Patient's question:
What are the symptoms of fungal vulvitis?Doctor's answer:
Severe and persistent vulvar itching should first be considered as a fungal infection. It can be confirmed through direct microscopic examination and culture of local secretions. Under the microscope, the hyphae branching and spores of fungi can be easily observed. Candida albicans is oval-shaped, Gram-negative, but the staining is often uneven. It is approximately 3-5 μm (several times larger than Staphylococcus), often producing long buds that do not fall off (spores), making it resemble hyphae but actually not being true hyphae, hence called pseudomycelia. The clinical symptoms of fungal vulvitis include itching, burning sensation, and urinary pain (second-order neuron urethritis), with many women reporting pain during intercourse.