Gentle treatment: the role of emollients in vulvovaginitis
Virivskaya E.V., Tarasova L.P., Kapyrina T.D., Kolomeets E.V., Podsekaeva S.A.
Background: Vulvovaginal infections (VVI) are among the most common conditions in gynecological practice and are accompanied by severe symptoms, including itching, burning, dryness and irritation of the vulvovaginal area. Despite the effectiveness of standard etiotropic therapy, some patients continue to experience signs of a compromised skin-mucosal barrier and discomfort; thus, it is necessary to introduce additional pathogenetically based approaches.
Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of an external emollient and intimate hygiene products as part of a comprehensive treatment regimen for VVI.
Materials and methods: A multicenter prospective comparative study was conducted involving 59 female patients aged 19–46 with VVI. The main group (n=39) received standard etiotropic therapy in combination with an emollient cream and gel for intimate hygiene (twice daily for 14 days); the control group (n=20) received standard therapy in combination with regular hygiene (using neutral soap or water alone). The study assessed pH changes in three anatomical areas (the labial cleft, the vaginal vestibule and the posterior vaginal fornix), as well as the severity of itching, dryness and irritation, quality of life and treatment tolerability.
Results: By day 15, the main group showed a more pronounced decrease in pH in the labial sulcus (MD=-0.36; p=0.009) and the vestibule of the vagina (MD=-0.91; p<0.001). The intensity of itching decreased in both groups; however, it was statistically significantly lower in the main group on day 4 (p=0.037) and on day 15 (p=0.002). The proportion of patients who had no itching on day 15 was 91.2% in the main group versus 46.2% in the control group (p<0.001). The absence of dryness at the follow-up visit was recorded in 100% of patients in the main group and in 50% of those in the control group (p<0.001). The therapy was well tolerated, and no clinically significant adverse events were observed.
Conclusion: The addition of emollient and intimate hygiene products to standard VVI treatment improves the resolution of subjective symptoms and indicators of the local environment; it helps to relieve itching and dryness more quickly, whilst maintaining a favorable safety profile.
Authors’ contributions: Virivskaya E.V., Tarasova L.P. – developing the concept and design of the study, editing the article; Virivskaya E.V., Kapyrina T.D., Kolomeets E.V. – collecting and processing the material; Podsekaeva S.A. – statistical data processing; Podsekaeva S.A., Kapyrina T.D. – writing the text.
Conflicts of interest: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.
Funding: The study was conducted without sponsorship.
Ethical Approval: The research was approved by the Ethical Review Board of Orel State University named after I.S. Turgenev, Orel, Russia.
Patient Сonsent for Publication: The patients provided an informed consent to the publication of their data.
Authors' Data Sharing Statement: The data supporting the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author after approval from the principal investigator.
For citation: Virivskaya E.V., Tarasova L.P., Kapyrina T.D., Kolomeets E.V.,
Podsekaeva S.A. Gentle treatment: the role of emollients in vulvovaginitis.
Akusherstvo i Ginekologiya/Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2026; (3): 146-154 (in Russian)
https://dx.doi.org/10.18565/aig.2026.69
Keywords
vulvovaginal infections
vaginitis
bacterial vaginosis
candidal vulvovaginitis
emollients
barrier therapy
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Received 26.02.2026
Accepted 26.03.2026
About the Authors
Elena V. Virivskaya, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Orel State University named after I.S. Turgenev, 302026, Russia, Orel, Komsomolskaya str., 95; obstetrician-gynecologist, Family Medical Centers LLC, elenglikman@yandex.ru, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6433-2483Lyudmila P. Tarasova, PhD, Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Orel State University named after I.S. Turgenev, 302026, Russia, Orel,
Komsomolskaya str., 95, tlyudmilapetrovna@mail.ru, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8173-1336
Tatyana D. Kapyrina, Teaching Assistant, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Perinatology of the N.V. Sklifosovsky Institute of Clinical Medicine, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation (Sechenov University), 119048, Moscow, Russia, Trubetskaya str., 8, bld. 2; obstetrician-gynecologist, Family Medical Centers LLC, kapyrina_t_d@staff.sechenov.ru, https://orcid.org/0009-0004-7414-2471
Elena V. Kolomeets, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Orel State University named after I.S. Turgenev, 302026, Russia, Orel, Komsomolskaya str., 95, Kolomeets_elena@mail.ru, https://orcid.org/0009-0001-2981-9656
Snezhana A. Podsekaeva, student, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation (Sechenov University), 119048, Russia, Moscow, Trubetskaya str., 8, bld. 2, qqqssc16@gmail.com, https://orcid.org/0009-0003-8538-1358
Corresponding author: Tatyana D. Kapyrina, kapyrina_t_d@staff.sechenov.ru
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