Vulvitis: Treatment, Cost and Side Effects

The external soft fold skin of the female genitalia is known as vulva, which is warm and moist and makes the region vulnerable and susceptible to conditions like Vulvitis, wherein there is the inflammation of vulva and causes irritation and itching. The condition could be found in any woman but young girls who have not yet hit puberty and post-menopausal women may be more vulnerable to it because of the low estrogen levels in their bodies. Diabetic women are also more susceptible to it because of high blood-sugar levels. Vulvitis could be caused due to various reasons some of them being allergic reaction to sanitary napkins, soaps, chlorine in the pool water, etc, wearing soaked bathing suits for a long periods of time, use of perfumed toilet paper, wearing nylon or synthetic under wears, bacterial or fungal infections, horseback or bike riding, eczema, dermatitis and many more. The symptoms of Vulvitis include extreme irritation, itching and burning of the vulvar region, vaginal discharge, appearance of small cracks, blisters and scaly patches of vulva, accompanied with redness and swelling. The above symptoms could also be because of some other genital disease like an STD or fungal infection, so it is best to consult your doctor or medical health provider before going ahead with any kind of treatment. The first and foremost thing to do before going ahead with any treatment, is for the patient to stop using any kind of perfumed sanitary products down there and switch to wearing under wears made up of breathable material as they probably add more to the agony.

The diagnosis of vulvitis is done by looking out for blisters and redness. In case of discharge, the person is diagnosed for an infection. Various tests such as blood test may be conducted, along with Pap test wherein the cells of the cervix are tested in the laboratory. Tests for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are also conducted so as to know the root cause of the condition in a patient. The diagnosis may also include urine sample tests, which may indicate whether the symptoms like inflammation are not due to some kind of cancer. But even though so many tests are conducted, it is sometimes unlikely to find out the cause of vulvitis.

The treatment of vulvitis is pretty easy and does not require much running about. If the cause of vulvitis is diagnosed as the drop of estrogen levels in a woman, then an estrogen cream is prescribed for the same. Other creams that help in soothing the pain caused because of the symptoms are hydrocortisone creams and anti-fungal creams. If these creams do not provide relief, then the patient is subjected to further tests for other abnormalities such as vulvar dysplasia and vulvar dystrophy. If there are skin lesions found on the vulva of the person, then a skin biopsy may also be done to be thoroughly sure of the disease and its treatment. Sitz baths are also suggested to patients to soothe the itching and irritation.

If a woman’s body exhibits symptoms such as those of redness and swelling of the vulva, itching and irritation, vaginal discharge or formation of scaly thick patches of the vulvar region, then she is supposed to consult a medical health provider as soon as possible and be subjected to the treatment of vulvitis. There would be a systematic diagnosis of the condition along with prescription of cortisone creams. Warm baths are also recommended. In addition to all of these measures, the patients are requested to stop using all the products that they are using for sanitary and genital health so as to not introduce foreign, harmful substances to the genital area and cause the chemistry of the region to get disturbed. The pH levels often get disturbed with the use of various perfumed products that women use, which result into allergic reactions to them causing vulvitis.

There are cases where the doctors may not be sure whether the symptoms are because of vulvitis or any other condition. For example, if there is vaginal discharge accompanied with the above mentioned symptoms, the person is tested for infections. In some cases, even STDs. Or if there are lesions on a person’s vulva, it is tested for various other vulvar conditions. Although vulvar cancer is rare, urine tests are done to eliminate the possibility.

Although medicines and topical creams prescribed by doctors are beneficial to heal and treat diseases, it is not unheard of that many medicines and creams come with their own set of side effects. Topical creams for vulvitis are just the same. They are hydrocortisone creams that should be applied to the affected area with clean hand and after cleaning the effected region. They are known to soothe the redness and itching that comes with vulvitis. But these creams are known to cause the same side effects as vulvitis, like that of itching, irritation and redness. They can also cause burning or blistering of skin. They increase the hair growth. And are also known to cause pimples, acne, turn the skin purple and cause purplish red lines. A person should consult the doctor if these side effects appear as immediate medical attention would be needed to control the worsened situation.

After the treatment is done, women are supposed to take utmost care of their genitalia. Most women stop the use of perfumed products all together. In fact, using only water to wash are the genital area is best to keep such abnormalities at bay as use of other products disturbs the pH levels of the region causing these conditions to occur. Switching to cotton under wears also seems to help the situation as it lets the skin down there breathe, whereas nylon or synthetic under wears worsen the situation. Changing into clean and dry clothes soon after swimming, running, exercising or any such activity would also be helpful so as not to let bacteria or fungi breed in the region. Keeping the area clean and adopting hygienic practices would also go a long way to keep vulvitis at bay.

The treatment of vulvitis is pretty easy and convenient but the doctor may ask the patient to abstain from sexual activities until the patient is completely free of the condition, so as not to irritate the region further. Vulvitis, with proper treatment take about 5-6 days to heal but may take longer to heal if the condition is accompanied with some other conditions as well. Moreover, long term vulvitis is a rare, but possible scenario with some people and may not go away even with proper treatment.

As aforementioned, the treatment of vulvitis is easily available. One can go to any good OB/GYN for the treatment. The price of the treatment India isn’t high, either. The doctor’s consulting/visiting fees may vary from one doctor to another and is in the range of INR 200 to INR 1500. Moreover the cost of topical creams is also not expensive ranging from INR 28 to INR 250. The tests such as blood sample, urine sample as well as Pap tests are affordable as well within the range of INR 100 to INR 3000.

No, the results of the treatment of vulvitis are not permanent. The condition could occur again if proper precautions and preventive measures are not taken. Women with high blood-sugar and low estrogen levels are more prone to suffer from it.

For women who choose to treat vulvitis and its symptoms naturally, various home remedies are available that are famous for healing the vulva. Apple cider vinegar, when mixed with warm water, helps healing the itching and burning vulva if the region is washed with the solution. Drinking two glasses of Cranberry juice might also help in soothing the pain. Garlic can also be put to use. It could be consumed orally. Or the garlic essential oil, when mixed with olive oil and applied to the affected area, soothes the area and heals it. Vulvitis can be an extremely uncomfortable and painful situation for any women who suffer because of it. Measures should be taken and women should be educated towards the prevention and cure of the same.