Overview

Infections unique to the female underscore the specialized capabilities of her gender. Genital and urinary tissues interdigitate anatomically to provide sexual arousal and function, conception, reproduction, and elimination of waste. The immune response in the pelvis and external female genitalia is different from anywhere on or in the rest of her body. This is demonstrated by the ease with which herpes is acquired or warts develop only in some areas, yet episiotomies seldom get infected even though exposed to feces. Moles have a fivefold increased risk of becoming malignant on the skin of the vulva than anywhere else on her body, which is of course immunology. The vagina in particular presents a unique environment--not quite internal, not quite external. Because infections of different types often rage with the same symptoms, it is often a challenge for the gynecologist to sort out what is really going on. Sometimes this is with mixed success; nevertheless, there are protocols that will properly guide a woman to the proper treatment.

Yeast

There's A Fungus Among Us

Yeast is a fungus--a living organism that is everywhere. It's in the air, on the soil, and probably on the clothes you're wearing. You breathe in buds of yeast at times. It's not a very aggressively infecting organism, but give it the right conditions and it'll take hold firmly. Any warm, moist place is a good site for yeast. Infants get it as diaper rash on their bottoms and as thrush on their tongues. Men get it as "jock itch."

In women it causes a burning, itchy sensation in the vagina and outside tissues. Many women are carriers anyway, an "infection" being nothing more than an overgrowth of their normal amounts of yeast. Conditions that make a woman a likely host are many. There are "good germs" called lactobacilli, bacteria that are normal for the vagina. They love to eat yeast and thereby keep the fungal population in check. Antibiotics, taken to kill bacterial infections elsewhere, also kill the lactobacilli, and suddenly the yeast have nothing to keep them in check. I often have prescribed anti-fungal pills, creams, or suppositories preventatively in women taking antibiotics.

Estrogen is conducive to yeast growth. That is why pregnant women and those on birth control pills are prone to infection.

Douching is probably the most worthless, damaging thing a woman can do to the delicate tissues of her body. It was probably invented by a man.

When a woman douches she leaves moisture in a dark environment and voila!--yeast. Besides that, she also washes away her body's natural defenses. Feeling temporarily refreshed, she's washed away the helpful lactobacilli, too. The women in my practice who have had the absolute least amount of problems with discharges or odor are the ones who have never douched in their lives. One must remember that the tissue of the vagina is identical to that inside the nose. No one makes a habit of squirti...