"Why do older people who are postmenopausal and have no sex still suffer from vaginitis?"

Many people think that vaginitis is only possible for women who have sex, and women who don't have sex should not have such troubles, but this is actually a misunderstanding.

Even elderly people who are not sexually active should also prevent vaginitis. This is because after menopause, due to the decline of estrogen secretion, ovarian function decline, and vaginal wall atrophy, the mucosa in the vagina becomes thinner and thinner until it disappears, and the glycogen and acidity in the vagina will increase, allowing bacteria to take advantage of it. , leading to inflammation.

Atrophic vaginitis is more common in the elderly

Atrophic vaginitis is more common in the elderly, which is mainly caused by the lack of nutrients in the vagina due to low estrogen levels. Like women, it can be caused by bacterial, fungal and other pathogens. When older women "provocate" vaginitis, they can also manifest as vulvar burning discomfort, increased vaginal discharge, odor, itching, and pain during sexual intercourse.

According to the color and characteristics of vaginal secretions, we can also identify different types of inflammation, such as yellow secretions in atrophic vaginitis, pale vaginal mucosa and disappearance of folds during gynecological examination; bacterial vaginosis with more secretions white; fungal vaginitis secretions are mostly sticky and bean curd-like; in trichomonas vaginitis, the secretions are gray and foamy, etc.

It is recommended to check blood sugar after vaginitis is detected

When the above symptoms occur in the elderly, neither panic nor feel embarrassed, and should go to the hospital in time. After excluding cervical cancer, endometrial cancer and other common malignant tumors with early manifestations that are very similar to senile vaginitis, as well as benign tumors such as polyps and neoplasms, vaginal secretions are checked to confirm the diagnosis of senile vaginitis. Which type of vaginitis, and then targeted drug treatment.

It should be reminded that if an elderly woman is found to have candidal vaginitis, it is best to check her blood sugar. Because diabetic patients can increase the content of glycogen in vaginal epithelial cells due to the disorder of glucose metabolism in the body, under the action of vaginal lactobacilli, the acidity of the vaginal environment increases and an environment conducive to the growth of molds is formed. Long-term stimulation by high-sugar urine, coupled with more folds in the genital area of ​​women, is easy to hide dirt, which also easily leads to the occurrence of Candida vaginitis.

How to prevent vaginitis in the elderly

1. Pay attention to personal hygiene: Choose underwear made of comfortable, loose-fitting, cotton fabrics. Change and wash underwear frequently, and pay attention to washing it separately from other clothes. At the same time, place the washed underwear in the sun to dry. When going out to play, if you have the conditions, it is best to stay in a hotel with relatively strict disinfection. Try to use your own bath towel. It is not advisable to use lotion to clean the vagina frequently, so as not to artificially change the acid-base environment in the vagina and the balance of natural flora and weaken it. The self-purification effect of the vagina itself.

2. Appropriate sexual life: Appropriate sexual stimulation can increase the blood circulation of reproductive organs and maintain the vitality of the skin in the vagina, so as to calmly prevent the occurrence of senile vaginitis. Elderly people with vaginal dryness can use some vaginal lubricants during sex. However, during vaginitis, it is best not to have sex.