Common misdiagnosis: most women believe they have a yeast infection when they don't
Sep 10, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Her advice to women who think they have a yeast infection is to call their doctor or women�s health nurse practitioner for an appointment. The physician or nurse practitioner will do a pelvic exam to detect swelling and unhealthy discharge. The health professional also may take a swab to get a specimen for a lab test or to be examined under the microscope to see if yeast is the true culprit.
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By Saint Louis University,
[RxPG] ST. LOUIS -- Most women who think they have a vaginal yeast infection are wrong and may be doing more harm than good in treating their problem, says a Saint Louis University researcher who presented her findings recently.
�Everything that itches isn�t a yeast infection,� said Susan Hoffstetter, Ph.D., assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology and women�s health at Saint Louis University School of Medicine and a SLUCare women�s health nurse practitioner.
�People keep treating themselves. They buy over-the-counter medicines for yeast infections or they call the doctor to get a prescription for medicine over and over again.�
Nearly three times out of four, they�re treating themselves or calling a doctor for a medicine to treat a problem they don�t have, said Hoffstetter, who co-directs the SLUCare Vulvar and Vaginal Disease Clinic, which specializes in treating women who have chronic pain, unhealthy discharges or skin problems in their vaginal area.
�If you treat yourself and it never goes away, you shouldn�t continue to treat yourself,� Hoffstetter said. �You�re making a situation worse and you can get into cyclic episodes where you think you have a yeast infection all of the time.�
Vaginal yeast infections are common; three out of four women have had one at some point during their lives. Symptoms include pain or discomfort during sex; burning, redness and swelling of the vaginal area; a thick, white cottage cheese-like discharge that doesn�t smell bad; and pain during urination.
Hoffstetter analyzed the records of more than 150 new patients of the SLUCare Vulvar and Vaginal Disease Clinic, a specialty practice that sees women with recurrent vaginitis problems. These women thought they had yeast infections, however only 26 percent actually did.
�Their symptoms didn�t correlate with the clinical evidence of a yeast infection,� she said.
The women reported itching and a vaginal discharge, which also could indicate an inflammation, dry skin tissues or a sexually transmitted infection. These problems require a different treatment than the anti-fungal medicine given for a yeast infection.
Her advice to women who think they have a yeast infection is to call their doctor or women�s health nurse practitioner for an appointment. The physician or nurse practitioner will do a pelvic exam to detect swelling and unhealthy discharge. The health professional also may take a swab to get a specimen for a lab test or to be examined under the microscope to see if yeast is the true culprit.
�Women shouldn�t just run to the drugstore if they think they have a yeast infection. The optimal thing would be to be evaluated,� Hoffstetter says.
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