Causes of vaginitis or vaginosis

Your problem may have another source, and it is worth looking into with your health care practitioner.

Alternative causes of vaginitis or vaginosis:

• Bacterial vaginosis, caused by Gardnerella vaginalis – fishy odour, thin, watery, grey, foul-smelling discharge
• Yeast infection, caused by Candida albicans – thick, white discharge that can resemble cottage cheese, doesn’t smell bad, can get worse for yeasty food and drink, like beer and bread
• Trichomoniasis, caused by Trichomonas vaginalis – fishy or foul-smelling discharge, sometimes green frothy discharge
• Pelvic inflammatory disease – pelvic pain, aches, inflammation
• Latex, condom or semen allergy – pain, sensitivity, itching, swelling, inflammation
• Genital warts from human papillomavirus (HPV) – warts, inflammation
• Herpes simplex virus (HSV) – sores, pain, weeping, itching, welts
• Urinary tract infection (UTI) – painful urination, burning, needing to urinate all the time but nothing comes out
• Contact dermatitis from perfumes, laundry detergents, etc. – inflammation, redness, swelling, itching, burning, discharge
• Chlamydia – frequent urination, burning, itching, ‘bladder issues’, discharge
• Gonorrhoea – smelly discharge, urethral symptoms
• Cytolytic vaginosis – thick white discharge, itch, rawness, looks like a yeast infection but doesn’t respond to antifungals
• Aerobic vaginitis – odour, itch, pain, discharge
• Lichenoid conditions – contact dermatitis, lichen planus, lichen sclerosus

See the individual pages on STIs to see if you symptoms fit.