Infection Control

If it’s itchy down there, it must be a yeast infection, right? Wrong.

Before you run to the drugstore for an over-the-counter (OTC) anti-fungal treatment, you might want to re-evaluate your symptoms. An estimated 44 percent of women with a vaginal infection initially treat themselves with an OTC yeast infection medication when they actually have bacterial vaginosis (BV), a much more serious infection caused by an overgrowth of the bacteria that occur naturally in the vagina.

Bacterial Vaginosis A-Z Guide

A yeast infection, on the other hand, is caused by an overgrowth of fungus that occur naturally in the vagina.

Yeast Infection A-Z Guide

In fact, the outward symptoms of many forms of vaginal infection are similar. Here’s a quick chart to help you detect whether it’s the yeast beast — or something more serious.

If your discharge is a milky gray-white, or if it’s accompanied by a fishy or foul odor, see your doctor right away. OTC yeast-infection medications aren’t a good treatment for microorganism canal infections and, in fact, may be harmful if they delay proper treatment.

Untreated BV will cause important health complications, together with premature delivery, postnatal infections, clinically apparent and subclinical girdle disease (PID), postsurgical complications (after abortion, extirpation, caesarean delivery and different reproductive procedures), increased vulnerability to HIVinfection and, possibly, infertility.