Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-lnqnp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T12:14:08.437Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chapter 23 - Recurrent Vulvovaginitis

from Section 4 - Contraception and STIs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 November 2021

By
Eman Toeima
Edited by
Tahir Mahmood ,
Charles Savona-Ventura ,
Ioannis Messinis  and
Sambit Mukhopadhyay
Tahir Mahmood
Affiliation:
Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy
Charles Savona-Ventura
Affiliation:
University of Malta, Malta
Ioannis Messinis
Affiliation:
University of Thessaly, Greece
Sambit Mukhopadhyay
Affiliation:
Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital, UK
Get access

Summary

Recurrent vulvovaginitis (RVV) is a common gynaecological condition affecting women in all age groups. Different aetiological factors can present with similar symptoms and signs. It is important to identify the cause to provide the appropriate treatment.

The three main causes include Candidiasis, bacterial vaginosis, and Trichomonas vaginalis. This is in addition to dermatological and hormone-dependent conditions such as erosive lichen planus, atrophic vaginitis and desquamative inflammatory vaginitis.

Some risk factors for RVV have been identified; for example, diabetes, sex attitudes and hypoestrogenic state.

Management of RVV may represent a challenge to healthcare professionals. It is important to realize the effect of the condition on the woman’s physical and psychological wellbeing, and the impact on their quality of life.

Keywords

vulvovaginitisinflammatory skin conditions of the vulvacytolytic vaginosislichen planusbacterial vaginosis
Type
Chapter
Information
The EBCOG Postgraduate Textbook of Obstetrics & Gynaecology
Gynaecology
 , pp. 182 - 185
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Vergers-Spooren, H, van der Meijden, W, Luijendijk, A, et al. Self-sampling in the diagnosis of recurrent vulvovaginal candidosis. J Low Genit Tract Dis 2013;17:187–192.Google Scholar
Nwokolo, NC, Barton, SE. Sexually transmitted diseases of the vulva. In: Ridley’s The Vulva, 3rd edition. Oxford: Blackwell; 2009, pp. 44–70.Google Scholar
Marrazzo, JM, Cook, RL, Wiesenfeld, HC et al. Women’s satisfaction with an intravaginal Lactobacillus capsule for the treatment of bacterial vaginosis. J Womens Health 2006;15:1053–1060.Google Scholar
Pirotta, MV, Garland, SM. Genital Candida species detected in samples from women in Melbourne, Australia, before and after treatment with antibiotics. J Clin Microbiol 2006;44:3213–3217.Google Scholar
Sobel, J. Management of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis: unresolved issues. Curr Infect Dis Rep 2006;8:481–486.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Donders, G. Management of recurrent vulvovaginal candidosis as a chronic illness. Gynecol Obstet Invest 2010;70:306–321.Google Scholar
Allsworth, JE, Peipert, JF. Prevalence of bacterial vaginosis: 2001–2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data. Obstet Gynecol 2007;109:114–120.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Powell, AM, Nyirjesy, P. Recurrent vulvovaginitis. Best Pract Res Clin Obstet Gynaecol 2014;28:967–976.Google Scholar
Verstraelen, H, Verhelst, R. Bacterial vaginosis: an update on diagnosis and treatment. Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther 2009;7:1109–1124.Google Scholar
Verstraelen, H, Swidsinski, A. The biofilm in bacterial vaginosis: implications for epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment. Curr Opin Infect Dis 2013;26:86–89.Google Scholar
Nagaraja, P. Antibiotic resistance of Gardnerella vaginalis in recurrent bacterial vaginosis. Indian J Med Microbiol 2008;26:155–157.Google ScholarPubMed
Hoffman, B, Schorge, J, Bradshaw, K. Gynecology infections. In: Williams Gynecology, 3rd edition. New York: McGraw-Hill Education; 2016, pp. 49–51.Google Scholar
Ventolini, G, Khandelwal, N, Hutton, K, et al. Obesity and recurrent vulvovaginal bacterial infections in women of reproductive age. Postgrad Med J 2017;93:297.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sobel, JD, Funaro, D, Kaplan, EL. Recurrent group A streptococcal vulvovaginitis in adult women: family epidemiology. Clin Infect Dis 2007;44:e43–e45.Google Scholar
Clark, LR. Atendido, M. Group B streptococcal vaginitis in postpubertal adolescent girls. MJ Adolesc Health 2005; 36:437–440.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Honig, E, Mouton, JW, Van der Meijden, WI. Can group B streptococci cause symptomatic vaginitis? Infect Dis Obstet Gynecol 1999;7:206–209Google Scholar
Cox, RA, Slack, MP. Clinical and microbiological features of Haemophilus influenzae vulvovaginitis in young girls. J Clin Pathol 2002;55:961–964.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Donders, GG, Vereecken, A, Bosmans, E, et al. Definition of a type of abnormal vaginal flora that is distinct from bacterial vaginosis: aerobic vaginitis. BJOG 2002;109:34–43.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lilford, RJ, Tindall, VR, Batchelor, AG. Post-surgical pyoderma gangrenosum of the vaginal vault associated with ulcerative colitis and Behçet’s disease: a case report. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol 1989;31:93–94CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ricaud Rothiot, L, Ruíz Hernández, CE, Fernández Torres, E. Acquired vaginal atresia (Sjögren’s syndrome). Ginecol Obstet Mex 1979;45:217–222.Google Scholar
Sobel, JD. Desquamative inflammatory vaginitis: a new subgroup of purulent vaginitis responsive to topical 2% clindamycin therapy. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1994;171:1215–1220.Google Scholar
Stafford, MK, Ward, H, Flanagan, A, Rosenstein, IJ, et al. Safety study of nonoxynol-9 as a vaginal microbicide: evidence of adverse effects. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr Hum Retrovirol 1998;17:327–331.Google Scholar
Sonnex, C. Sexual hypersensitivity. Br J Hosp Med 1988;39:40, 42, 47–48.Google Scholar
Edwards, L. Vaginitis. In: Obstetric & Gynecologic Dermatology. St. Paul, MO: Mosby; 2008, pp. 300–316.Google Scholar
Secor, RM. Cytolytic vaginosis: a common cause of cyclic vulvovaginitis. Nurse Pract Forum 1992;3:145–148.Google ScholarPubMed
Mantas, P, Rocha, S, Oliveira, E, Lopes, A. Occult foreign body, a rare cause of recurrent vulvovaginitis. An Pediatr (Barc) 2020;92:55–56.Google Scholar
Kissinger, P, Mena, L, Levison, J, et al. A randomized treatment trial: single versus 7-day dose of metronidazole for the treatment of Trichomonas vaginalis among HIV-infected women J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2010;55:565–571.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×