Twenty days after giving birth, I feel itchy down there

Natural birth is the first choice for women, because cesarean section will leave scars on the abdomen and is not good for the growth of the fetus. Therefore, most women will choose natural birth as long as they meet the requirements. Some women who have given birth naturally will ask at the hospital for a postpartum check-up why they feel itchy down there 20 days after giving birth. Is it infected? This may be vaginitis caused by postpartum vaginal infection, and mothers must actively seek treatment.

1. What to do if vaginal itching occurs after normal delivery

If symptoms of vaginal itching occur after a normal delivery, it is very likely that the mother has postpartum vaginitis. Because postpartum vaginitis is an inflammation caused by vaginal infection after giving birth, it is more common in normal vaginal delivery. Postpartum women suffering from vaginitis often experience uncomfortable symptoms such as vulvar itching and burning pain, which poses a great threat to their health. Therefore, mothers should actively prevent and promptly treat postpartum vaginitis. So, what should you do if you have vaginal itching after a normal birth? How to deal with postpartum vaginitis?

Vaginitis is an inflammation of the vaginal mucosa and submucosal connective tissue and is a common disease in gynecological clinics. Due to the anatomical and biochemical characteristics of normal healthy women, the vagina has a natural defense function against the invasion of pathogens. When the natural defense function of the vagina is destroyed, pathogens can easily invade and cause vaginal inflammation. Due to estrogen deficiency, young girls and postmenopausal women have a thin vaginal epithelium, reduced intracellular glycogen content, and a vaginal pH of around 7. Therefore, the vaginal resistance is low and they are more susceptible to infection than adolescents and women of childbearing age.

Before treating postpartum vaginitis, a leucorrhea examination should be performed first to identify the pathogen of vaginitis. When using medication, it is necessary to be targeted and weigh the pros and cons. It is necessary to treat the vaginitis of the parturient while trying to avoid adverse effects of the medication on the infant. If it is Trichomonas vaginitis or bacterial vaginosis, you can take metronidazole orally or insert it into the vagina; if it is Candida vaginitis, you can take itraconazole orally or insert Daconil suppositories, Canesten suppositories or nystatin tablets into the vagina. It should be noted that the above oral medications can be excreted through breast milk and may have adverse effects on infants. Therefore, breastfeeding is not advisable while taking the medication. If the postpartum lochia has not yet cleared, it is not advisable to use local vaginal suppositories or vaginal douching, so as to avoid ascending vaginal infection and pelvic inflammatory disease.

2. Why do you get postpartum vaginitis?

There are two types of postpartum vaginitis. One type of vaginitis is caused by prolonged postpartum bleeding. The blood stimulation causes congestion, redness and swelling. It is a non-bacterial inflammation and is not caused by any specific pathogenic bacteria. This inflammation can subside on its own. Without the stimulation of bleeding and the lochia is clean, the condition will gradually improve.

However, a common occurrence is prolonged postpartum bleeding, decreased resistance, and bacterial invasion. Because there is a good bacterial culture medium in it, it is also very important to clean yourself and shower after delivery. Moreover, this type of postpartum vaginitis does not require treatment most of the time, because the blood stimulation will slowly subside on its own. However, if there is a foul odor or some abnormal vaginal discharge, we still recommend treatment in this case.

There is another type of vaginitis, which is vaginal dryness after cesarean section. Because the bleeding time is relatively long and the vagina has not expanded through the process of the fetal head, it sometimes feels very dry. It is generally recommended to use some medications after delivery to change this situation. Because we often see that patients feel vaginal pain during follow-up examinations after cesarean section, which is related to the decrease in vaginal hormone levels and vaginal dryness, and is also a kind of inflammation. At this time, we use some drugs to protect the vaginal mucosa and allow it to rebuild the protection system.