Vulvar Itching

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Itching

At least 90% of all women who complain of vaginal or vulvar itching will have yeast as at least a portion of the problem.

Because of this, simply treating these patients with a reliable anti-fungal agent (Monistat, Mycelex, Lotrimin, Diflucan, etc.) without a detailed history, physical and laboratory evaluation, is often expedient and successful. In many settings, this therapeutic approach is particularly useful as it requires no laboratory or physical examination.

For those in whom itching persists, a careful history and physical exam will usually be needed to determine the cause of the itching.

When available, some tests which may be used in determining the cause of the itching, including vaginal cultures (for strep), wet mount (for yeast, Trichomonas and bacterial vaginosis), vulvoscopy (magnified inspection of the vulva) and directed skin biopsies.

Less common causes of vulvar itching include hypertrophic vulvar dystrophy, lichen sclerosus, HPV, Paget's disease, VIN, contact dermatitis, psoriasis of the vulva and lice.

This information is provided by The Brookside Associates. The Brookside Associates, LLC. is a private organization, not affiliated with any governmental agency. The opinions presented here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Brookside Associates or the Department of Defense. The presence of any advertising on these pages does not constitute an endorsement of that product or service by either the US Department of Defense or the Brookside Associates. All material presented here is unclassified.

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