What causes vaginal itching during childbirth? How to prevent it?

Many women will experience itching symptoms after giving birth. This is mostly caused by postpartum vaginitis, so it is necessary to check and treat it in time. Otherwise, it will not only cause great discomfort to the mother, but may even cause other gynecological diseases after worsening. In addition, if you take good care after a normal birth, you can prevent postpartum vaginitis. Here we will introduce to you the causes and methods of vaginal itching after vaginal delivery.

1. What to do if vaginal itching occurs after normal delivery

If symptoms of vaginal itching occur after a normal delivery, it is very likely that the mother has postpartum vaginitis. Because postpartum vaginitis is an inflammation caused by vaginal infection after giving birth, it is more common in normal vaginal delivery. Postpartum women suffering from vaginitis often experience uncomfortable symptoms such as vulvar itching and burning pain, which poses a great threat to their health. Therefore, mothers should actively prevent and promptly treat postpartum vaginitis.

Vaginitis is an inflammation of the vaginal mucosa and submucosal connective tissue and is a common disease in gynecological clinics. Due to the anatomical and biochemical characteristics of normal healthy women, the vagina has a natural defense function against the invasion of pathogens. When the natural defense function of the vagina is destroyed, pathogens can easily invade and cause vaginal inflammation. Due to estrogen deficiency, young girls and postmenopausal women have a thin vaginal epithelium, reduced intracellular glycogen content, and a vaginal pH of around 7. Therefore, the vaginal resistance is low and they are more susceptible to infection than adolescents and women of childbearing age.

Before treating postpartum vaginitis, a leucorrhea examination should be performed first to identify the pathogen of vaginitis. When using medication, it is necessary to be targeted and weigh the pros and cons. It is necessary to treat the vaginitis of the parturient while trying to avoid adverse effects of the medication on the infant. If it is Trichomonas vaginitis or bacterial vaginosis, you can take metronidazole orally or insert it into the vagina; if it is Candida vaginitis, you can take itraconazole orally or insert Daconil suppositories, Canesten suppositories or nystatin tablets into the vagina. It should be noted that the above oral medications can be excreted through breast milk and may have adverse effects on infants. Therefore, breastfeeding is not advisable while taking the medication. If the postpartum lochia has not yet cleared, it is not advisable to use local vaginal suppositories or vaginal douching, so as to avoid ascending vaginal infection and pelvic inflammatory disease.

2. Why do you get postpartum vaginitis?

There are two types of postpartum vaginitis. One type of vaginitis is caused by prolonged postpartum bleeding. The blood stimulation causes congestion, redness and swelling. It is a non-bacterial inflammation and is not caused by any specific pathogenic bacteria. This inflammation can subside on its own. Without the stimulation of bleeding and the lochia is clean, the condition will gradually improve.

However, a common occurrence is prolonged postpartum bleeding, decreased resistance, and bacterial invasion. Because there is a good bacterial culture medium in it, it is also very important to clean yourself and shower after delivery. Moreover, this type of postpartum vaginitis does not require treatment most of the time, because the blood stimulation will slowly subside on its own. However, if there is a foul odor or some abnormal vaginal discharge, we still recommend treatment in this case.

There is another type of vaginitis, which is vaginal dryness after cesarean section. Because the bleeding time is relatively long and the vagina has not expanded through the process of the fetal head, it sometimes feels very dry. It is generally recommended to use some medications after delivery to change this situation. Because we often see patients feel vaginal pain during follow-up examinations after cesarean section, which is related to the decrease in vaginal hormone levels and vaginal dryness, and is also a kind of inflammation. At this time, we use some drugs to protect the vaginal mucosa and allow it to rebuild the protection system.

3. How to prevent postpartum vaginitis

1. Wear cotton underwear and change it frequently. Keep the towel and basin for cleaning the vulva separate. Washed underwear should be placed in the sun to dry, not in the bathroom.

2. Wear breathable clothes and avoid wearing pantyhose or tight jeans continuously.

3. After defecation, wipe from front to back to avoid bringing Candida albicans from the anus to the vagina.

4. If you used to like sitting by the pool in your swimsuit and chatting, you’ll have to change that behavior in the future. Don’t sit casually in public swimming pools, bathrooms, or even public toilets.

5. Please try to stay cheerful, because psychological reasons can also reduce the body's immunity, allowing Candida to take advantage of the opportunity to invade.

6. Do not use disinfectants or various cleansers to frequently rinse the vulva and vagina. It is best to clean the genitals with clean water rather than various types of lotions.