If you do not use the correct collection media, your sample may die in transit. Various laboratories have different sample collection methods using different devices. Patients who are misdiagnosed continue to suffer, become frustrated, lose faith in you, and take longer to cure. The importance of evaluation cannot be stressed emphatically enough. Although these treatments may cure some patients, for others they will only compound the problem. We have witnessed non-clinician staff treating patients over the phone based on the same vague symptoms, often multiple times. Offering a woman the next available appointment two or more weeks later is going to cause her to seek relief with an OTC medication even if her discomfort is not due to yeast. Anyone who has had a vaginal infection knows that the symptoms interrupt day-to-day life, and concentration at work or home can be impossible. Patients require quick access to a clinician. Symptoms are worsened by alterations in vaginal pH (normal 3.8-4.5), which can occur with the introduction of semen, menstrual blood, or douching. Intercourse tends to exacerbate symptoms BV is not a sexually transmitted infection but rather a sexually associated infection. However, some symptoms are vague and need to be evaluated by a clinician. The usual symptoms of BV are yellow or green vaginal discharge, burning, and a fishy odor. Overtreatment of the vagina is as harmful as undertreatment. Practitioners without proper training may recommend treatments that can further damage and destroy the tissue. Patients with suspected cases should be referred to a specialist. If this is allowed to occur, patients may go on to have pain with intercourse some patients have pain with just sitting or standing.ĭiagnosing vulvodynia is quite difficult, and the condition is frequently missed. Intercourse can assist yeast organisms to enter and inhabit vulval tissue. This can lead to a condition known as vulvodynia. Long-term insults to the vulval and vaginal tissue (recurrent infections or infections that continue due to improper treatment) can result in irreparable damage. Without proper treatment, the tissue can become damaged, slowing the healing process. The discharge typically does not have a foul odor. Depending on the extent of the infection, there may be a significant amount of swelling as well. Yeast (i.e., Candida) infections are often associated with white curdlike discharge, burning, and redness of the vulval tissue. Symptoms can be truly diagnostic, or they can create confusion. Medication used in the absence of true infection can destroy the necessary lactobacilli, in turn reducing the body’s natural ability to ward off bacteria. The causative agent must be identified by a medical provider. Of course, vaginitis can also be caused by bacteria and yeast. Make special note of symptoms that are worse during work hours patients often forget that the products they use at work may be different than those they use at home. Type of underwear (in terms of fabric and style) and, most importantly, the brand of feminine pads used should be considered too, since symptoms that are worse after menses may be related to the pads. Condoms, soaps, face wash that may drip during showering, shampoos, laundry detergent, and toilet paper can all be irritating to the vulva. Encourage patients to keep a diary of their symptoms and the products they use. Such products include anything that can come into contact with the vulva. Determine what household or hygiene products patients are using and whether they have made any recent changes. Vaginitis can often be attributable to contact dermatitis, which causes inflammation and does not have an actual infectious component. Interference with these organisms, either by unnecessary applications of such products as vaginal deodorants and OTC antifungals or by douching, can alter normal functioning and leave women susceptible to vaginitis. The vagina contains lactobacilli, which act as vaginal regulators and maintain a healthy acidic environment. Setting the stage for vaginitisThe purpose of normal physiologic vaginal discharge is to lubricate the vagina.