It's so itchy I want to scream!

[TeaDrinkingBumbleeBee]

Gaaah so here we go.

I have had severe itchiness/irritation "down there" for some time now. The main area is sort of between the perineum and labia (I am terrible with technical terms sorry). It's so itchy almost every day and feels tender and sometimes slightly swollen.

I went to the doctor who referred me to the nurse, who wouldn't look, I asked again at my smear tear, she wouldn't look....asked again when getting the pill....she wouldn't look, so eventually went to the sexual health drop in clinic. She said she couldn't see anything and did a couple of swabs and a urine test....nothing came up.

I'm losing my mind now! Does anyone have any advice or has anyone else experienced this??

Background: I've just come off the minipill (as I've been experiencing horrible dryness with all of this so was adviced to give it a break) I'm 28 and haven't had kids. With long term partner but haven't had sex this year due to this!!!!!!

[stainedglassbarceiling]

I get this, so interested. I find drinking lots of water and eating fewer carbs/sugars helps.

[TeaDrinkingBumbleeBee]

Thanks. I drink loads of water but feel like this is just persistent! Think I'll have to go back to the drop in, but it's so frustrating that I can't be seen by my doctor's... they just won't examine me! Very frustrating.

It's particularly bad tonight and I just want to cry!

[Ginger1982]

I don't understand why they won't look. What did the nurse say when you told her you had been specifically referred by the doctor for that purpose?

[polkadotpixie]

Lichen Sclerosus?

[TeaDrinkingBumbleeBee]

@ginger1982 she told me I needed to go to a sexual health clinic, which I'll be honest I was putting off as my nearest one is 30 mins away and then puts me over an hour away from work. Was hoping at my smear test they'd look, but she didn't (other than doing the actual test but didn't examine or swab further)

I've also taken thrush medication but that doesn't help. Cream soothes temporarily but that's it.

[justasking111]

I wondered that polka. I have itchiness but that is a meno. thing. I feel for you OP. I do rinse of gently with cold water on a flannel which helps as does sudocrem.

[TeaDrinkingBumbleeBee]

Thanks guys.

Had a quick Google of that Polka and it seems the physical symptoms match up but visuals don't...my skin doesn't look dry and there's none of the flakiness or white marks. But maybe that's a good thing to mention and say I think I have it and can it be tested or examined for?

[AppleBlossomTimeNow]

Do you use any wipes or feminine hygiene products that could be irritating the area? Just use soap & water for a time with no scented liners or pads.

[chickenflicking]

I had this before. It went on for ages and made me utterly miserable. I took thrush medication and nothing made any difference.

I was eventually referred to a clinic where the doctor was diagnosing every woman there with vulval eczema. I know because every woman came out with the same information leaflet! She prescribed steroid cream and diprobase whenever wiping. It cleared up straight away.

Now if I ever get it, the diprobase alone clears it up, so it might be worth a try.

[mulberrybag]

I get this using most brands of toilet paper! For years I thought I had something awful wrong with me but finally tracked it down to treated paper!

[GrandmaSharksDentures]

I'm wondering how the nurse managed to do your smear test without looking?

[SnotandBothered]

I have had this related to being peri-menopausal- mostly outer labia but fuck me, itchy like nothing I've ever experienced. I have had to leave meetings at work to lock myself in a loo and scratch - vile.

It's worse at night and worse after sugar/carbs ( I think).

After several visits to the Doctor who could see nothing (other than the fact that the skin was starting to thicken due to being ripped to shreds every night), we tried Trimovate which treats fungal infection and is a low level steroid cream and this has given me huge amounts of relief.

I would nag push for somthing similar and see how you get on.

[TeaDrinkingBumbleeBee]

Some great advice here...thanks everyone.

I don't use any soap or anything down there, or creams or scented pads etc.

The eczema idea is a good one...will see if I can get some cream in boots without a prescription, guess it can't hurt!

I did wonder about toilet paper....always used to use Andrex but now just use Lidls own as I couldn't justify the cost. What do you mean by treated paper mulberry bag?

Grandma I know right. It was a very quick test, I mentioned it afterwards in fairness and she just said to make an appointment. There's nothing glaringly obvious to see at first glance so I guess she didn't notice anything. The sexual health nurse however had one of those big magnifying glasses which was so embarrassing!

[Threepotato4]

I used to get this off and on. I finally realised that it was whenever we had aloe vera toilet paper. Have you been using that at all?

[TeaDrinkingBumbleeBee]

Whoops, missed you snot that's a good idea too though. My doctor will hate me..."so I went on MumsNet and I want you to test me for this, this, this and this...."

No aloe Vera though potato but has others have mentioned you could be on to something with the toilet roll!

[IfOnlyOurEyesSawSouls]

Oh my i get this too most nights 😭 am just going to read through your thread...

[YesQueen]

I'm cross for you with the wouldn't look thing. I went to my GP as I thought my coil was moving. Wouldn't look "don't do coils"

12hrs later ended up in a&e on pain relief as it was half in, half out my cervix and they weren't happy when I told them the doctor wouldn't look. Whipped it out for me there and then

[Cano]

I got this for about a week and then realised I was allergic to the soap I was using.

[SnugglySnerd]

I get this too, just in one little spot. It's driving me insane. Steroid cream from gp helped a bit.

[visitorthedog]

I know this sounds horrible but could it be threadworms?

[Shittybobbins]

I had a similar thing which drove me crazy. Had thrush cream and suppositories, eczema cream etc all with only a slight relief. I then got an itchy bottom as it seemed to spread. Pile cream was the best thing that cleared up all of the itching.

It's worth trying Preparation H haemorrhoid cream, which has something magical in to stop itching. Has to be that particular brand though, as none others have the same ingredient, and it's cheap on amazon.

[Bollocksitshappenedagain]

I have this as well - so glad someone has started a thread.

I believe mine is worse with sugar - it did seem to be one of the symptoms of type 2 diabetes and so I wonder if it is linked to sugar in some way

[SamStephens]

I got this after giving birth to my youngest and it was unbearable! I was told it was “hormonal” and would settle down. Meanwhile I’d find myself “rubbing” to stop myself scratching like a maniac and ended up horribly swollen.

Only remedy I found was diluting a bit of apple cider vinegar in warm water and giving myself a wash a few times a day with that. Instant relief (as long as you don’t get over zealous with the vinegar...)

[OhDearGodLookAtThisMess]

I have this, to a degree (doesn't sound as bad as yours though, you poor thing).
Things that help slightly are to run a lukewarm shower over the area (sit on side of bath so it's not a full- scale "get undressed" operation), and to let the area "breathe" at night by wearing loose nightclothes ( o underwear, for instance).
Never use any scented products in that area, eg soap, but also pantiliners (Asda do a plain version) and I have yet to find unbleached loo roll, but it's on my list.

[flowerfields]

Hi teadrinking I thought I had thrush for years and was told as much by every GP I saw. Eventually it was so bad I struggled to sit comfortably on a seat and went to sexual health clinic in desperation. Kind doctor there took pity on me and really listened, long story short they took a biopsy and found lichen sclerosus. It's not as common to find that in your 20s as it is in a more mature woman apparently (according to the clinic) so that's why wasn't flagging up with the GP
Specific steroid cream sorted it out for me eventually. Problem is it could be anything causing your pain and irritation so an idea may be to trial and error any solutions one by one, see how you get on, record symptoms and any changes etc and This will help you to get an answer going forward. Good luck OP