The clinical picture of candidal vaginitis was described for the first time in 1792. The connection with yeasts was already discovered in the 19th century. Not until the last 35 years, however, have the epidemiologic aspects of genital mycoses and the diagnostic and therapeutic principles been systematically developed. The rise in the incidence of the disease is due to several factors: the administration of corticosteroids, cystostatic agents, and oral contraceptives as well as socioeconomic circumstances. Two serious complications of vaginal yeast infection in pregnant women should be noted: the amniotic infection syndrome and neonatal contamination at the time of delivery. Vulvovaginitis is one of the most common genital diseases in childhood and adolescence. Mycoses can be diagnosed in daily gynecological practice by simple, reliable methods, but only culture on prepared media or by incubation of standardized plates can be depended upon to establish or rule out a mycosis. Effective antimycotics with a broad spectrum of activity have been developed in the last 15 years. We have been primarily concerned with clotrimazole because of our own investigations and impartial comparisons with other fungicidal drugs. Studies of patient compliance have shown that the diseased women accept short-term therapy most readily. However, appropriate control examinations are needed to document the results of treatment.