IGNORING that seemingly small problem can be a dangerous practice, so too can self-diagnosing a condition that seems to fit a set of symptoms. Fact is, women’s bodies provide the perfect breeding ground for certain conditions, and there are others that show no symptoms, while silently wreaking havoc.

General, laparoscopic and bariatric surgeon Dr Alfred Dawes said conditions commonly misdiagnosed and overlooked include:

Yeast infections

Dr Dawes said many times women diagnose themselves with yeast infections when the condition might very well be bacterial vaginosis. “A good way to tell the difference between the two is by the type of vaginal discharge. A yeast discharge is usually thick, white and odourless, while in bacterial vaginosis, the patient presents a thin, milky white or grey discharge with an unpleasant smell,” he said.

Sexual pain

Dr Dawes said this could be vaginitis, trichomoniasis or pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). “Vaginitis is an inflammation of the vagina; and trichomoniasis is a sexually transmitted disease that if left untreated can increase the risk of getting or spreading other sexually transmitted infections. PID is an infection of the interior female organs, which are the cervix, womb, tubes and ovaries, and this can lead to infertility and chronic pelvic pain disorders,” he said.

Recurrent infections

Dr Dawes said this could mean that the infection is high up in the uterus and is coming down with your period, your partner has an infection and keeps re-infecting you, or you have a resistant bug that is incompatible with treatment.

Irregular periods

According to Dr Dawes, this could be an indication of polycystic ovarian syndrome, ovarian dysfunction or a hormonal dysfunction from the pituitary gland.

Intense pains around periods

“This could be a sign of endometriosis,” Dr Dawes said.

Persistent headaches

Dr Dawes said this could be a sign of benign inter-cranial hypertension, especially in overweight people, migraines or a brain tumour. “The benign inter-cranial hypertension occurs when the pressure in the brain is high and causes headaches. While there is no growth, you may present such symptoms,” he said.

A breast lump

“Never assume a lump is something simple,” Dr Dawes warned. He said though some are cysts or hormonal growths, they can be pre-cancerous or cancerous lesions.

— KIMBERLEY HIBBERT