Patient's question:
I came on my period last month and left the sanitary pad on for too long without changing it. After that, my external genital area became itchy and swollen. When my period just ended, I was diagnosed with vaginal candidiasis. Does using sanitary pads cause vaginal candidiasis?Doctor's answer:
Candidal vulvovaginitis is caused by an infection with the pathogen Candida albicans. Don't worry, timely treatment will cure it. Treatment can involve rinsing the external genitalia with baking soda water, using nystatin vaginal suppositories, and taking oral itraconazole or ketoconazole. After one course of treatment, if the fungal test results are negative, follow-up fungal tests should also be negative after each menstrual cycle. Continuous consolidation treatment for three more courses is required to confirm cure. During treatment, sexual intercourse should be avoided to prevent mutual infection.