Some women taking hormonal therapy for treatment or prevention of breast cancer develop vaginal dryness or discharge that could raise their risk of getting a serious inflammation of the vagina (vaginitis).

Women nowadays are sometimes a bit too quick to self-medicate, treating every vaginal discomfort as if it's a yeast infection, going to their local pharmacy and buying anti-fungal vaginal creams over the counter.

But roughly two out of three women who think they have a simple yeast infection actually have a more serious condition, or a type of vaginal infection that needs evaluation and treatment by a gynecologist.

If you find yourself constantly at the doctor's because of chronic redness, irritation, itching, and/or discharge, before you run off to the pharmacy to treat what you suspect is another simple vaginal yeast infection, call your medical oncologist. He and your gynecologist may want to discuss a strategy to reduce this chronic problem.

Also, with summer on the way, and sweating being a natural reaction to heat, consider converting permanently to cotton underpants. You need to let your private parts breathe. Stiff, non-absorbent synthetic fabrics and moist environments breed infections. Give the panty hose a break too!

Better to do it right than to self-medicate and delay or never get the appropriate diagnosis and treatment.