Operational Obstetrics & Gynecology

Itching

At least 90% of all women who complain of vaginal or vulvar itching will have yeast as at least a portion of the problem.

Watch a 5-minute video showing how to perform a wet mount examination*

Because of this, simply treating these patients with a reliable anti-fungal agent (Monistat, Mycelex, Lotrimin, Diflucan, etc.) without a detailed history, physical and laboratory evaluation, is often expedient and successful. In many operational settings, this therapeutic approach is particularly useful as it requires no laboratory or physical examination.

For those in whom itching persists, a careful history and physical exam will usually be needed to determine the cause of the itching.

When available, some tests which may be used in determining the cause of the itching, including vaginal cultures (for strep), wet mount (for yeast, Trichomonas and bacterial vaginosis), vulvoscopy (magnified inspection of the vulva) and directed skin biopsies.

Less common causes of vulvar itching include hypertrophic vulvar dystrophy, lichen  sclerosis, HPV, Paget's disease, VIN, contact dermatitis, psoriasis of the vulva and lice.

Home  ·  Introduction  ·  Medical Support of Women in Field Environments  ·  The Prisoner of War Experience  ·  Routine Care  ·  Pap Smears  ·  Human Papilloma Virus  ·  Contraception  ·  Birth Control Pills  ·  Vulvar Disease  ·  Vaginal Discharge  ·  Abnormal Bleeding  ·  Menstrual Problems  ·  Abdominal Pain  ·  Urination Problems  ·  Menopause  ·  Breast Problems  ·  Sexual Assault  ·  Normal Pregnancy  ·  Abnormal Pregnancy  ·  Normal Labor and Delivery  ·  Problems During Labor and Delivery  ·  Care of the Newborn

This web version of Operational Obstetrics & Gynecology is provided by The Brookside Associates Medical Education Division.  It contains original contents from the official US Navy NAVMEDPUB 6300-2C, but has been reformatted for web access and includes advertising and links that were not present in the original version. This web version has not been approved by the Department of the Navy or the Department of Defense. The presence of any advertising on these pages does not constitute an endorsement of that product or service by either the Department of Defense or the Brookside Associates. The Brookside Associates is a private organization, not affiliated with the United States Department of Defense. All material in this version is unclassified.

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