Vaginal polyps are small, elongated skin that grows in the vagina. They are generally harmless and cause no noticeable symptoms. These polyps are benign in nature and have negligible risk to become malignant.

• Majority of women never experience any problems, but in some cases symptoms or problems can appear.
• It is necessary to treat or remove the polyps in such cases.
• Vaginal polyps are created when some group of cells like the blood vessels within it form some abnormal growth.
• These are very common and often traced in women who are above 20 years of age, especially in women with multiple child births.
• Occurrence of vaginal polyps before attaining puberty or after menopause is very uncommon.

Causes of vaginal polyps:

There may be some causes of polyps, which include:

• Increased levels of estrogen, which is the female sex hormone
• Chronic inflammation of vagina due to some infection, or allergies.
• Clogged blood vessels

Symptoms

Symptoms of vaginal polyps:

Some symptoms may include:

• Vaginal bleeding or spotting most probably after intercourse
• Vaginal bleeding after regular exercise
• Vaginal bleeding when the woman is in post menopausal phase
• Heavy menstruation or flow
• Yellow or pinkish coloured vaginal discharge

Diagnosis of vaginal polyp:

• A physical examination of vagina can be enough to determine any polyps.
• Vaginal discharge can be sometime tested to know for any infection or not
• A small part of the polyp may be removed for further testing if there may be any condition for malignancy.

Treatment

Treatment of vaginal polyp:

Two common methods for removal of vaginal polyp may include:

• In some cases, it might be necessary to have the vaginal skin tags safely cut off. This procedure can be done in a relatively brief period of time, without any serious side effects. A small sharp instrument may be used to remove the polyps.
• Another common removal method for vaginal polyps includes chemically freezing the skin growths.

If a polyp is removed completely, it is unusual for it to return in the same place. The same factors that caused it to grow in the first place, however, could cause polyp growth at another location in the vagina. New polyps will develop in at least 30 percent of people who have previously had polyps.