Itchy down there

[HarrietLeeds]

I am really really itchy in my vagina and its driving me mad. I am clean and bathe twice a day and havent had sex in about 3 months so I dont think I could have caught an STI. What could it be?

[beansprout]

Thrush?

[WigWamBam]

It could be thrush - do you have any discharge?

[jampots]

soap? too tight clothes? thrush?

[bundle]

here's a few ideas

[Hermione1]

Are you pregnant? sounds liek thrush to me, i got it when i was pregnant and never had it since.

[finula]

Years ago I caught herpes. The itching was unbareable and after weeks of itching i went to the hospital and they said it was herpes. My bum started itching too. go to the docs and get yourself checked

[WigWamBam]

There's also something called Vulval Vaginitis, which doesn't necessarily have a cause at all, that can make you very, very sore as well as itchy.

Go and see the GP for a proper diagnosis before you buy anything over the counter to treat the itching.

[bundle]

if it is eg vaginitis then twice a day washing could exacerbate it, imo

[WigWamBam]

Are you adding bubbles to your baths? That can be an irritant, especially if you're having two baths a day. Bathing in plain water might help.

[HarrietLeeds]

I actually had herpes up my bum about a year ago. I know it is never cured and can flare up at anytime, but this is in my vagina now. Is it possibly herpes?

[WigWamBam]

Go and see your GP and get it checked out.

[assumedname]

What sort of soap are you washing with? If it's perfumed it can irritate. I had this sort of problem years ago and the GP told me to use unperfumed soap. I now use Simple soap.

[ladybird66]

i suffer the same, itchy vulva started about two years ago, STILL itchs. the docs tested for EVERYTHIN stds, thrush, HPV, vaginal infections u name it. Nothing showed up. in the end they just said avoid bio washin powder (i do anyway), and take anti histamine. which i dont like to do regularly. so i still put up with the itching, which is deeply unfeminine wanting to scratch like a female gorilla when the need arises!! im goin to get a THIRD opinion somtime as real fed up of the INTENSE itching now.ps. I already do avoid nylon knickers, and scented stuff in bathwater & have done for years. Its a mystery!tried betnovate cream, thrush cream, hydrocortisone type creams..NOTHIN works.

[almondfinger]

I had this and discovered it is an intolerance to wheat. I cut it out, all bread, biscuits, pasta, beer and it was gone in two weeks.

I had been to the doc for swabs and they showed up nothing but bloody group b strep!

If I have wheat then I know within a day or two I'll be itchy. Without it I'm fine.

It's worth a try. I eat v little wheat anyway so it is not so difficult to do without.

ASDA do great wheat free pasta. You can have rye bread and ryvita and you'll prob drop a few pounds too.

[almondfinger]

I'd also suggest to ease off on the twice daily bathing. Your vagina is self cleaning so dont use soaps or scented deoderisers etc, just warm water.

[ladybird66]

OH GODDDD i love bread, and pasta!! my fave foods.! il take note of the advice though. many thanks, L (age 43).

[MummyDoIt]

Funnily enough, I'm off to the GP myself in half an hour with the same thing. This will be my third appointment as neither of the two previously prescribed creams have helped. I've also developed a very itchy scalp and an itchy patch on the back of one knee. I just hope I get an answer (and a cure!) today. I'll pop back and let you know if I get any ideas.

Interesting what almondfinger says about wheat. I might try cutting that out for a couple of weeks to see if it makes a difference. Would a week or two be enough to give a result or would I have to do it for longer?

[inthesticks]

I've had this for years. Tried all sorts.It keeps me awake at night and seems to be worse pre menstrually.
I "manage" it with a variety of creams such as vagisil and hydrocortesone (not all at once) and as a last resort antihistamine.
Although I was told that sedating anti histamines were the most appropriate I do find that certirizine works fairly well.
Piriton works but leaves me hungover in the morning.
Good old sudocreme is also useful and at least I feel it's harmless.

[norksinmywaistband]

I also have a very itchy vulva( 2 years)
After many investigations creams etc. and finally a vulval biopsy. I am now waiting for a confirmation of my diagnosis for lichen sclerosis.

[TattyCatty]

Definitely get it checked out by your GP. I had this for about 4 weeks recently, driving me insane, and was fobbed off with being told that it was thrush. After 3 treatments appeared to have no improvement, I ended back at the GPs in tears only for her to discover that it was a stray stitch left over from my (botched and infected) episiotomy 3.5 years ago .

It was supposed to have dissolved, but clearly didn't and my body suddenly recognised it as a foreign body and rejected it. Had it snipped to relieve some of the discomfort, but she couldn't get it out. Am just praying that it doesn't flare up again, as I don't fancy the thought of somebody trying to remove it after all these years!

[almondfinger]

Could you do without wheat for a month? I love, love, love bread and when I first gave up wheat I actually couldnt walk down the bread or biscuit aisle in the supermarket it was so hard, and you eat bread with pretty much everything.

However, trying to hide behind the buggy and reef the fanny off myself is not an attractive look so it's worth it.

Had fahitas the other night and am itchy today from the tortillas.

I'd been using canesten etc whenever it flared up, but wheat is what it seems to be. When the doc told me the swab was clear she had no suggestions as to what else it might be.

For the itchers, if you have a couple of beers do you notice that your eyes are a bit puffier in the morning? Are you a bit sneezier? I'm telling you its worth a shot.

The stray stitch is

[MummyDoIt]

Giving up wheat would be so, so hard. My brother is coeliac and I've always admired him for sticking to his diet. I could give up beer no problem, I could probably cope with bread but I just love breakfast cereals and most of them have wheat in. And pasta - I eat loads of pasta. I will seriously have to think about this.

I had my appointment with the GP - not my own, another in the practice. He looked at my neck and said it was eczema. He's prescribed a different cream and some anti-histamines. I'll give it a go but I'm not sure it will work. The vulval itching predates the neck rash so I'm not convinced they have the same cause.

[SalVolatile]

MummyDoIt - the rash on your neck is almost certainly Dermatitis herptoformis (not sure of spelling) but it is the intensely itchy rash that accompanies undiagnosed coeliac disease: something you are much much more likely to have than average because you have a first degree relative with it. My mum had the rash all over her scalp for over a year before she was diagnosed, and vulval itching too. Google it, it is worth it, I promise. Your GP may not recognise it: it took three consultants before a consultant dermatologist recognised the rash on my mum>

[almondfinger]

ASDA do excellent wheat free pasta, honestly you wont be able to taste the difference. Dont go down the corn past route, those are shite. If you dont have ASDA, sainsbos stock one too but its 2ce the price and exactly the same.

Once you know what to avoid it's not too much hassle. Do you like porridge, its the right time of year to start? Add some honey, a splash of milk, crushed seeds and a sliced banana - yuuuuuuuuuuummmm

Really, when it comes to having a bagel for breakfast with DH followed by the oh so attractive itch, it's not a difficult decision to make.

[MummyDoIt]

Oh gosh, SalVolative, I had no idea the itching could be connected to coeliac. My brother was diagnosed as he lost weight rapidly and had bad stomach cramps, neither of which I've had (I wish I could lose weight LOL!). I'll do some Googling then I might give gluten-free a go and see if it makes a difference. To be honest, it would be worth anything to get rid of this awful itching.