Since the V Book went to press, new medical articles about V health have been published. Here is one that I think is particularly important.

When anti-yeast medications were approved for over-the-counter (OTC) use about a decade ago, V specialists worried that these medications would not be used appropriately. You see, almost every V problem- not just yeast- causes itching. You can learn all about what else causes itching by reading Chapter 7 of The V Book, “ Most Bothersome Symptoms”. So we were concerned that the OTC creams would be used for many other itching problems besides yeast.

Now we have the study that confirms what we have suspected all along- that women are inaccurately self-diagnosing and using millions of tubes of anti-fungals to treat many kinds of V itching. The study shows that only one third of women puchasing OTC anti-fungals have yeast infections, and women with a previous diagnosis of yeast by a clinician were not more accurate in diagnosing yeast than women without a prior clinical diagnosis. This finding is so important that it was published in the journal put out by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists: Ferris DG, Nyirjesy P, Sobel JD, Soper D, Pavletic A, Litaker MS. Over-the-counter antifungal drug misuse associated with patient-diagnosed vulvovaginal candidiasis. Obstet Gynecol. 2002 Mar;99(3):419-25.

Before you buy a tube of yeast cream, read The V Book- then see your clinician.