Recently, it has become increasingly widespreadacquire various vaginal infections - bacterial vaginitis. This group of diseases occupies a leading position in the list of all obstetric and gynecological diseases. The structure of the female reproductive system itself is designed to protect the body from the invasion of foreign pathogenic bacteria, as well as to maintain normal biocenosis (balance of bacteria in the vagina). In addition, nature has provided a kind of self-cleaning system for the vagina, which is also designed to protect the woman's body from various pathogenic bacteria. However, alas, these defense systems do not always work properly. There are a number of situations in which a failure in the balance of flora in the female reproductive system, or infection with pathogenic microflora, may occur. Such cases include:
- Antibacterial drugs
Surely, almost every person at least onceI have heard in my life that antibiotic treatment can lead to intestinal dysbacteriosis. But only a few know that vaginal dysbacteriosis also exists. But in practice, approximately 70% of all cases of antibiotic use by women lead to such side effects.
- Hormonal disorders
Bacterial vaginitis often develops inif a woman has some hormonal imbalance. Most often, this occurs as a result of a disruption in the normal functioning of the endocrine system. And one should not forget about the use of hormonal contraceptives. In order to avoid such problems, your attending physician - gynecologist should select hormonal drugs.
- Treatment with cytostatic drugs
Bacterial vaginosis often developsis provoked by the course of treatment that a person suffering from various cancer diseases receives. Cytostatic drugs lead to bacterial vaginitis.
- Diabetes
Almost all women suffering from diabetesdiabetes, sooner or later encounter various bacterial vaginitis. The most common bacterial vaginitis is the well-known thrush or, in scientific terms, yeast candidiasis.
- Various diseases of the blood
Blood diseases such as various typesanemia, as well as acute and chronic leukemia, also often lead to the development of bacterial vaginitis. This is due to the fact that any blood diseases inevitably lead to a weakening of the immune system.
- Violation of the structure of the genital organs
Quite rare, but still sometimes encounteredcases of congenital pathologies of the structure of the genitals. Such disorders very often make the normal functioning of the reproductive system impossible, and in particular, lead to constant bacterial vaginitis, which are almost constant companions of women and cause her a huge amount of inconvenience and unpleasant moments.
- Malfunction of the immune system
In almost all cases of violationnormal functioning of the immune system leads to the development of bacterial vaginitis. And it does not matter at all what exactly causes the weakening of the immune system - some serious disorders in the functioning of the immune system or a common cold.
Varieties of bacterial vaginitis
Gynecologists distinguish several differenttypes of bacterial vaginitis, depending on the nature of the disease, its symptoms, and most importantly, the reasons that caused its development. So, bacterial vaginitis is:
- Trichomonal vaginitis
Vaginitis caused by the bacterium Trichomona,is the most common sexually transmitted disease. Every fourth woman has suffered from this disease at least once in her life. Every third woman who consults a gynecologist with complaints of atypical vaginal discharge suffers from trichomonas vaginitis. By the way, not only women but also men face this disease. Thus, in women, the habitat of the pathogen of this disease is the mucous membrane of the vagina, and in men - the seminal vesicles and prostate gland. Infection occurs during sexual contact with an infected person without using protection. That is why the frequency of infection with this infection is much higher in women who have more than two partners. The incubation period for this type of bacterial vaginosis is 10 - 15 days. After this, the woman notes the appearance of grayish-yellow foamy discharge, which has an extremely liquid consistency and a pronounced foul odor. These discharges very quickly lead to the fact that the mucous membrane of the vagina and external genitalia is affected, severe irritation develops, and in especially severe cases, ulceration is possible. A woman almost always experiences a fairly strong feeling of itching and burning. Burning, by the way, especially intensifies during urination, when drops of urine get on the surface of the vaginal mucosa. All manifestations of bacterial vaginitis intensify several times over the course of several days after the end of menstruation. When examining a woman, a doctor can observe existing inflammatory processes not only in the vagina, but also in the cervix. These lesions can be very diverse - from simple moderate hyperemia of the mucous membranes or cervix, to the occurrence of cervical erosions. In the vaginal cavity itself, there are constantly foamy discharges, which, flowing out, lead to irritation of not only the mucous membranes, but also the skin of the perineum. Often, due to the constant impact of such secretions on the skin, a woman develops pointed condylomas. If a woman does not seek medical help from a doctor in a timely manner, the disease will quietly become chronic - acute symptoms will disappear. At first glance, a woman may think that she has completely gotten rid of the disease. However, in fact, this is not so - with any weakening of the immune system - even with a common cold, after sexual intercourse, drinking alcoholic beverages, the disease returns again. Treatment of trichomoniasis is a rather complex and lengthy process - sometimes it can last many months or even years. And the sooner the disease is diagnosed and treatment is started, the higher its effectiveness and the chances that there will be no relapse of the disease. Therefore, it is very important for a woman to see a doctor as soon as possible, at the first signs of the disease. Self-medication should never be done - this can only aggravate the situation. Only a doctor - a gynecologist or venereologist - should prescribe treatment.
- Candidiasis of the vaginitis
This type of bacterial vaginosis is,perhaps the most common among all others. According to statistics from gynecologists, approximately 90% of all women of various age categories periodically encounter this disease. Agree - a very impressive figure. The development of this type of bacterial vaginitis is caused by a yeast fungus of the genus Candida. This fungus is found in the vagina of any woman. However, sometimes, under the influence of certain unfavorable factors, such as treatment with antibacterial drugs, an increased growth of Candida fungi begins in a woman's body. And as a result, a woman develops yeast candidiasis. The symptoms of bacterial vaginosis are very specific - any doctor can easily diagnose this disease. However, a smear is still necessary in order to exclude any possibility of error, even a small one. A woman suffering from thrush has abundant thick discharge that is white in color and has a sour odor reminiscent of the smell of yeast dough. As a rule, under the influence of high temperatures - a hot bath, sauna, bathhouse or just a hot summer day, the manifestations of thrush are significantly increased. Also, the woman's condition worsens a few days before the onset of menstruation. By the way, such a feature is characteristic only of bacterial vaginitis caused by Candida fungi. All other types of bacterial vaginitis most acutely make themselves known in the first week after the end of menstruation.
Diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis
In order to diagnose bacterialvaginosis, the doctor prescribes a number of tests for the woman. First of all, it is necessary to examine the vaginal contents to determine the pH level, as well as a microscopic examination. If necessary, microbiological, immunological research and PCR diagnostics are also performed. In order for the test results to be reliable, it is very important to properly prepare for the study. Firstly, you should not start taking any medications until smears are taken. Medications can significantly distort the final test results. The same applies to douching - many women, caring about the cleanliness of the genitals, douche immediately before going to the doctor. However, such a measure leads to the fact that the analysis may be completely ineffective. The same applies to washing before a visit to the doctor - of course, neatness is very important. However, limit yourself to simply washing the genitals with clean water. The use of various intimate hygiene products can also distort the test results. And an incorrect test result will lead to an incorrect diagnosis of the disease and, as a consequence, the wrong course of treatment. In the best case, such treatment will not have any effect on the woman's body, and the disease will continue to progress. And in the worst case, in addition to progressive treatment, incorrectly selected pharmacological drugs can have an extremely negative effect on the woman's body.
Treatment of bacterial vaginitis
As already mentioned above, at the very firstsymptoms of vaginitis, a woman should seek medical help from a gynecologist as soon as possible. The regimen for taking medications will not be discussed in this article - it should be prescribed by a doctor, and self-medication in this situation is unacceptable. However, below we will talk about some traditional medicine recipes that can be an excellent addition to the main treatment prescribed by a doctor, as well as the basic principles of successful treatment of bacterial vaginitis.
- Treatment of both sex partners
As already mentioned, bacterial vaginitisis a typical female disease. But, in no case should we lose sight of the fact that a man is a carrier of this disease. That is why, if a woman notices one or more symptoms of vaginitis, both partners should consult a doctor: a man - a urologist or venereologist. And treatment is also necessary for both sexual partners - otherwise, the woman, immediately after recovery, can be reinfected.
- Restrictions for the period of treatment
Doctors strongly recommend that sick peopleDuring treatment, completely abstain from sexual intercourse, in order to avoid constant infection of each other. In extreme cases, if there is no possibility or desire to abstain from sexual intercourse, it is imperative to use a condom. Otherwise, the entire effect of the treatment will be reduced to zero. The treatment does not last that long - about 10 - 14 days, so it is still worth giving up sexual life. And, in addition, for the entire period of treatment, the patient must completely abstain from drinking even low-alcohol beverages. And this restriction is introduced for a reason - those drugs that are most often used to treat bacterial vaginitis, in combination with alcoholic beverages, can become a strong blow to the woman's body and lead to the occurrence of pathological irreversible processes. Another very important stage of the treatment of bacterial vaginitis is the correction of all kinds of disorders of the female body's immune system, as well as the treatment of all concomitant diseases that the woman has. If necessary, the gynecologist should refer the woman for consultation with specialists and an immunologist.
Traditional methods of treatment of vaginitis
In folk medicine there are several veryeffective recipes for treating bacterial vaginitis, which will be a wonderful addition to the main treatment of the disease prescribed by the doctor. All of these recipes use various medicinal herbs.
- Marigold Infusion
In order to minimize unpleasantmanifestations of vaginitis, which cause a lot of discomfort to a woman (burning, itching), douching with calendula infusion is recommended. It is prepared as follows: place one tablespoon of dry calendula in a thermos, then pour two glasses of boiling water. Cover the thermos with a lid and leave to brew for at least a day. After that, strain the decoction with gauze and use it for douching. Douching should be done before bedtime, making sure that the solution remains in the vagina for at least 10 minutes. The course of treatment should be 21 days, and in no case should it be stopped immediately after the external manifestations of the disease disappear, otherwise the disease will very soon make itself known again.
- Decoction of root of a badan
Also very effective for bacterialvaginitis is helped by a decoction of the root of bergenia. To prepare it, you need to thoroughly chop the root, pour half a liter of water over it and bring to a boil. After the water boils, reduce the heat and cook the decoction for about 20 minutes. After this, the container with the decoction must be tightly covered with a lid and left to brew for 5 hours. After the specified time, the decoction must be filtered and used for douching twice a day - in the morning and in the evening, before bed. The course of treatment should last at least 15 days. After this, you need to take a week's break and repeat the course of treatment again. By the way, this recipe is especially effective for the treatment of candidal vaginitis or, more simply, thrush. Many women who have tried it on themselves unanimously claim that they were able to forget about thrush forever. A woman can try any of the above recipes for treating this disease. However, it is necessary to remember that if you have bacterial vaginitis, treatment with folk methods alone will not be effective enough. After all, for the most part, these recipes help to get rid of only the manifestations of the disease. And medications will successfully eliminate pharmacological drugs. A timely visit to a gynecologist is a very reasonable act for a woman who cares about her health! We recommend reading:
