Women’s health Feminine care


Guide to women’s It may not be something you talk about very much, however it's important to intimate health


look after your intimate health. Here are some of the conditions and symptoms to look out for, as well as what you can do about them


Keeping your vaginal area healthy shouldn’t be embarrassing. Here are some of the things that can affect your intimate health, and how your pharmacist can help you to relieve the symptoms.


Vaginal thrush This is a common infection that, while uncomfortable, is usually harmless. Thrush can affect men too, but in women the symptoms include:


• A white discharge that often has a thick consistency (though this doesn’t usually smell)


• Irritation and itching around the vagina • Pain or soreness during sex and/or when you urinate


Thrush is caused by a yeast-like fungus called Candida that commonly lives on the skin and around the vaginal area. Sometimes under certain conditions – or sometimes for no reason at all – Candida can multiply and cause symptoms of thrush. If you haven’t had thrush before, see your GP or go to a


sexual health clinic for a diagnosis and for an antifungal treatment. You should also see a GP or go to a sexual health clinic if you have thrush. You should also see a GP or go to a sexual health clinic if:


• You have thrush and you're aged 16 or younger or 60 or older. • Your thrush keeps coming back (more than twice in six months).


• If you're pregnant or breastfeeding. • If your treatment hasn't worked.


• If you have a problem with your immune system (if you have HIV, for instance, or are having chemotherapy treatment).


How your pharmacist can help If this isn’t your first episode of thrush you can treat it yourself with medicines you can buy over the counter at your local pharmacy. Your pharmacist can recommend the best treatment for you. If you’re embarrassed to talk about it in the pharmacy, you can speak to the pharmacist in private.


Cystitis Usually caused by a bladder infection, cystitis is when you have inflammation in your bladder. A common type of urinary tract infection (UTI) in women, cystitis is usually more annoying than anything to worry about, with symptoms including:


• Burning, stinging or pain during urination • Needing to pass urine urgently and/or frequently • Low abdominal pain • Dark, cloudy or strong smelling urine • Generally feeling unwell


Cystitis is usually the result of bacteria that normally live harmlessly in the bowel or on the skin getting into your bladder. Some things can make this more likely, including having sex, wiping from back to front after going to the toilet, using a diaphragm for contraception, using tampons, having diabetes or a weakened immune system. According to the NHS mild cases often get better by


themselves within a few days, so you may not necessarily need to see your GP. But see your doctor if your symptoms last longer than three days, if you get cystitis frequently, or if you have severe symptoms such as blood in your urine, a high temperature or pain in your side, as you may need a course of antibiotics. You should also see your GP if you have cystitis and are pregnant.


How your pharmacist can help If you don’t need to see your GP your pharmacist can offer advice about how to treat it yourself at home, such as using over-the-counter tablets for pain relief and drinking plenty of water.


• Other UTIs can affect different parts of your urinary tract including your kidneys. Symptoms include pain or burning during urination, frequent urination or a sudden urge to urinate, smelly or cloudy urine, low abdominal pain and feeling tired and unwell. If the infection is mild the symptoms should pass within a few days. However if they don’t improve or you have blood in your urine, see your GP as you may need antibiotics to clear up the infection.


20 All About health


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