Vaginal itching is an uneasy, sometimes painful and unpleasant symptom that often arises because of infection, irritants used around the vagina, and menopause too. There are even cases to show where STDs and skin diseases of a certain kind have caused Vaginal itching in women.
Now that you have a basic overview of what Vaginal itching is all about, let’s learn about the causes and symptoms, before proceeding onto what home remedies can be used as well, shall we? Causes Talking about the causes that give birth to the annoying Vaginal itching, here are a couple of infamous ones that experts say add fuel to the fire.
1. Vaginal Itching Can Happen Because Of Irritants When the vagina is exposed to irritants such as soaps, harsh deodorized feminine products, scented toilet paper and more, vaginal itching occurs. Sometimes, contraceptives when used topically can cause itching of the vagina. The use of the above mentioned irritants can trigger an allergic reaction which forms a very itchy rash over the vagina and its surrounding areas. 2. Vaginal Itching Could Be Caused By Yeast Infections Yeast infections are a result of strong antibiotic doses that destroy good bacteria in the body, while killing pathogenic or bad bacteria too. If the good bacteria aren’t around, yeast growth isn’t kept in check and can cause severe Vaginal itching- lumpy discharges, itching and burning too. 3. Bacterial Vaginosis Can Cause Vaginal Itching On the same lines of yeast infection in the vagina, Bacterial Vaginosis would be triggered when there is an imbalance of good and bad bacteria in the genital zone. One would have abnormal foul smelling discharges from the vagina and immense Vaginal itching too. 4. STDs Are To Be Blamed As Well There are cases where women suffering from a range sexually transmitted diseases contract Vaginal itching. If a sexual intercourse act is unprotected
when one is sexually active, vaginal itching can happen. Some of the STDs that cause Vaginal itching to a large extent are Chlamydia, Gonorrhoea, genital warts and herpes, and trichomoniasis. 5. Menopause And Menstruation If you are undergoing the phase of menopause, or have undergone it already, chances are that you may have Vaginal itching. This happens because the oestrogen levels in the body during menopausal phase can cause vaginal atrophy or excess dryness of the vagina. When dryness is too much, the irritation and itching of the vagina begins. 6. It Could Be Because Of Stress Stress can play havoc on many spheres of our lives, and including vaginal itching too. This isn’t a very common cause of Vaginal itching though, however, stress as many experts say, can be reason enough for the immune system to be weakened over time. If the immune system is weak, the body is more prone to a whole load of infections; Vaginal itching being one of them.
Symptoms Talking about the symptoms of Vaginal itching, here are a few.
You could suffer from vaginal pains
You could have redness of the vagina
Abnormal bleeding of the vagina
Foul and smelly discharge of the vagina, and
Painful urination in some cases too Other than that, Vaginal itching can also show symptoms such as:
Urinating frequently
Tenderness of the vaginal walls To make the vagina stay healthy devoid the burning and the itching, here are a couple of home remedies to use. Check them out.
Natural Remedies 1. Cold Compress
For instant relief from the itch in the vagina, for many decades women have banked upon the traditional cold compress method. This helps bring down the inflammation and also helps numb the area, keeping the itches and burns away. What you need:
Ice cubes
Cotton towel
How to do Wrap a couple of ice cubes in a clean cotton towel Gently press the area affected for a minute. Hold on to the cold compress for as much as you can; keeping in mind your comfort level. Do this thrice a day and feel the difference.
2. Salt Water Bath The use of salt water bath as an anti-microbial and antibacterial cleanse is a must when you suffer from Vaginal itching. This is because the microbe growth is highly controlled when salt comes into contact with the vaginal itch, and this in turn would bring down the discomfort. What you need:
Teaspoon of salt
Warm water How to do
Add a teaspoon of table salt to a mug of warm water
Rinse the vagina with the mixture.
This should be done twice a day for best results.
3. Coconut Oil Coconut oil has hydrating and medicinal properties which can be used when you have vaginal itching. This brings down the inflammation and the itching, thanks to the antimicrobial properties of the oil. What you need
Coconut oil
Warm water
How to do
Add three tablespoons of coconut oil around the affected zone
Keep for half an hour or more
Wash off with warm water and pat dry.
5. Hydrogen Peroxide Hydrogen peroxide is a potent agent to deal with Vaginal itching. The oxygen content in hydrogen peroxide helps to eliminate the fungal yeast infection. However, you may experience a burning sensation in the afflicted locations because of the mixture, which can be quite intense if the infection is quite severe. What you need
Hydrogen peroxide
Warm water How to do
Mix a teaspoon of the liquid hydrogen peroxide to a cup of warm water.
Pour the mix onto the vagina very carefully.
Do this once a day
Pat dry the area thereafter.
6. Honey Honey is nature’s natural anti-bacterial and anti-fungal agent, which is why its use is suggested in beating vaginal itching. What you need
Honey
Lukewarm water
How to do
Layer the vagina with plenty of honey
Wait for half an hour till the honey turns dry
Rinse the area with lukewarm water
This should be done twice a day.
7. Turmeric & Milk Consuming turmeric milk can flush toxins out of the body and heal the internal organs too. In the case of Vaginal itching, turmeric milk when consumed helps balance the pH levels internally and to flush out any of the bacteria that cause Vaginal itching too. What you need
Raw turmeric Milk
How to do
A teaspoon of raw turmeric should be added to a glass of warm milk
Consume once a day.
8. Anti-Bacterial Talcum Powder Whenever you wash and rinse the vagina, using any of the home remedies above, it would be important to pat dry the area. This helps avoid infection. What you need
Medicated talcum powder
How to do
To further dry up and prevent Vaginal itching, medicated talcum powders should be used twice a day.
9. Garlic Thanks to the presence of allicin in garlic, Vaginal itching can be brought down. This is because of the antibiotic and antibacterial properties it possesses and that which can kill the yeast too; brings down itching and redness, and other discomfort levels as well. What you need
Garlic oil
Vitamin E
How to do
Mix a drop of garlic oil with vitamin E
Apply it on the vagina.
Wait for ten minutes
Wash off with warm water.
This should be done twice a day for relief. Medical experts opine, when one eats three garlic pods raw in a day, the immune system is kept in good shape and health, and helps fight infections such as Vaginal itching too.
Lifestyle To Follow A very healthy lifestyle to follow is a must each day and here are a couple of things you need to follow, so that Vaginal itching doesn’t happen to you.
1. Avoid The Use Of Irritants Avoid chemical feminine products, substances, creams and condoms or contraceptive foams that can irate the vaginal walls and create Vaginal itching. Also stay as much as possible away from laundry detergents that have harsh chemicals in them, and do not use scented toilet paper.
2. Sleep Without Wearing Underwear Doctors advise women suffering from Vaginal itching to sleep without wearingunderwear. This helps keep the area dry and hence there wouldn’t be a chance for the area to be damp, so no reason for the bacteria and fungi to develop and grow too. When there is no heat and moisture trapped, there would be no reason why Vaginal itching would happen to you.
3. Wear Cotton Underwear Stick to wearing cotton underwear only, because the fabric is light in weight and allows the area to breathe as well. Nylon or silk underwear wouldn’t allow transpiration of the area to happen better, and hence bacteria would grow. This leads to the occurrence of Vaginal itching as well around the anus and the vagina.
5. Wear Loose Outfits As much as possible, wearing loose clothing should be the norm. This allows for more air flow to happen around the area and the moisture build up too is decreased to a large extent as well.
6. Drink A Lot Of Clean, Pure Water When you drink at least eight to ten glasses of water daily, the body is equipped well-enough to flush out the toxins from the system. This also helps in balancing the pH levels in the body. And in turn, you can also prevent the vaginal walls from drying up which can cause Vaginal itching if left unchecked.
7. Avoid Sugar If you want to prevent the occurrence of Vaginal itching, you need to avoid sugars. This helps balance the flora in the body, and hence should be avoided at all cost. Moreover, too much sugar can raise the glycemic indexes in the body, which is why pasta, fermented foods, bananas and very sweet fruits should be avoided.
8. Don’t Scratch Don’t be tempted to scratch the affected area which would only make the zone more susceptible to itchiness and redness, painful inflammation and the spreading of Vaginal itching through infection.
9. Avoid Sexual Intercourse Vaginal - peno penetration should be avoided for the time being; the friction involved can be harmful to the walls of the vagina and can spread more infection, swelling and inflammation. While we have given you tips on how to manage your lifestyle, here are preventative measures to use when Vaginal itching happens. Read on please!
Do not have very hot baths and do not enter hot tubs that can provoke Vaginal itching and cause the infection to spread.
Chemical products and irritants are to be avoided.
Before using and after using the toilet bowl, ensure to clean the seat with a disinfectant wipe.
Douching while suffering from Vaginal itching isn’t advised. This is a time when only bathing the normal way is advised.
With the preventative measures shown and spoken of, women now know when to see a doctor while suffering from Vaginal itching.