ABSTRACT
Vaginal symptoms are one of the leading reasons that women visit their health care providers. Women often self-diagnose and may treat themselves inappropriately. This article describes the etiology, risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of the 3 most common vaginal infections: bacterial vaginosis, trichomoniasis, and vulvovaginal candidiasis.
Subject(s)
Candidiasis, Vulvovaginal , Trichomonas Vaginitis , Vagina/microbiology , Vaginosis, Bacterial , Vulvovaginitis , Candidiasis, Vulvovaginal/diagnosis , Candidiasis, Vulvovaginal/drug therapy , Candidiasis, Vulvovaginal/etiology , Female , Humans , Intraabdominal Infections/diagnosis , Intraabdominal Infections/drug therapy , Intraabdominal Infections/etiology , Risk Factors , Trichomonas Vaginitis/diagnosis , Trichomonas Vaginitis/drug therapy , Trichomonas Vaginitis/etiology , Vaginosis, Bacterial/diagnosis , Vaginosis, Bacterial/drug therapy , Vaginosis, Bacterial/etiology , Vulvovaginitis/diagnosis , Vulvovaginitis/drug therapy , Vulvovaginitis/etiologyABSTRACT
Women often seek medical care for vaginal complaints. Many times, the cause of the complaint is misdiagnosed by the woman and/or her provider. These vaginal complaints may be related to infections, which when misdiagnosed or mistreated, can lead to more severe problems. This article describes the three most common vaginal infections, bacterial vaginosis, trichomoniasis, and vulvovaginal candidiasis. Appropriate diagnostic techniques and management therapies are reviewed.
