Skin/tissue inside vagina turned pale/white - help please!

[MoisturiseYourMoose]

I’m currently trapped in a never-ending series of health problems south of my waist. This one is about my vagina. If anyone has any experience of the same thing, please let me know!

Went to see my urogyno for a bladder instillation yesterday and mentioned that since a cystoscopy in November and subsequent antibiotics for UTIs I’ve had a yeast infection that just doesn’t seem to fully resolve.

I’ve also started tearing during sex and becoming generally sore from sex. I’ve done various Canestan pessary courses, fluconazole, MultiGyn Flora, used Yes VM a couple of times as things felt ‘rough’ inside, I’ve used Actigel in between as once I had a fishy smell immediately after sex (went straight away with the gel).

GP swab was apparently negative for Yeast (not possible) and the GUM clinic one the next day was positive (and they said they could see candida under the microscope). BV tests negative.

Anyway, back to my appointment. He put me on a 7 day course of fluconazole but when he examined me, he said the tissue(?) inside looked white and shrivelled like fingers in a bath. I mentioned the tearing and said the Canestan HC had helped that a bit. He told me to use that but no other creams and he’d have a look next week when I go for my next instillation.

He said it was almost ‘eczema-ish’. I didn’t think much of it but now I’m confused as to how the external HC cream can help the weirdness inside!

I came home and got out a mirror and torch and am honestly freaking out. The smooth pink skin that I can see has turned white and spongy, there are ‘raw’ patches just inside but also there are ragged scraps of skin where there definitely didn’t used to be. (I’m also a bit freaked out that the tearing at the back has healed open inside of together.)

Every Google search is coming up with vulva changes like LS and dermatitis but this is fully inside as well. It doesn’t seem like LS.

Does this resonate with anyone?

That sounds like severe thrush tbh. I'd stick with the 7 day course of fluconazole and be very very kind to your vagina for the foreseeable future. No scented anything, no soap, try slapping some natural yoghurt down there to restore proper balance. If you have a sexual partner make them get treated properly for thrush before any further sexual contact because otherwise it'll just be a never ending cycle!

My first thought was LS, sounds painful and hope you are on the mend soon.

@PermanentIyExhaustedPigeon Thanks for replying. Would that change the tissue/skin though? It not coated in white - it’s actually pale.

My fella has taken fluconazole but I’ll ask him to do another. We live in different countries and I’m seeing him in a week (only for a few days) so this is really ruining what little intimacy we get.

I’m not itchy or in pain or anything either…

Thanks @Onesipmore - it doesn’t seem like LS. It’s all inside and not shiny. Couldn’t see anything online that looked even close to what I see in the mirror.

I thought LS too.
I got diagnosed at the gum clinic as I thought I had an std. Constant itching & felt like a paper cut inside my labia.
Drs had no idea so took myself off the gum clinic where the nurse & Dr there diagnosed it straight away.

@Mumtoabeast Yeah I’m coming round to this. Not so much from any pictures online but from some accounts I’ve been reading this afternoon.

When I went to the GUM clinic about my thrush a few weeks ago, nobody examined me - I was asked to do the swabs myself. So anyway, the place I’m going on Monday seems to mostly be a private GUM clinic but with the doctor apparently having genital dermatology stuff as a specific ‘area of interest’.

I’m so frustrated, I could cry.

@MoisturiseYourMoose can't believe no one examined you!
My drs were crap tbf, gave me antibiotics for strep, thrush etc etc.
Good luck on Monday!

Was gonna say lichen sclerosis but it's outside, on vulva, not inside your vagina.

I have personal experience...not everything is thrush!

Are you in the UK?

Is it inside or out?

How old are you OP?

Could it be the start of vaginal atrophy (sorry)?

I would ask for a referral for an urgent colposcopy. Could be the beginning of VIN . At the very least, you should be examined

@GinnyWizz @MotherofPearl I have some element of mild but prolific ‘rawness’ and redness on bits of the outside but the whiteness (and sort of wrinkly and raggedness) is all over the area you see if you open your legs. Irritation is probably the word. So inside but just inside - the whole area where the inner labia and urethra opening is.

It’s kind of spongy and not smooth like it used to be - to look at or to touch. But if I feel inside where I can’t see, I’d also say it feels kind of rough where it used to be smooth. I had noticed that before any of this.

The tear/s usually happens at the back so part inside, part outside. I had this once 7 years ago and it had the nurses at the GUM clinic flummoxed and went away with Canestan HC. Didn’t have any of the other issues then though and I haven’t had it happen again until recently. (Recent use of the same cream also prevented tearing twice but not the overall irritation - I don’t know if the whiteness was there at that point.)

Oh and I’m 40. I did ask if it could be age related when the uro gynaecologist commented on it and he gave me a stern look and a hard ‘no’ but he didn’t suggest anything else.

How old are you? Sounds like lack of estrogen to me. Can happen for different reasons perimenopause or PCOS. Estrogen cream would be the treatment.

I just wondered about your age OP, as my gynae told me that a symptom of vaginal atrophy setting in is the inside of the vagina being what she described as an 'ice white' colour. Plus recurring thrush can go along with this.

@Dancerprancer19 Cross-posted 🙂

I'm thinking 40 is too young for vaginal atrophy.

Interesting. So hormone treatment would presumably help that. I mean, it would be a bit of a shitter to have that be the issue at my age but having just googled VIN, it sounds more hopeful!

I have vaginal dermatitis.. sounds similar to me.
But hydrocortisone makes the skin thinner.
Hormone gel works for me.

I’d also suggest trying vaginal estrogen. I’m kind of shocked no doctor has thought about this (but I should know better than to be shocked).

Is yours inside as well though? I would have thought the same if it was exclusively outside (and not white)…

@Moier May I ask what exactly you use?

I'm older than you OP, but that's what my issue was but Estriol cream has sorted me right out.

I’ll ask about this as I had the same thought myself!

May I ask those of you who feel it might be similar to your own experiences whether you also had the paleness/whiteness and texture issues just inside?

I’m so frustrated.

I’ve had UTI issues since a cystoscopy last year and developed Proctitis last year too. Neither of which make me feel very sexy even when I can still have sex. Then thrush from the antibiotics.

Add in the new vagina woes and it’s a fucking terrible start to my friend and I falling in love and getting together. We should be sickeningly happy and I’ve just had to have yet another chat where I’ve explained that something is going on that might affect sex during the 1 week we’ll see each other this month (we live in different countries).

It sounds inconsequential in the grand scheme of things (and I have some big health woes so I get it) but we’ve both had some terrible stuff to deal with in the last year or so and it would be so nice to just be able to enjoy seeing each other and be carefree (and have good sex).