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What Causes Vaginal Itching?
Question: Hi,
I am 27 years female with 3 year old daughter,having occasional vaginal /vulva itching mostly wet days in the cycle. this will be more in the night. But without an underwear itching wont be there and can have peaceful sleep. All this started 2 years back , itching was intense and consulted doctor. She prescribed topical cream and some oral medicine for infection. It was ok for few days but started itching again. In between noticed some dark spots in my labia , was scared showed it to same gyno. She said darkness is because of sweating & some dermatitis , instructed to follow some hygiene methods by prescribing topical cream. I applied 2 times in day over a month. During that time didnt have any itching. Once i started following good hygiene it itches occasionally but not intense. I am watching these brown spots since 6 months, dont see any change in appearance.
I am worried , could that be a cancer.
I am 27 years female with 3 year old daughter,having occasional vaginal /vulva itching mostly wet days in the cycle. this will be more in the night. But without an underwear itching wont be there and can have peaceful sleep. All this started 2 years back , itching was intense and consulted doctor. She prescribed topical cream and some oral medicine for infection. It was ok for few days but started itching again. In between noticed some dark spots in my labia , was scared showed it to same gyno. She said darkness is because of sweating & some dermatitis , instructed to follow some hygiene methods by prescribing topical cream. I applied 2 times in day over a month. During that time didnt have any itching. Once i started following good hygiene it itches occasionally but not intense. I am watching these brown spots since 6 months, dont see any change in appearance.
I am worried , could that be a cancer.
Brief Answer:
its dermatitis and not cancer
Detailed Answer:
Hello XXXX,
With the history it is inferred that you have been suffering for a long time from vaginal candidiasis or mixed vaginosis for which you were treated with vaginal cream and oral tabs.
Your concern about the dark spots over vulva is genuine but it was rightly pointed out by your gynaec that due to poor hygiene, sweat and frictional injury due to itching, its the local dermatitis.
Why it is not cancer because, if we are talking or suspecting cancer, we are talking in terms of either VIN(vulval intraepithelial neoplasia ) or Melanoma over vulva. Both these conditions are malignant and spread fast and involve the surrounding area with destruction of the overlying skin and involvement of adjacent structures.
Now that these brown spots have not changed since last 6 months nor have grown in size, they are unlikely to be cancerous, but more likely to be frictional in nature and as termed earlier...dermatitis.
i hope i have answered your query.
if you have further queries then you may contact me through follow up or else you may close this query if satisfied .
regards,
Dr.Sameer Kumar
its dermatitis and not cancer
Detailed Answer:
Hello XXXX,
With the history it is inferred that you have been suffering for a long time from vaginal candidiasis or mixed vaginosis for which you were treated with vaginal cream and oral tabs.
Your concern about the dark spots over vulva is genuine but it was rightly pointed out by your gynaec that due to poor hygiene, sweat and frictional injury due to itching, its the local dermatitis.
Why it is not cancer because, if we are talking or suspecting cancer, we are talking in terms of either VIN(vulval intraepithelial neoplasia ) or Melanoma over vulva. Both these conditions are malignant and spread fast and involve the surrounding area with destruction of the overlying skin and involvement of adjacent structures.
Now that these brown spots have not changed since last 6 months nor have grown in size, they are unlikely to be cancerous, but more likely to be frictional in nature and as termed earlier...dermatitis.
i hope i have answered your query.
if you have further queries then you may contact me through follow up or else you may close this query if satisfied .
regards,
Dr.Sameer Kumar
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Ashwin Bhandari
Thanks doctor for reply.
Please suggest some remedies to get rid of this problem permanently. when i press or scratch, brown spots are not painful. does that mean they are not malignant? could there be possibility that not painful but malignant?
To add to medical history
I was having severe hair fall even one year after pregnancy. with blood test HB was 10.9. I am under homeopathy treatment since one year, along with Dexorange iron tablets. Hair fall is under control. Is it safe to take iron tablets year long.
Please suggest some remedies to get rid of this problem permanently. when i press or scratch, brown spots are not painful. does that mean they are not malignant? could there be possibility that not painful but malignant?
To add to medical history
I was having severe hair fall even one year after pregnancy. with blood test HB was 10.9. I am under homeopathy treatment since one year, along with Dexorange iron tablets. Hair fall is under control. Is it safe to take iron tablets year long.
Brief Answer:
its not cancerous and stop iron...explained.
Detailed Answer:
Hello XXXX.
thanks for the follow up.
pertaining to you suspicion of the spots being malignant,you can rest assured that they are not. Its as described earlier secondary to the frictional regular injury produced over vulva due to scratching. Itching due to candida or mixed vaginosis is the prime cause leading to dermatitic spots over your vulva.
unfortunately you cant have a permanent cure for infection.reason because these organisms are already present in the vagina as commensals and they flare up when either immunity is down or poor hygiene in general or immediately after sex or most commonly because the other sexual partner harbours the infection and not treated at yhe same time as the lady,so once the lady is treated but yhe partner is not,then on intercourse again he would infect the woman.so in short your husband should also undergo treatment for candida fungus at the same time.
treatment is always once the lady is symptomatic with antifungal vaginal pessary and oral fluconazole ideally .oral treatment with fluconazole is offered to the male partner at yhe same time to prevent any reinfection. I hope i am clear on that.
Lastly your Hb is fine now 10-11 gm%.so nopoint taking oral iron syrup now as you have already taken it for 1 year. You can switch to dietary iron sources like vegetables,jaggery,groundnut.also you should get a deworming done with albendazole tab to take care of helminths as your Hb should have become normal by 1 year of treatment.
Again assuring thatbrown spota on vulva are nor cancerous.
regards
Dr.Sameer Kumar
if no further query....then you may opt to close this query.
thanks
its not cancerous and stop iron...explained.
Detailed Answer:
Hello XXXX.
thanks for the follow up.
pertaining to you suspicion of the spots being malignant,you can rest assured that they are not. Its as described earlier secondary to the frictional regular injury produced over vulva due to scratching. Itching due to candida or mixed vaginosis is the prime cause leading to dermatitic spots over your vulva.
unfortunately you cant have a permanent cure for infection.reason because these organisms are already present in the vagina as commensals and they flare up when either immunity is down or poor hygiene in general or immediately after sex or most commonly because the other sexual partner harbours the infection and not treated at yhe same time as the lady,so once the lady is treated but yhe partner is not,then on intercourse again he would infect the woman.so in short your husband should also undergo treatment for candida fungus at the same time.
treatment is always once the lady is symptomatic with antifungal vaginal pessary and oral fluconazole ideally .oral treatment with fluconazole is offered to the male partner at yhe same time to prevent any reinfection. I hope i am clear on that.
Lastly your Hb is fine now 10-11 gm%.so nopoint taking oral iron syrup now as you have already taken it for 1 year. You can switch to dietary iron sources like vegetables,jaggery,groundnut.also you should get a deworming done with albendazole tab to take care of helminths as your Hb should have become normal by 1 year of treatment.
Again assuring thatbrown spota on vulva are nor cancerous.
regards
Dr.Sameer Kumar
if no further query....then you may opt to close this query.
thanks
Note: Revert back with your gynae reports to get a clear medical analysis by our expert Gynecologic Oncologist. Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj
Answered by
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