What to do if you feel vaginal swelling

For women, if swelling of the genitals occurs, you should pay attention to it. It is usually caused by bacterial infection. When bacterial infection occurs, it will cause the normal flora in the vagina to become unbalanced. The most common causes are bacterial vaginitis, candidal vaginitis, etc. At this time, it can be treated with certain anti-anaerobic drugs, such as metronidazole and other common drugs. You should also pay attention to the cleanliness of the private parts and develop good hygiene habits.

What to do if you feel vaginal swelling

1. Oral medication

The first choice is metronidazole 400 mg, orally twice a day for 7 days; alternative options: tinidazole 2 g, orally, once a day for 3 days; or tinidazole 1 g, orally, once a day for 5 days; or clindamycin 300 mg, twice a day for 7 days. Metronidazole 2 g taken all at once has poor therapeutic effect and is no longer recommended.

2. Local drug treatment

Suppository containing metronidazole 200 mg, once every night for 7 consecutive days; or vaginally apply 2% clindamycin ointment, 5 g each time, once every night for 7 consecutive days. Oral medications have similar efficacy to topical medications, with a cure rate of around 80%.

3. Follow-up

Patients who are asymptomatic after treatment do not require routine follow-up. Recurrence of bacterial vaginosis is common, and patients should be informed to return for follow-up visits and receive treatment if symptoms persist or recur. You can choose an anti-anaerobic drug different from the initial treatment, or try a vaginal lactobacillus preparation.

Causes of vaginal swelling

1. Damage to the vaginal environment

There are various microbial communities in the vagina of healthy women, which restrict and coordinate with each other to maintain a dynamic balance of vaginal microecology. If the estrogen level in the body decreases or the vaginal pH increases, frequent sexual intercourse and vaginal douching can increase the vaginal pH, which is not conducive to the growth of lactobacillus. Long-term use of antibiotics to inhibit the growth of Lactobacillus, or low immunity of the body, can make other conditional pathogens become dominant and cause inflammation.

2. Pathogen invasion

When the body's own environment or the external environment changes, the natural defense function of the vagina will be destroyed, making it easier for pathogens to invade the vagina and lead to the occurrence of vaginitis. Vaginitis is more likely to occur if there is a history of vaginal injury, pelvic inflammatory disease, endometritis, unclean sexual intercourse, or uterine surgery.