Vaginal Infections

What Is Vaginal Infections

Vaginal infections are a common health problem. More than three quarters of all women will have a vaginal yeast infection in their lifetime. Bacterial infections may be even more common, especially in young and middle-aged women. About 3 out of every 10 women have bacterial vaginosis. And the vast majority of those don’t even show symptoms.

While vaginal infections are very common, many women find it difficult or embarrassing to talk about the health of their vaginas. A vaginal infection is nothing to be ashamed of, and no cause for alarm–but it does need to be treated, to prevent more serious consequences.

There are three main types of vaginal infections:

Bacterial vaginosis, caused by an overgrowth of bacteria
Candidiasis, or yeast infections, caused by the fungus Candida albicans or other Candida species
Trichomoniasis, caused by a very small parasite that is spread through sex

What Causes Vaginal Infections

Risk Factors For Vaginal Infections

Diagnosing Vaginal Infections

Symptoms of Vaginal Infections

Prognosis

Living With Vaginal Infections

Screening

Prevention

Common Treatment

Most vaginal infections can be cured with antibiotics or antifungal treatment. The specific type of treatment depends on the type of infection.

Bacterial infections are treated with antibiotics such as:

This antibiotic may be prescribed as a pill (Flagyl) that you take by mouth, or as a gel (Metrogel-Vaginal) that you put directly into your vagina. It may cause nausea or upset stomach, and you should avoid alcohol while taking metronidazole.
Tinidazole (Tindamax). This antibiotic is only available as a pill. Tinidazole may cause nausea or upset stomach, and you should stay away from alcohol during treatment.
Clindamycin (Cleocin, Clindesse), an antibiotic cream that you put inside your vagina. If you have sex during treatment, Clindamycin may weaken condoms, so if you aren’t trying to get pregnant, you should abstain or use a backup form of birth control.

When you take an antibiotic, always take the full dose your doctor prescribes, even if you feel better. If you take less than the full course of treatment, then the bacteria may develop antibiotic resistance and become harder to treat the next time.

Yeast infections may be treated with topical antifungals used inside the vagina. Topical antifungals for Candida include:

Miconazole (Monistat)
Clotrimazole (Gyne-Lotrimin)
Butoconazole (Gynazole)
Terconazole (Terzol)

These antifungals are available without a prescription in your local drugstore. As with antibiotics, make sure to finish your course of treatment even if you feel better. These treatments may damage condoms or diaphragms, so if you use barrier contraceptives you should avoid sex or use a backup birth control method until you finish treatment.

If your infection doesn’t clear up after you finish treatment, call your doctor. Your doctor may prescribe a different topical treatment, or the single-dose antifungal fluconazole (Diflucan) taken by mouth.

The standard treatment for trichomoniasis is the same oral antibiotics used for bacterial infections, metronidazole (Flagyl) or tinidazole (Tindamax). However, instead of a course of treatment, these antibiotics are given as a single large dose, all at one time.

Avoid alcohol for 1 day after taking metronidazole or 3 days after tinidazole. Make sure your sexual partner is treated as well, and avoid unprotected sex for a week after treatment.