NR 602 Week 6 Summary -Women Health Issues

NR 602 Week 6 Summary -Women Health Issues

NR 602 Week 6 Summary -Women Health Issues

Dr. X and class,

This week our class has explored many of the common health issues that women face. My topic was on vulvovaginal infections and I focused on the two most common, which were bacterial vaginosis and vulvovaginal candiasis. Both of these conditions are very similar in presentation, with the main differences being that BV has a thin, white discharge, a distinct “fishy” odor, and usually is associated with pain and irritation (Bagnall & Rizzolo, 2017); candidiasis, on the other hands, has a thick, curdy discharge, usually no odor, and is more associated with pruritis than pain (CDC, 2015). Both are, however, associated with poor personal GU hygiene and unsafe sexual practices; BV also has connections with douching (CDC, 2015) and VVC has been connected to dietary practices and antibiotic overuse (Bitew & Abebaw, 2018).

Even though the Amsel criteria is the most commonly used method to diagnose BV, the gold standard for diagnosis is a Gram stain (CDC, 2015). For VVC, diagnosis is generally made by the presence of signs and symptoms, but microscopic examination of vaginal secretions should be used if possible (CDC, 2015).

The treatment is also very different for each, since BV is caused by bacteria (Bautista et al., 2016) and VVC is caused by an overgrowth of yeast (CDC, 2015). The first-line medication to treat BV is metronidazole 500mg PO twice daily for seven days, though intravaginal options are available if PO is not deemed necessary (CDC, 2015). Treatment for VVC has many more options, and much of those are over-the-counter and mainly consist of the “azoles.” If PO is deemed necessary, then fluconazole 150mg PO for one dose is the first-line medication (CDC, 2015).

I enjoyed reading everyone’s presentations this week and learned so much from the dialogue between everyone. Two more weeks left, y’all! Almost there!

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References

Bagnall, P. & Rizzolo, D. (2017).  Bacterial vaginosis: A practical review. Journal of the American Academy of PAs, 30(12), 15-21. doi: 10.1097/01.JAA.0000526770.60197.fa

Bitew, A. & Abebaw, Y. (2018). Vulvovaginal candidiasis: Species distribution of Candida and their antifungal susceptibility pattern. BMC Women’s Health, 18(94). Doi: 10.1186/s12905-018-0607-z

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015). 2015 sexually transmitted diseases treatment guidelines: Bacterial vaginosis. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/std/tg2015/bv.htm

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015). 2015 sexually transmitted diseases treatment guidelines: Vulvovaginal candidiasis. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/std/tg2015/candidiasis.htm