Vulvitis in Girls

When you first learned that you had a baby girl, you probably envisioned sweet little dresses, ballet slippers, and pigtails—along with corporate board rooms and soccer balls, of course. What you probably didn't imagine was taking your darling daughter to the pediatrician for excruciating itching on her vajayjay.

It sounds like the stuff of a Tina Fey bit on parenting, but just like grown-ups, little girls can be diagnosed with vulvitis. The inflamed vulva of vulvitis is really a symptom that can be caused by numerous conditions such as diseases, infections, injuries, allergies and other irritants. In pre-pubescent girls, vulvitis may also be caused by inadequate levels of estrogen.

Symptoms of vulvitis can be subtle at first, as children are often pretty unselfconscious about things like scratching their privates anyway. But if you notice excessive scratching or redness or blisters on your kid's labia or vulva, you may want to have her health care provider examine her.

If your daughter's doc thinks she's got vulvitis, she may try to get a clearer picture of what's going on by ordering lab work like blood tests, or a urinalysis.

Despite the fact that it might be difficult to peg why her hoo-hoo is bugging her, treatment is generally straightforward and involves avoiding irritants like perfumes, dyes, some laundry detergents, hot tub or swimming pool water, tight fitting jeans, synthetic panties without a cotton crotch, horseback riding or wearing a wet bathing suit for a long period of time. Sitz baths and soothing compounds or hydrocortisone creams may also provide relief from itching and irritation.