Can Food Allergies Cause Vaginitis?
Posted: Tuesday, August 10, 2010
by Dr. Carla Goddard
Vaginitis is known to be caused by a number of different microscopic organisms. One known cause is the the fungus Candida. Candida is related to molds found in cheeses, yeast, and mushrooms. If a person has a known allergy to yeasts or molds. Their bodies react to Candida and the ingestion of any type of these products. With these known allergies, it is vital for the afflicted person to get medical attention and medication to help control the fungi in the persons body. It is very easy for the fungi to move from the intestine to the vagina; as well as find their way from the nearby rectum which multiplies the chances for the recurring infection.
There are also studies that have reported certain things such as chemical irritants such as deodorant soaps, perfumed sprays, bubble baths and colored or perfumed toilet paper can cause severe flare ups of those women who are plagued with chronic vaginitis. This is believed that the external chemical irritant has some by product that is creating an allergic reaction that is not identified. Many women have multiple chemical allergies. Sometimes it is related to the chemical preservatives that are used to protect fresh vegetables and fruits or in prepackaged, processed food.
There are other related allergies besides food allergies that can cause vaginitis that need to be mentioned as the relationship of these other allergies is not discussed often.
There are studies also that have been links to vaginitis with women who also have latex allergies. The danger here is that vaginitis is the mildest form of this type of allergy symptomology. Obviously, if a person has a known allergy to latex, latex condoms should be completely avoided.
There are some other links that are being studied that may surprise you. One is sunlight. This can be caused by certain medications reaction to the sun but not always. There are person's who actually have an allergy to sunlight. A rash will appear only minutes after unprotected skin is beneath the rays of the sun, far quicker than it would take for a person to develop a sun burn. Sometimes this light sensitivity is accompanied by headaches, vomiting and burning eyes. There have been cases of people who have sun allergies developing vaginisitis as a symptom of the allergy.
An allergic reaction to sperm can cause vaginitis. It is not a typo, there have been reported cases of women are allergic to their partners sperm which was discovered only by chronic vaginitis. Doctor's are able to help women in these cases to desensitize the allergy to sperm the same way any other type of allergy is treated.
Another allergy that has been connected with vaginitis is to spermicides. Although it is not common, there are enough cases reported that it is worth mentioning as a related cause. The same is true of feminine hygiene sprays. Both of these allergies are usually determined to be chemical allergies in the women and can be treated by avoidance of the known products producing the vaginitis.
There are studies that have concluded that IUD's with copper cause a stubborn allergic reaction that not only causes vaginitis but a spreading skin rash much like hives on the thighs, lower stomach and sometimes onto the lower back.
If you suffer from repeated, chronic vaginitis it is important to discuss the possibility of allergies being the underlying allergy and may need more than a simple antibiotic to relieve the symptoms of the vaginities. It may be that the cause of your recurrent vaginitis is actually a food allergy or chemical allergy that you are unaware of. The danger of ignoring an allergy is that the more times a person is exposed to the allergen, the more severe the allergic reaction can become.
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