Health: Ooops – so embarrassing

That would be the feeling of any woman who suffers from itching in the private parts of her body, i.e. genitals or anal region. In company, she has to silently suffer because she cannot lower her dignity by scratching in public. Privately, she also suffers. Scratching such a delicate part of the body tends to cause much pain. Secondary infection can set in while scratching leading to boils and other problems. Women suffer from genital itching due to a wide variety of reasons. Most common being infections. Fungal infections of the vulva or vagina like thrush or taenia cause intense itching which is intermittent. There is no visible lesion, but in case of thrush there can be associated thick white discharge. Fungal infections of the genital parts can be isolated or part of infection of whole body. Bacterial infections of genital parts can also be associated with pain and itching. In addition, there can be associated boils or small abscesses on the private parts. The bacterial infection itself and scratching can cause abscess. Any sexually transmitted disease like syphilis, gonorrhoea, e.t.c. can have itching as one of the manifestations. Viral infection like herpes genitalis causes minute vesicular eruptions and also itching over the genitals. Worms, particularly Pin worm infestation, also cause intense itching on vulva, vagina and also anus. Scabies is commonly an infection of the whole body, but at times may affect only genitals. This is especially for women who have good hygiene but are unknowingly infected. In that case, infection is localised in the soft private parts. Apart from poor hygiene, sexual contact with an infected partner can also be a source of infection of private parts in women. Women who are depressed or diabetics are more prone to these infections. Eczematous dermatitis which is the result of allergy to certain substances can also occur in regions of the genitals causing intense pruritis as elsewhere in the body. Women in the age of menopause and after can suffer from itching without any infection. Depletion of estrogen levels in the body causes dryness of the vulva and vagina, which are otherwise moist. This dryness leads to itching which can be severe and worrisome at times. Neurodermatitis is a form of dermatitis said to occur and aggravate due to mental tension. There is itching without any apparent cause. Whatever may be the cause, itching in the private parts creates a very embarrassing situation for women. Some simple measures adopted are very useful to prevent these problems. Good hygiene of private parts helps in preventing settling of germs of any kind of infections. Washing the parts after urinating and sexual activity is desirable in this aspect. One needs to be cautious about hygiene during menstruation. Women are more prone to develop infection of the genital and urinary organs at this time because blood is a good medium for germs to grow. At all times, one should strive to keep herself clean and dry. A word of caution here, avoid hot water while cleaning private parts. Many times, women tend to use hot water with antiseptics in the hope of cleaning very well. But it should be remembered that these parts are very delicate and naturally soft. Use of hot water can irritate the tender skin and aggravate pain and burning sensation. Use of cold water is advised. Ideally, cotton underpants should be used in place of nylon ones. Nylon panties being trendy attract women. But they prevent good ventilation of the skin and help germs to grow. In case of any infection, it is aggravated by nylon underpants. Allergic conditions like eczema are also caused and aggravated by this type of clothing. So stick to cotton for all seasons. In case of itching due to dryness, regular application of some light lubricating substance is good. Estrogen creams are also available to provide relief in this condition but their long term benefit is disputed. If after observing all cautions, if one does get this problem it is advisable to consult a doctor and take treatment for entire duration as prescribed. Sometimes long treatment say for 3 to 12 weeks is necessary for a complete cure especially in fungal infections. Dr Rachna Pande is a Specialist in Internal Medicine. She is based in Musanze, Northern Province, Rwanda. (Last Sunday we erroneously but unintentionally attributed her article ‘PTSS – Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome’ to Joseph Kamugisha. We regret any inconvenience it might have caused. Ed)