy and foul-smelling.
Vaginal yeast infections have a common set of symptoms, such as:
- vaginal itching
- swelling around the vagina
- burning during urination or sex
- pain during sex
- soreness
- redness
- rash
Whitish-gray and clumpy vaginal discharge is another symptom. Some people say this discharge looks like cottage cheese. Sometimes the discharge may also be watery.
Usually the length of time your yeast infection is left untreated has a direct impact on how severe your symptoms may become.
What causes vaginal yeast infections?
The fungus Candida is a naturally occurring microorganism in the vaginal area. Lactobacillus bacteria keeps its growth in check.
But if there’s an imbalance in your system, these bacteria won’t work effectively. This leads to an overgrowth of yeast, which causes the symptoms of vaginal yeast infections.
Several factors can cause a yeast infection, including:
- antibiotics (they decrease the amount of Lactobacillus [“good bacteria”] in the vagina)
- pregnancy
- uncontrolled diabetes
- weak immune system
- poor eating habits, including a lot of sugary foods
- hormonal imbalance near your menstrual cycle
- stress
- lack of sleep
Prevention
– stop douching
– sun dry washed under wears
– treat other underlying diseases
– awareness creation among women on the wrong practice that triggers the infection.
Treatment
- a) use of antifungal agents which could be oral tablets (to be swallowed) or vagina pessaries (to be inserted in the vagina) or a combination of the two.
- b) treat an infected sexual partner.
