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Vaginal Discharge, Foul Smell, Yeast Infection, On Acidophilus, Insertable Vaginal Creams, Pap Smear Caused Pain. Treatment ?

Posted on Thu, 7 Jun 2012

Question: have had family dr about 4 yrs ago and nursing home dr. last year. treating this with one-time oral med without success; also tried eating yogurt every day and taking acidophilus tabs 3 x day; have had this for at least six years; tried otc insertable vaginal creams w/o success; yellow foul-smelling, probably yeast, causes itching and redness in vaginal area if not kept clean enough; only loose cotton underwear worn; went to gyn maybe 7 yrs ago for pap smear and she caused me such great pain with medical instrument that I screamed; she was unable to extract cells for testing and I never returned; have been a widow since 1987 and have not engaged in sexual relations for several years previous to that since my husband became very ill. Since vaginal cream insertion treatments run only a few days, might it be helpful if I purchased 3 or 4 tubes and had a longer course of treatment? I do not see how a gyn can do an exam in the office due to my size; also I can no longer get up on the exam table. What can you suggest?

Answered by Dr. Dr. Rakhi Tayal (2 hours later)

Hello,

Thanks for posting your query.

Getting treated for vaginal discharge multiple times without being relieved of discharge is distressing. Bacterial vaginosis is usually associated with super added fungal infections and if not treated vigorously is notorious for recurrence.

A vaginal swab culture sensitivity will be helpful in determining the antibiotic which will be most suitable for your infection.

Yeast infections in female genital tract are notorious for recurrence. Once you contact this infection, it should be treated vigorously with oral antifungal agents. You need to take antifungal drugs orally along with antibacterial agent in order to treat any super added infection that might have been present.

Fluconazole and azithromycin are considered as considerably effective drugs. You can consult your gynaecologist for selecting the best drug for you after proper examination.

The recurrence of infection in your case is most likely due to the incomplete treatment. The local anti fungal creams are not sufficient for full cure.

You can take some general measures to avoid recurrence-

1. Stay away from deodorant sanitary pads and tampons.

2. Do not remain in wet clothes for a long time.

Hope this answers your query. I will be glad to answer the follow up queries if you have.

Wishing you good health.

Regards.

Note: Revert back with your gynae reports to get a clear medical analysis by our expert Gynecologic Oncologist. Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Shanthi.E