A 32-year-old woman presents with vaginal discharge that is white, thick, and odourless. She recently completed broad-spectrum antibiotics. Which is the most likely cause?

A 32-year-old woman presents with vaginal discharge that is white, thick, and odourless. She recently completed broad-spectrum antibiotics. Which is the most likely cause?

• A. Vulvovaginal candidiasis
• B. Bacterial vaginosis
• C. Pelvic inflammatory disease
• D. Trichomoniasis

Answer: (A)

When broad-spectrum antibiotics disrupt the normal vaginal flora, Candida species can overgrow. This leads to vulvovaginal candidiasis, which classically presents with a thick, white, odourless discharge and itching—matching the description in the stem after recent antibiotic use. In other conditions, the discharge characteristics differ: bacterial vaginosis tends to be thin, grayish, with a fishy odor and a higher vaginal pH; trichomoniasis usually yields a frothy, yellow-green discharge with itching and sometimes a foul odor; pelvic inflammatory disease presents with abdominal pain and systemic signs rather than just a descriptive discharge.

When broad-spectrum antibiotics disrupt the normal vaginal flora, Candida species can overgrow. This leads to vulvovaginal candidiasis, which classically presents with a thick, white, odourless discharge and itching—matching the description in the stem after recent antibiotic use.

In other conditions, the discharge characteristics differ: bacterial vaginosis tends to be thin, grayish, with a fishy odor and a higher vaginal pH; trichomoniasis usually yields a frothy, yellow-green discharge with itching and sometimes a foul odor; pelvic inflammatory disease presents with abdominal pain and systemic signs rather than just a descriptive discharge.