5 Things to Bring Up at a Visit for Vaginal Itching or Discharge

The cream box belongs on your appointment list, including the one that didn’t help.

Five things to discuss

1. The symptoms you’re having. Describe itching, burning, irritation, odor or discharge in your own words. Ask what examination or tests will help identify the cause.¹

2. Your menstrual history. Bring the dates you have recorded. The CDC¹ includes menses among the details clinicians should ask about when evaluating vaginal symptoms.¹

3. Sexual contact. Tell the clinician about sexual practices and partners. You can ask to discuss this privately. These details help guide the evaluation recommended by the CDC¹.¹

4. Products used in or around the vagina. List washes, douches and other products. Chemical irritation and allergic reactions belong among the possible explanations when infection testing doesn’t identify a cause.¹

5. Treatment you’ve tried. Name oral medicines and vaginal creams, including nonprescription products. Bring packaging or photos of labels if remembering names is a pain.¹

A home pH result has limits

An elevated pH can occur with bacterial vaginosis or trichomoniasis. Normal pH does not exclude trichomoniasis. And a negative office microscopy result can miss infection, so ask what follows if symptoms persist.¹

Put your notes somewhere useful

Down There, Decoded lists a Down-There Log, symptom sorter and appointment script in its toolkit. Those tools add a place to organize your observations and questions. They don’t establish a diagnosis. See the book.

Leave the cream box on the list, even if you’d prefer to forget buying it.