Common misdiagnosis: most women believe they have a yeast infection when ...( ST. LOUIS -- Most women who think th...),Health

ST. LOUIS -- Most women who think they have a vaginal yeast infection are wrong and may be doing more harm than good in treating their problem, says a Saint Louis University researcher who presented her findings recently.

Everything that itches isnt a yeast infection, said Susan Hoffstetter, Ph.D., assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology and womens health at Saint Louis University School of Medicine and a SLUCare womens health nurse practitioner.

People keep treating themselves. They buy over-the-counter medicines for yeast infections or they call the doctor to get a prescription for medicine over and over again.

Nearly three times out of four, theyre treating themselves or calling a doctor for a medicine to treat a problem they dont have, said Hoffstetter, who co-directs the SLUCare Vulvar and Vaginal Disease Clinic, which specializes in treating women who have chronic pain, unhealthy discharges or skin problems in their vaginal area.

If you treat yourself and it never goes away, you shouldnt continue to treat yourself, Hoffstetter said. Youre making a situation worse and you can get into cyclic episodes where you think you have a yeast infection all of the time.

Vaginal yeast infections are common; three out of four women have had one at some point during their lives. Symptoms include pain or discomfort during sex; burning, redness and swelling of the vaginal area; a thick, white cottage cheese-like discharge that doesnt smell bad; and pain during urination.

Hoffstetter analyzed the records of more than 150 new patients of the SLUCare Vulvar and Vaginal Disease Clinic, a specialty practice that sees women with recurrent vaginitis problems. These women thought they had yeast infections, however only 26 percent actually did.

Their symptoms didnt correlate with the clinical evidence of a yeast infection, she said.

The women reported itching and a vaginal discharge, which also could in
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