”It’s a popular advertising slogan. Vaginismus is indeed an unspeakable problem for women, itchy, inconvenient and hard to talk about. But can vaginismus really be solved as easily as advertised? Most of them can, but there are other cases of vaginitis, especially those caused by Candida, where the patient is not so lucky. Without timely review, the potential risks are endless. Ms. Zhou, a busy white-collar woman, suddenly had an itchy lower body six months ago and her leucorrhea was like tofu sludge, falling out one by one. The doctor told her that she had vulvovaginal candidiasis, which is often referred to as mycosis fungoides. The symptoms disappeared after a course of treatment, so she thought she should be fine, and that going to the hospital would delay her work and make her gynecological examination uncomfortable, so she did not go to the hospital for a review. After that, her vulva would itch for a few days before her menstruation every month, and she would be uncomfortable when she was busy at work, which made her very upset. These days, work is very stressful, and itching is coming back on her lower body with a vengeance, making her restless. Comment: It is a common problem for many patients with vulvovaginal candidiasis to stop reviewing after a course of treatment. This is a common problem for many patients with vulvovaginal candidiasis. This practice can be very dangerous. The Candida that can cause the disease is very stubborn and a course of treatment can relieve the symptoms and kill most of the Candida, but there are often some fish that slip through the net. After a period of recuperation, the number of these Candida will increase to a level that can cause the disease. When the body’s immunity decreases, such as during menstruation, physical exertion, they will rise to the occasion. Ms. Zhou is a typical example of such a condition. The frequent occurrence of vaginitis not only affects the patient’s life, but more seriously, it may cause Candida and bacteria to spread upward, leading to pelvic inflammatory disease, and also reduces the local resistance of the vagina, providing conditions for other bacteria to multiply in the vagina, forming a mixed infection and making treatment more difficult. The doctor said that Ms. Chen had a case of vulvovaginal candidiasis two years ago, and she was cured after three times of careful review as requested by the doctor. Since then, every time her lower body itched and her leucorrhea changed abnormally, she diagnosed herself as having a relapse of the old disease and used medication according to the previous doctor’s prescription. However, three months ago this approach failed, the use of drugs also did not get better, ran two or three hospitals, changed several drugs also did not improve. And as soon as I had intercourse, the symptoms would worsen. What can I do? This little problem makes her unable to live in peace. Comment: It has been studied that only half of the patients who have had vulvovaginal candidiasis are able to correctly diagnose it themselves if it occurs again. What Ms. Chen thought was a Candida infection based on her own feelings may actually be another type of vaginitis. Different types of vaginitis have different medications, and random medication may delay the disease and cause Candida to develop drug resistance, which can cause a lot of trouble for treatment. It can be said that Ms. Chen has single-handedly caused her own dilemma. Another major confusion for Ms. Chen is that sex aggravates vaginitis, which adds a discordant note to family life. Candida is present in the female vagina and causes inflammation in women; it can also be present in the glans foreskin of men, but most do not cause any symptoms. Therefore, it is inconclusive whether vulvovaginal candidiasis needs to be treated in couples. It is generally believed that if the patient’s husband is asymptomatic he can go without treatment or just use some simple topical medication. However, for patients like Ms. Chen, whose vaginitis episodes are closely related to their sex life, it is important to treat the female partner while applying oral antifungal medication to her sexual partner. Blood sugar is not controlled, vagina is not comfortable Ms. Wang, a diabetic, has been going to the internal medicine department infrequently for the past year or two, but she always has to deal with the obstetrics and gynecology department. Itchy vulva and bean curd-like leucorrhea are common, and she has been going to the hospital and using medicines, but she often has attacks. Every time she has an attack, it brings embarrassment to her life. This vaginitis is more worrying than blood sugar. “What should I do? How can I cure this vaginitis?” Comment: How did diabetes become associated with Candida? It turns out that high blood sugar patients have abundant glycogen in the vagina, which provides rich nutrients for the growth of Candida and allows Candida to multiply. At this time, treating Candida alone can be said to be treating the symptoms but not the root cause, and it is bound to recur. Therefore, experienced obstetricians and gynecologists will advise patients who frequently suffer from vulvovaginal candidiasis to check their blood sugar. A number of patients have had their diabetes discovered this way. Implementing measures to prevent recurrent attacks The most important thing to do to prevent vulvovaginal candidiasis is to remove the factors that may contribute to its development. In addition to the high blood sugar mentioned above, this includes the heavy application of broad-spectrum antibacterial drugs, which can disrupt the balance of the vaginal bacterial flora; and the application of immunosuppressive drugs such as hormones, which can reduce the body’s resistance. Some women are used to wear tight underwear and like to use pads for a long time, which can increase the temperature and humidity of the perineum and provide the favorite environment for Candida to reproduce. These habits are more likely to trigger vulvovaginal candidiasis in the hot and humid summer months. Recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis can be tricky to treat. The first step is to choose your medication wisely. For women who have used many drugs like Ms. Chen, a fungal culture of vaginal secretions should be performed before choosing the type of drug, and the treatment can be twice as effective if the corresponding sensitive drug is found according to the laboratory. Secondly, you should adhere to the treatment. If you have been diagnosed with recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis by your doctor, you should adhere to the medication as requested by your doctor and review it on time. This is a long process and must be persistent for the sake of your health. Recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis brings endless pain to women, but as long as you establish firm confidence, follow your doctor’s instructions and insist on proper treatment, you will definitely be able to cure the disease.