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Girls at the gynecologist – encyclopedia for medicine and health

Girl at the gynecologist

Despite all the education, many women today still shy away from going to the gynecologist , which is necessary in their own interests . Unfortunately, even many mothers fail to understand the necessary check-ups after childbirth and miss the obligatory follow-up examination out of carelessness or false shame. But if the daughter complains of abdominal pain or vaginal discharge when she is young , then unfortunately the reluctance to visit the doctor usually wins out because the mothers have outdated ideas that they should be ashamed of their child.

No shame at the gynecologist

Perhaps some of them force themselves to make a bashful question in the doctor’s office hours about what “that” means or whether something “should be done about it”. But we can’t help like that. As before any treatment, the doctor must make the diagnosis himself, and the causes of the disease must be researched. This applies in particular to vaginal discharge (fluoride), which does not represent a self-contained clinical picture, although we gynecologists have been dealing with it for a long time and it occurs in more than 50 percent of our patients. There are numerous causes for the occurrence of fluorine, and it is absolutely necessary to identify the specific one among the numerous possible origins.

This already shows that no universal remedy can and may be prescribed against the discharge, that every treatment must be adapted to the individual circumstances of the individual patient. This applies not only to the adult, but also to the child. So the attitude that you can’t bring a child to a gynecologist is completely untenable. Although child discharge is in many cases an everyday matter that should not be considered particularly tragic, it must be investigated and treated early, seriously and consistently by a doctor.

Vaginal diseases in children and adolescents

Even in newborn girls, we can often already observe a white-slimy secretion, similar to a jelly-like mass, in the outer genital area in the first few days, which resembles the vaginal discharge in later years.

This is a slight, natural inflammation with rejection of the finest surface cells when the mother’s hormone effects subside, which can also very occasionally cause scanty bleeding from the vagina or from the uterine lining of the child towards the end of the first week of life . The actual fluoride that occurs in infants and later is increased fluid secretion from the area in front of the vaginal entrance (vulva), from the vaginal mucosa or from parts of the uterus.

It must be taken into account that the vaginal mucosa is normally never dry and contains germs from the hymen (hymen) to the external cervical os and the vaginal vaults, even when healthy. An actually germ-free zone only starts from the cervix upwards, as long as no diseases or pregnancy have changed the balance of the vaginal secretions.

The presence of vaginal bacteria is by no means pathological. These germs, also called “Döderlein bacteria” after the discoverer and their shape, belong to the lactic acid bacteria that produce fermentation lactic acid from the starch components of decaying cells. However, starch, vaginal bacteria and lactic acid together with fluid secretion form the normal vaginal secretion in which most foreign bacteria perish. Therefore, one rightly speaks of an anatomical and functional protective mechanism of the vagina as a result of constant self-cleaning. Any shift within this bacterial flora leads to pathological symptoms and thus to discharge.

Up until the first few years after the Second World War, before antibiotics were widely used , vaginal inflammation in infants and small children caused by gonorrhea was the main cause of childhood illnesses from fluoride. Like infant gonorrhea, it can develop during childbirth when a woman has undetected, untreated gonorrhea.

This inflammation is rarely immediately noticeable in the newborn and usually only appears after about two to three weeks, often only from the second year of life. Sometimes direct transmission of the infection by using the same bath sponge, bath water, or shared towels is possible, although this route is less common. In a fresh state, the doctor can often diagnose this disease with the naked eye, even before the typical pathogens, the gonococci, can be detected in the laboratory.

The labia majora are red and covered with creamy, yellow-green pus ; in the little girl’s underwear one finds yellow streamers. If this inflammation goes unnoticed and untreated, it becomes chronic; the discharge decreases and is finally hardly noticeable. It is also typical that before puberty the child’s vaginal mucosa reacts particularly frequently in an inflammatory manner, while in adult women it is primarily the urethral, ​​uterine and rectal mucosa that are affected and the vagina itself remains insensitive.Another frequent pathological disorder is the so-called vulvitis simplex, a “simple” vaginal inflammation in which only a small amount of watery-mucous discharge is observed. Even the inflammation appears little, and in particular, the urethral opening and mucous membrane are not involved in the redness. This is often a side effect of a congenital, increased irritability of the skin and mucous membranes, so that at the same time eczema or itchy psoriasis appear on the rest of the body, mainly in the folds of the groin. In this case, a predominantly plant -based diet prescribed by the doctor will already bring about a reduction in the disturbances.

Purulent fluoride can also occur in the wake of acute infectious diseases such as diphtheria , measles , smallpox , typhus , chickenpox or erysipelas . However, once the disease has healed, it subsides again. Where there are also local irritating causes, such as worms , poor hygiene, scratching or masturbation with unclean hands, vaginal discharge becomes more frequent and noticeable.

Foreign bodies in the vagina also promote symptoms of this kind. We find this even in two to three-year-old girls, whose curiosity about their bodies is very great and who let small objects disappear not only in their noses and ears when they play. Almost two-thirds of cases of childhood fluoride are infections of the vaginal secretions caused by “everyday” germs, which are mostly harmless and can be combated in a short time.

Finally, older girls may experience a slight puberty flu, which is usually harmless as well. Since other diseases can be hidden behind the discharge, albeit in isolated cases, for example urogenital tuberculosis , you should generally consult a specialist immediately at any sign of fluorine.

No danger for girls at the gynecologist

We can refute the fears that the gynecological examination is not yet reasonable for a child because it cannot be carried out gently enough and entails an injury to the hymen. In the case of infants and toddlers, an ear speculum is sufficient to carry out a certain assessment of the vaginal mucosa, including the collection of secretions.The examination of the anus is also possible in children, which can be used to determine whether the organs in the small pelvis are in order. Furthermore, the gynecologist has very small special mirrors available for examining children, which are not dangerous and leave the hymen unharmed if the girl is relaxed and calm.

As an aside, however, the question may also be asked as to what might be more harmful to the child: a prolonged illness with the risk of an inflammation rising up to the fallopian tubes and thus later childlessness or a possibly no longer preserved hymen, which no one today is a prerequisite for a can do marriage.

In most cases, a very simple medical treatment frees the girl from her unpleasant affliction, in which case the gynecologist can also call on the mother’s help. Whether it is, for example, external application of ointments, medicinal baths, taking certain medications or instilling certain solutions into the vagina must be prescribed by the specialist according to the respective disease.

In general, the same principles apply to childhood fluoride as to adult women: early treatment, exact compliance with the medical instructions and punctual return to the consultation. In this way, the girls can be freed from suffering, which is by no means embarrassing.

Lisa Newlon
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Hello! I am Lisa Newlon, and I am a medical writer and researcher with over 10 years of experience in the healthcare industry. I have a Master’s degree in Medicine, and my deep understanding of medical terminology, practices, and procedures has made me a trusted source of information in the medical world.