Vulvovaginitis, also called vaginitis or vulvitis, is the general term that characterizes a spectrum of vaginal disorders caused by infections, inflammation, or changes in the normal vaginal flora.

Symptoms include abnormal vaginal discharge, odors, itching, pain, dysuria, discomfort, and dyspareunia.

The most common causes of vaginitis are bacterial vaginosis, vulvovaginal candidiasis and trichomoniasis.

Types of vaginitis

Infectious:

• Bacterial vaginosis is the most common cause of vaginitis. This condition is caused by a shift in normal vaginal flora, with lactobacilli being replaced by anaerobic bacteria.
• Vaginal Candidiasis is caused by the overgrowth of Candidafungi, affecting 75% of women in their lifetimes. Candida infection is the next most common type of vaginitis after bacterial vaginosis, with 55% of women experiencing an infection by age 25
• Trichomoniasis caused by the infection with Trichomonas vaginalis.

Non-infectious:

• Atrophic Vaginitis – Genitourinary syndrome of menopause is the new term for vulvovaginal atrophy, a condition that affects a significant percentage of menopausal women. Signs and symptoms of atrophic vaginitis include vaginal dryness, dyspareunia, vaginal inflammation, burning, thin vaginal mucosa, loss of rugae, and, occasionally, purulent discharge. 
• Inflammatory vaginitis is an unusual condition characterized by purulent vaginal discharge, burning, and dyspareunia. Inflammatory vaginitis is associated with low estrogen levels, such as in menopausal or perimenopausal women.
• Irritant / allergic vaginitis is characterized by symptoms such as burning and pain and signs such as vulvar erythema.
• Aerobic vaginitis is a distinct vaginal condition that requires different clinical management and distinct clinical risks [46]. Aerobic vaginitis is defined by the disturbance of Lactobacillus dominance, but it is accompanied by extreme inflammatory changes and the presence of enteric commensals or mainly aerobic pathogens, including group B streptococcus ( agalactiae), Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli and S. aureus.
• Cytolytic vaginosis is another condition that has recently been described as a distinct entity from either normal flora or bacterial vaginosis. This condition, also called Döderlein vaginitis, has many active lactobacilli that damage epithelial cells due to extreme acidity and low pH. Empty nuclei and cell debris that are seen during microscopy should not be confused with leukocytes and cocci.

Nonspecific vaginitis (also called vaginal dysbiosis) is a disorder of the vaginal microbiome. Recent studies show that vaginal dysbiosis affects the acquisition of human papilloma virus, persistence and progression to associated cervical premalignant