Vaginitis is as common as a cold for women who have sex. It is not very painful, so it is often overlooked.
Some patients have been infertile for many years without knowing that vaginitis is to blame, while others have ectopic pregnancies only to learn that vaginitis is the result of prolonged untreated disease.
This vaginitis is indeed caused by a small parasitic worm called Trichomonas vaginalis, which looks like the following.
1. Where can you find it?
In women, the vagina, urethra, and even the bladder and kidney pelvis.
In men, it can be found in the foreskin folds, urethra and prostate.
2. Mode of transmission.
It is mainly transmitted through sexual intercourse, and mostly through men. Why? Because most men have no discomfort after trichomonas infection, he will not take the initiative to go to the hospital for treatment. While women, once infected, will have all sorts of discomfort, prompting her to take the initiative to go to the hospital, and thus the chances of getting treatment are greater than.
3.What conditions need to see a doctor?
* Thin and foamy leucorrhea.
* Itching of the vulva and vaginal opening, but not very serious.
* The manifestation of urinary tract infection: urinating a lot but not much each time, pain when urinating, blood in urine.
When any of the above occurs, you should see a doctor. Never just buy medicine because of the hassle of going to the hospital. Dr. Yeh has seen many patients who used random medication on their own and not only did not get rid of the disease, but also delayed the diagnosis and treatment because of the medication inside the vagina and not being able to check the leukorrhea.
4.What will the doctor do?
The doctor will first check your leukorrhea, what color and shape it is (typically foamy), and whether it has a bad smell. When you see a “strawberry-like cervix”, you will be highly suspicious of a trichomonas infection, which is actually a small bleeding spot on the mucous membrane of the vagina and cervix.
Next the doctor must find evidence. They need to examine your leucorrhoea: put a drop of warm saline (0.9% sodium chloride solution) on a glass slide, put the leucorrhoea in it and look for Trichomonas using a microscope. The sensitivity of this method is 60-70%. Note yo, not 100%! Patients often ask, “Why wasn’t it detected in the last test?” This is because many factors can affect the test results, such as: the viability of trichomonas decreases in winter, which may make identification difficult; vaginal washing or vaginal medication 48 hours before taking the discharge or having sex can affect the test results, etc.
5. Easy treatment!
Oral medication is effective: Metronidazole, the most classic! The cheapest!
Method: metronidazole (or tinidazole) 2 grams, once done!
The most crucial point: couples are treated at the same time!
6. A little vaginitis, a lot of harm
* Trichomonas can swallow sperm and change the acidic environment of the vagina, which is not conducive to the survival of sperm, which may lead to infertility!
* The disease during pregnancy may lead to early water breakage, premature birth, etc.
7.Medicine says
* It is possible to treat with metronidazole during pregnancy with your informed consent, because metronidazole belongs to category B of the standard medication for pregnant women.
* You need to breastfeed for 24 hours after taking oral metronidazole during breastfeeding, and avoid breastfeeding for 3 days if you choose to be treated with tinidazole.
* To prevent reinfection, you can boil your underwear and toiletries for 5-10 minutes to destroy Trichomonas.