Got Vaginitis? How to Tell the Difference Between Yeast Infection and Bacterial Vaginosis

Candida or yeast infection is often mistaken for Bacterial Vaginosis .  In both cases there is vaginitis – that’s, swelling and irritation from the vulva and vagina, and you can find some comparable symtoms.  But there, the similarity ends.

Yeast infection is caused by a fungal organism called Candida albicans which is always present in and for the body.  Sometimes factors such as the use of antibiotics, stress or poor diet result in an imbalance and the fungus grows rapidly out of control.  Should you get yeast infection, you are able to anticipate plenty of itching. The discharge, if you get 1, is easily recognised as it can be white and curd-like.  There is not necessarily any smell, but if there is certainly one, you can expect it to be like bread or yeast or beer.

By contrast, Bacterial Vaginosis results from a bacterial infection – a frequent culprit is Gardnerella vaginalis.  It isn’t classified as a sexually transmitted infection – but it can be much more prevalent in individuals with multiple sexual  partners and may be transmitted sexually.   Not everybody who gets Bacterial Vaginosis gets an offensive smell with it, but the smell could be unpleasant – a strong fishy odor.  If you’ve a discharge, it may possibly be white or yellow.    A litmus test may possibly be conducted by your physician to confirm the diagnosis – a pH above 4.5 is strongly suggestive of Bacterial Vaginosis infection.

This leads me to an important point.  If you have symptoms, it can be important to visit your medical care practitioner to get a precise diagnosis.  Other possibilities contain Atrophic Vaginitis, Trichomoniasis and Genital Herpes to name several.

Many sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have comparable symptoms to both Candida and Bacterial Vaginosis  – it’s even typical to have an STI and have no symptoms at all whilst all type of damage may be going on internally.  It is critical to know exactly what you’re dealing with so which you can treat it appropriately.  There may possibly or may not be an odor and there may possibly or may not be a discharge – this makes it tough to understand for sure.

Meanwhile, it’s common sense to avoid scented lotions, douches and baths and to use cotton underwear which you change frequently.  And go to your doctor as soon as feasible for  an examination.

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