A foreign body in the vagina is a relatively rare situation in the practice of a gynecologist. First of all, the problem concerns children who, while getting to know their surroundings, apply various objects to the natural openings of the body. Only exceptionally, patients are elderly women, women of childbearing age or after menopause. Symptoms vary depending on the object placed in the vagina, but there may be a long asymptomatic period, which delays the diagnosis and implementation of appropriate therapeutic measures.
Foreign body in the vaginaconcerns mainly children who, curious about the world, introduce various objects into the natural openings of their body. As a rule, these are toys or food products. The situation is different in the case of mature women. Most often, the appearance of a foreign body in the vagina is associated with sexual practices, usually under the influence of alcohol. The experience of doctors around the world shows that the list of items placed in the vagina includes: cucumbers, alkaline batteries, deodorants, artificial penises.
Symptoms of a foreign body in the vagina
Items are normally evacuated from the vagina very quickly, therefore the contact time is relatively short to induce discomfort.
If the items left in the vagina have sharp ends, the vaginal wall may be damaged, and adjacent organs may be injured. The first alarm symptom is bleeding.
Leaving the object in the vagina for a long time leads to irritation, which in turn pretends to superinfect the vagina. The symptoms of vaginitis are:
- vulva swelling
- vaginal atrium congestion
- sometimes mucopurulent discharge, especially after colonization by certain strains of bacteria
- perineal maceration and pyoderma
In most cases, medical intervention takes place very quickly, therefore the implementation of diagnostic and therapeutic approaches is not delayed.
If the inflammatory process continues for a long time, complications such as inflammation of other structures of the reproductive organ, such as cervicitis or inflammation of the entire uterus, are observed. It also happens that the infection spreads to neighboring organs.
Inflammation of the urinary bladder and urethra appears, manifested by dysuric symptoms, in the form of difficulties inurination and the pain associated with it. If the inflammatory process continues, pelvic adhesions develop, which may translate into the patient's fertility.
Foreign body recognition in the vagina
In order to identify a foreign body, it is necessary to collect a reliable interview, which usually provides a lot of information. The doctor then performs a gynecological examination, also using speculae, to locate the object. In some situations, a colposcopic examination is necessary. It is a good idea to take a vaginal swab, especially if there are signs of superinfection, to identify the germ.
In case of doubts and suspicion of a change in the location of the object, imaging examinations are necessary, i.e. X-ray, ultrasound of the abdominal cavity or CT.
Treatment
The therapeutic procedure consists in removing the foreign body from the vagina as soon as possible. Removing the foreign body in young girls is a big challenge so as not to compromise the integrity of the hymen. For removal, the doctor uses his hands, or tools, such as tweezers, etc. Sometimes vaginal rinses are used. Of course, it is necessary to include antibiotics in order not to get infected. In exceptional cases, the therapeutic procedure is radical and there is a need to remove the entire organ, which has consequences in the future.