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Suggest Treatment For Vaginal Itching
I am 13 years old and about a week ago I experienced intense itching in my vagina. I have been using Vagisil every day for the past week and it was taking the itch away. My mom said it's probably a yeast infection and from her past experience she gave me a medicine for injecting into the vagina. This morning I woke up and the itching had stopped, but my left labia minora was swollen and about double the size of my right. My mom read online that pouring vinegar mixed with water on it will cure it but it did not help. I've been trying to drink a lot of fluid so I will urinate often, and I've been looting warm water on it about evey hour but nothing is helping. What should I do?
Thu, 24 Nov 2016
Hello, and I hope I can help you today.
First of all, I want to let you know that Vagisil, even though it is sold as a feminine hygiene product, actually contains no medication that will cure a vaginal yeast infection.
In addition, if your mother gave you a cream to put inside the vagina, it needs to be used nightly for at least 3 to 7 days to completely cure the yeast infection. Yeast infection can cause swelling of the labia also as well as redness and burning.
It is relatively unusual for girls as young as you to get vaginal yeast infections unless they are sexually active, so I really do believe that it would be best for you to see a doctor to do an examination. Gynecologic specialists see girls and women of all ages, and it is possible to examine you without rupturing your hymen and take a culture swab to determine if it is indeed a yeast infection that you have. There are pills that can be prescribed by physician that you can take by mouth instead of inserting something in your vagina to help cure the infection.
In the meantime, the best thing that is going to reduce the swelling on your labia is actually cold packs or ice applied to the area 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off. You should not put anything else on your labia or vaginal area unless it is specifically a cream that treats vaginal yeast infections. Monistat is a popular brand of yeast infection cream, but the way to tell if the cream actually is one to cure yeast infections is to look at the ingredients and see if the active medication in the cream ends with the words -azole. Clotrimazole, miconazole, and terconazole are common examples of this. An over-the-counter hydrocortisone 1% cream can also help itching and swelling of all areas of the body and can also be applied to the labia.
So in summary, I really do believe that you need to be seen by a doctor to make an accurate diagnosis, as vaginal infections in young girls are not that common and can be misdiagnosed. In the meantime, over the counter yeast infection products, as well as hydrocortisone cream, will help the swelling especially if you apply ice to the area.
I hope you feel better soon and seek appropriate medical care to get an accurate diagnosis.
Best wishes,
Dr. Brown
But again,
First of all, I want to let you know that Vagisil, even though it is sold as a feminine hygiene product, actually contains no medication that will cure a vaginal yeast infection.
In addition, if your mother gave you a cream to put inside the vagina, it needs to be used nightly for at least 3 to 7 days to completely cure the yeast infection. Yeast infection can cause swelling of the labia also as well as redness and burning.
It is relatively unusual for girls as young as you to get vaginal yeast infections unless they are sexually active, so I really do believe that it would be best for you to see a doctor to do an examination. Gynecologic specialists see girls and women of all ages, and it is possible to examine you without rupturing your hymen and take a culture swab to determine if it is indeed a yeast infection that you have. There are pills that can be prescribed by physician that you can take by mouth instead of inserting something in your vagina to help cure the infection.
In the meantime, the best thing that is going to reduce the swelling on your labia is actually cold packs or ice applied to the area 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off. You should not put anything else on your labia or vaginal area unless it is specifically a cream that treats vaginal yeast infections. Monistat is a popular brand of yeast infection cream, but the way to tell if the cream actually is one to cure yeast infections is to look at the ingredients and see if the active medication in the cream ends with the words -azole. Clotrimazole, miconazole, and terconazole are common examples of this. An over-the-counter hydrocortisone 1% cream can also help itching and swelling of all areas of the body and can also be applied to the labia.
So in summary, I really do believe that you need to be seen by a doctor to make an accurate diagnosis, as vaginal infections in young girls are not that common and can be misdiagnosed. In the meantime, over the counter yeast infection products, as well as hydrocortisone cream, will help the swelling especially if you apply ice to the area.
I hope you feel better soon and seek appropriate medical care to get an accurate diagnosis.
Best wishes,
Dr. Brown
But again,
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