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?

UPDATE - Private GUM Doctor - 72 hours after the original urogyno appointment that sent me spiralling.

General state of play - a lot of the white skin (in the Vulva vestibule area) has turned pink again. I’m using the canestan HC, am on day 2 of ovestin, I’m taking women’s probiotics, I’m on day 4 of the fluconazole. I’ve done a bicarb bath and a colloidal oat bath and I might keep these up. I used a bit of cetraben this morning when I felt like the area had dried out a bit. My skin down there is still a bit irritated and the bit that keeps splitting during sex is a still tender although it’s not a split right now. Haven’t noticed any discharge on my underwear but suspect there’ll still be some inside. I’m trying not to keep manhandling myself.

What he said:

LS - He says he’s pretty sure it’s not LS and he would advise against a biopsy at this moment but to keep an eye on it for any changes.

LP - it’s not this.

VIN - nothing to suggest I need a biopsy. I’ll ask the urogyn for a second opinion on the biopsy front.

Dermatitis - he agrees with the urogyno that this is most likely what is at play external skin-wise. He doesn’t recommend steroids beyond hydrocortisone at this stage and I told him it’s all looking a fair bit better today so he said to keep an eye on it. He wants me to keep it hydrated and recommended something called Double Base. He also gave me saline wipes and told me to use these when I go for a pee when not at home (and can’t rinse).

Thrush - he says that he isn’t seeing anything that looks like a current case of thrush but that could be because I’m on day 4 of the fluconazole. He didn’t look up inside as that wasn’t why I was there. He said that the topical thrush treatments could be contributing to the irritation/allergy (which I already suspected). This is making me think about discontinuing the canestan HC and just doing normal HC. If fluconazole doesn’t work, itraconazole would be the next obvious think to try - unless the swab comes back as glabrata in which case non-azole treatment would obviously be needed.

Testing - as I’ve said, I wasn’t doing any testing through him because it would be expensive but he stressed the importance of fungal and bacterial swabs. Obviously I should know more about those when I see the urogyn on Friday. For anyone else looking for answers - he asked specifically about my chlamydia, gonorrhoea, trichomonas and mycoplasma results.

Hormones - he also doesn’t think it’s anything to do with my age/hormones but to be honest, I know I’m heading into peri and I know doctors (especially male) aren’t the best at listening on that front) so I’m going to do the ovestin anyway as it’s so safe. And it might help my IC.

Sex - I explicitly asked if I could have sex this weekend/next week. He said ‘absolutely’ but to take pictures of any tearing immediately after, 24 hours later and 49 hours later - to show my doctor.

I’ll be back on Friday after I’ve seen the urogyn.

Lichen sclerosus

Hi OP, I was also diagnosed with dermatitis due to vulva skin tears and HORRIFIC itching for months, everything else ruled out. Cetraben before showering/bathing and then once dry I use Medicine Mama's VMagic vulva skin balm. It has changed my life not to be dramatic, massively recommend! Completely takes away itching and soothes. Not had a single tear since adding these to my daily routine.

https://www.stressnomore.co.uk/medicine-mama-s-v-magic-10286.html

Hope you find full answers soon!!

Everything you've said really sounds like lichen sclerosis to me. My daughter had it aged three and one of the first things I noticed was the colour change down below - it was as if all the pigment had gone.

The tearing inside is very definitely a symptom too. My friend has just got diagnosed after years back and fore. She described constantly having a bubbling / fizzing feeling.

This is great. Thanks for the recommendations.

Sorry you have to deal with this too - and to the all the helpful ladies on the thread who have suffered/continue to suffer!

Not sure if you read my update. The GUM doctor today doesn’t think it’s LS but has asked me to keep an eye on it.

By the way, to anyone who finds this later and is desperate like I was - The doctor I saw today at Clarewell Clinic was wonderful.

Obviously I didn’t want to pay him for tests that I can hopefully get through my insurance with my urogyn so I can’t really rate him diagnosis-wise - but he sat and listened to my long-winded tale and went through all the notes and questions I’d made in my phone with me. And he was so nice and knowledgeable to consult.

I’ll definitely go back there if I want/need to pay for fungal or bacterial panels or have any other ailments of that nature!

Glad to hear you've had a good consultation.

Do you actually want to have sex this weekend? Surely the last thing the whole area needs is a good dose of friction? 😬

There is a Menopause Doctor podcast with a US urologist which you might find interesting OP. It talks about IC among other things. Episode 233. And best of luck with the doctors.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-dr-louise-newson-podcast/id1459614845?i=1000637516378

Vulvovaginitis?

Oh I hear you! But my OH is currently a long-haul flight away and we’re seeing each other for the time in weeks and then after 5 days, we won’t see each other again for a month. So…yes, I really do want to. Carefully. If things keep improving obviously. 😬

Well perhaps if he wears a condom and you use lots of lube. But please stop if it's painful

Thanks for the update,(and your thanks) I must admit I found cetraben made it far worse. About 16 years ago, I had vulva peri anal eczema out of the blue,my GP thought I had been scratching! It didn't itch,it burned. Saw a dermatologist consultant very quickly. I can't remember what he prescribed but he said the usual:E45, diprobase, double base,made things far worse. I have a latex topical allergy. There wasn't latex free condoms,then. I used to sit in saline baths, natural sea salt for relief
It took 4 months to sort completely. This time I was sent to gynae, didn't help, and she's told me that the saline was making the area dry.The dermatologist said petroleum Jelly on the affected areas, while waiting for the script. Good luck, keep us posted.

Super helpful - thanks.

What's stressing me out is that all these dermatitis creams seem to have ingredients in that can trigger thrush - which obviously I've also had trouble with.

I ordered the vulva balm someone else mentioned upthread so maybe I can just try the Doublebase as a barrier in the shower which I then rinse off rather than use as an actual emollient.

I've just ordered the Yes lube as the one I have/like has glycerine in which is apparently a no-go for thrush-prone folks but I think the Yes one has Aloe in which is in the latex family! It's a fucking minefield, frankly. 😫

The double base gel has helped me a lot

How did you get on today OP? I'm probably too invested in your vulva, sorry!

Have a listen to this. I found it really enlightening.

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-dr-louise-newson-podcast/id1459614845?i=1000637516378

Whoops, forgot to update.

So at my urogyn appointment on 15th my swab results had been lost so he did another one but by then I was just finishing the week-long course of fluconazole anyway. He said he couldn’t see any signs of thrush and the skin was looking much better but, as I was about to leave the country for a week, he prescribed itraconazole to have on hand should things seem to be flaring up again. I haven’t taken this. I was cleared for sex for a second time.

I’ve had quite a lot of sex this past 5 days, to be transparent. I’ve been using the Vulva balm recommended here and trying to remember to put some doublebase on before showering and this has made a world of difference in the look of the skin and the tearing/soreness but it’s not gone away. I suspect I’ll be doing this on an ongoing basis, if I’m honest. I had paused the ovestin while I was away.

I was back for another instillation today. He couldn’t examine me properly as I have my period but he said the skin outside looked ‘really healthy, at a glance’.

One other thing for anyone getting tears at the back - I read something random online about sex from behind being better. This seemed utterly stupid when I thought about the angle, etc. but I have to say, I stand corrected.

And that’s it for me and my vagina for now. Thanks again to all who responded!