What causes vulvar itching?

Many women suffer from vulvar itching. There are usually many reasons that can cause vulvar itching, such as fungi, bacteria, Trichomonas, etc. If the cause of the disease can be accurately identified and symptomatic treatment is actively carried out, the condition can be cured. However, if the treatment is improper, the condition may continue to worsen and seriously affect the patient's health. So, what exactly is vulvar itching? Let’s take a look at the detailed introduction made by experts.

[Pathological causes] The causes of female vulva itching are as follows:

1. Local skin uncleanness: Some women use toilet paper improperly, and the skin of the vulva is soaked by menstrual blood, vaginal secretions, and even urine, feces and sweat, which causes chronic inflammation of the local skin and causes vulva itching.

2. Trichomonas vaginalis infection: When the acidity of the female vaginal mucosa decreases, the production of lactic acid decreases, making vaginal Trichomonas infection more likely to occur, which manifests as foamy leucorrhea and itching of the vulva.

3. Fungal infection: For women with diabetes or long-term use of antibiotics that cause imbalance of normal flora, Candida albicans in the fungus can easily invade the vulva and vagina, causing fungal vulvar and vaginitis, often with bean curd-like leucorrhea and vulvar itching.

4. Parasitic infection: Pinworms mainly attack young girls, but adult women can also be infected. When the anus relaxes at night, pinworms crawl out of the rectum and swim to the vulva to mate and lay eggs, irritating the skin and mucous membranes of the vulva, causing local itching. When scabies is caused by scabies infection, the external skin lesions are the most serious, so local itching is also the most obvious. Pubic lice are manifested by severe itching in the area where pubic hair grows, and grayish-white millet-sized nits or lice may be found at the base of the pubic hair or on the hair shafts.

5. Drug rash: "Fixed drug rash" caused by women with allergic constitution taking sulfonamides or other drugs often occurs at the junction of the skin and mucous membrane of the vulva. In addition to local itching, it may be complicated by erosion and exudation. Vulvar itching may also occur if allergic reactions and contact dermatitis occur when using drugs for vaginal washing or vaginal insertion.

6. Skin diseases of the vulva: The skin lesions of tinea cruris often extend to the vulva, causing severe local itching. The local itching caused by vulvar eczema and neurodermatitis is more severe. The former is manifested as papules and blisters with unclear local skin boundaries and erosion exudate, while the latter often causes thickening of the skin with lichenification due to scratching. In addition to causing local itching, leukoplakia of the vulva is often accompanied by vulvar malnutrition and skin atrophy.

7. Viral infection: Genital warts mostly occur in the female vaginal wall, cervix and vulva, and also cause foul-smelling leucorrhea. Molluscum contagiosum occurring in the vulva often presents as round papules with an umbilical-like depression in the center, and may also cause itching in the vulva.

Clinical manifestations and diagnosis of vulvar pruritus

Vulvar itching is mostly located in the clitoris and labia minora, and may also affect the labia majora, perineum and even perianal areas. It is often paroxysmal or continuous, and usually worsens at night. The degree of itching varies significantly due to different diseases and different individuals. Long-term scratching can cause skin thickening and lichenification. The itching caused by pubic lice is mostly limited to the pubic hair area and its vicinity. Scratching can cause scratches, blood scabs or secondary folliculitis. If you look carefully, you can see scattered gray pubic lice about 1-2mm long among the pubic hair. Unexplained vulvar itching generally occurs only in women of childbearing age or postmenopausal women, often affecting the entire vulva, but may also be limited to a certain part or one side of the vulva. Although the itching is very severe and even unbearable, the local skin and mucous membranes appear normal, or there are only scratches and blood scabs due to excessive scratching.

[Gynecological examination] Vulvar itching requires timely gynecological examination to identify the cause

There are many reasons for vulvar itching, and a gynecological examination should be done in time to determine the cause. The gynecological examinations required for vulvar itching include: gynecological internal examination, routine leucorrhea examination, cervical scraping, electronic colposcopy, vaginal secretion testing, etc.

[Treatment Misunderstandings] Five Misunderstandings Women Have About Vulvar Itching Caused by Gynecological Inflammation

Misconception 1: Be patient if you can, and delay if you can

Although vulvar itching is not something to be ashamed of, it is regarded as a great privacy by female friends. Almost 50% of women choose to delay treatment for a long time, which can easily lead to further expansion of inflammation and infection, affecting the entire reproductive organs. In addition, it will cause "cross infection", causing repeated inflammation and prolonged illness.

Myth 2: Blindly believe that "washing is healthier"

Washing liquid is a "weapon" favored by women to treat gynecological inflammation. However, women often do not distinguish whether the washing liquid is for medicinal or health care purposes when purchasing it. In fact, blindly using washing liquid without diagnosis by a gynecologist will not only fail to solve the problem, but will also kill probiotics, destroy the acid-base balance of the vagina, and induce a variety of reproductive infections.

Misconception 3: Let Chinese patent medicine play the leading role

Most gynecological Chinese patent medicines have the function of clearing away heat and detoxifying. They are generally used as auxiliary treatment for chronic gynecological inflammation and cannot be used as the first choice treatment. Otherwise, it will be like "slow soldiers against a strong enemy". Not only will the effect be very slow and not very targeted, but the pathogens that cause inflammation will take the opportunity to spread and develop, thus delaying the disease.

Myth 4: Not differentiating between various gynecological inflammations

If women experience vulvar itching but do not go to the hospital for a gynecological examination and instead seek blind treatment, the disease will recur and become difficult to cure. In fact, the same disease may be caused by different pathogens. To treat gynecological inflammation, it is necessary to find the cause and treat it symptomatically to completely cure it. It is recommended that women go to a regular professional hospital for targeted and systematic treatment after becoming ill, otherwise it is very easy to cause the disease to linger.

The above is all about vaginal itching. We would like to remind female friends to pay more attention to it. Once vaginal itching occurs, you must pay attention to it and go to the hospital for examination in time. After understanding the cause, you can carry out targeted treatment and try to relieve the vaginal itching as soon as possible to avoid more serious diseases.