Vaginal Itching

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Vaginal Itching: Home Care & Treatment

To help prevent and treat vaginal itching:

• Keep your genital area clean and dry. Use plain, unscented soap.
• Avoid colored or perfumed toilet tissue and bubble bath.
• Wear cotton panties or pantyhose with a cotton crotch. Avoid panties made from synthetic materials. For infants and toddlers, change diapers often.
• Change out of wet clothing, especially wet bathing suits or exercise clothing, as soon as possible after completion of the activity.
• Avoid feminine hygiene sprays and douches -- despite the popular belief that they may help, they often worsen itching.
• Eat yogurt with live cultures or take lactobacillus acidophilus tablets when using antibiotics. Check with your doctor.
• Cleanse by wiping or washing from front to back (vagina to anus) after urinating or having a bowel movement.
• Lose weight if you are over weight.
• Keep your blood sugars under good control if you have diabetes

It is also helpful to:

• Avoid scratching, which will only aggravate the problem.
• Avoid overexertion, heat, and excessive sweating.
• Delay sexual activity until your symptoms get better or at least use a lubricant, such as K-Y Lubricating Jelly, during intercourse.
• Use condoms to avoid catching or spreading sexually transmitted diseases.

If you know that you have a yeast infection (because your symptoms are exactly the same as those in the past), try over-the-counter anti-fungal creams like miconazole (Monistat) or clotrimazole (Gyne-Lotrimin).

Yeast infections are not considered sexually transmitted. However, sometimes men also develop itching and redness following sexual contact. If this is the case or if you get recurrent infections for unclear reasons, both you and your partner may require treatment. Talk to your doctor.

For itching related to menopause, your doctor may consider estrogen cream or tablets to be inserted vaginally.