VAGINAL SORES

VAGINAL SORES

Vaginal Sores – Medical Overview

Vaginal sores (also called genital ulcers or lesions) are open or inflamed areas on the vaginal tissue or surrounding skin.
They can range from small red bumps or blisters to painful open ulcers and may result from infection, inflammation, trauma, or systemic disease.
Understanding the underlying cause is essential because the appearance, pain level, and accompanying symptoms differ depending on the condition.

Common Causes of Vaginal Sores

1. Infectious Causes

These are the most common causes and may be viral, bacterial, or fungal.

Viral

• Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV-1 or HSV-2):

  • The most common cause of recurrent genital ulcers.

  • Starts as grouped blisters → painful ulcers → crust and heal in 1–3 weeks.

  • May recur with stress, fever, or hormonal changes.

  • Accompanied by burning, tingling, swollen lymph nodes, and sometimes flu-like symptoms.

• Human Papillomavirus (HPV):

  • Causes genital warts (not ulcers) — small, flesh-colored or whitish growths.

  • Can irritate and sometimes ulcerate if inflamed.

• Varicella-Zoster Virus (Shingles):

  • Painful vesicles in a unilateral (one-sided) pattern.

  • Usually in older adults or immunocompromised individuals.

Bacterial

• Syphilis (Treponema pallidum):

  • Painless, firm ulcer (chancre) that appears 10–90 days after exposure.

  • Heals spontaneously, but disease progresses if untreated.

• Chancroid (Haemophilus ducreyi):

  • Painful, soft ulcers with ragged edges; often with tender groin lymph nodes.

• Bacterial vaginosis or secondary infections:

  • Can cause irritation or ulceration when the vaginal barrier is damaged.

Fungal

• Candida (yeast) infections:

  • Typically cause itching, redness, and fissures rather than open sores.

  • Severe cases can cause small erosions or secondary bacterial infections.

2. Non-Infectious Causes

Inflammatory or Autoimmune

• Lichen sclerosus or lichen planus: Chronic inflammatory skin disorders causing thin, white, shiny patches that may crack and ulcerate.

• Behçet’s disease: Autoimmune vasculitis causing recurrent painful genital and oral ulcers.

• Crohn’s disease: May produce vulvar or perineal ulcers resembling infection.

• Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE): Can occasionally cause mucosal ulcers.

Trauma or Irritation

• Tight clothing, shaving, sexual friction, chemical irritants (soaps, lubricants), or allergic reactions to latex can cause local ulceration or sores.

Medication or Radiation

• Some chemotherapy or immunosuppressive medications may cause mucosal ulceration.