To ask WTF is wrong with my Vag?

[WTFiswrongwithmyVag]

NCd obv. Apols for TMI.

Doctor has done a swab and said it is unlikely to be thrush or BV. I did a home test kit that said the same. Dr said most likely eczema and to keep it moisturised , not use soap, blah blah. I don't anyway, just wash with water.

Had a fairly comprehensive STI screening and nothing detected.

It itches like fuck. All the time. On my vulva skin. And is sore sore sore.

Discharge does not smell. It is usually white and not much of it, but it dries inside my vulva like a smear of toothpaste which can be rubbed off. For one week a month mid cycle it is clear and runny and copious. The itching is far worse then.

Sex irritates it. Wiping after the loo irritates it. It keeps me awake at night with The Fucking Itch. If I scratch it, it gets even more sore.

FML. It has been like this for literally Years. Worse at times, better at times.

I've tried yogurt, tea tree oil, vinegar, canesten, HC cream, probiotics, antibiotics, low carb diet, no yeast diet, cotton undies, non bio washing powder...Not sure what else I can try.

Anyone else had this and can point me to some help?

do you wipe front to back?
have you tried using a wet flannel instead of toilet paper?
could it be worms, have you take worm medicines?
what do you wash your knickers with? try an extra rinse.

Could it be Lichen Schelorisis? I have just been diagnosed with this. Steroid cream has been a life changer. I thought it was recurring thrush /allergies for ages.

You poor thing. If you have been suffering for years isn't it time your GP referred you to a dermatologist?

Agree with @BlindTipsy. Go to sexual health or ask your doctor to refer you to a dermatologist.

Omg I could have wrote this myself. Had all sorts of swabs done a few weeks ago and like you theres nothing sinister going on and was told it's likely to be eczema. Mine isn't constant though, it comes and goes, can range from super itchy to really sore and swollen. I do shave down there and they told me to stop to see if that could be irritating it as when she looked it was red and sore and I had just shaved.

I use vagisil and sudocrem a lot and it seems to stem it but I'm not convinced of the eczema thing.
I feel your pain and hope you get some relief soon

Definitely ask for a referral, any psoriasis in the family?

Try your sexual health clinic as they know what they are doing more than a gp.

Sounds like psoriasis or dermatitis

Have you tried wearing looser/tighter underwear? I find i get itchy if my underwear is too tight, or if I wear anything other than breifs. Also try not using conditioner when washing underwear, it may be a build up of moisture that does it?

Have you tried anti histamines

I am the same op and have seen sexual health, dermatology and various others. Absolutely nothing has changed. It is slightly better if I moisturise with oat based product. I try to wear the loosest pj trousers whenever I can. I am going to try unbleached toilet roll next.

Still sounds like thrush to me!

I had recurrent thrush for a couple of years, symptoms were more like what you describe rather Than stereotypical “cream cheese” discharge.And swab was usually not effective at picking it up. It could possibly be a different strain to the most common Candida.

I’m prone to it a few days before/during my period, after sex, after swimming/baths.

I was initially prescribed a low dose fluconazole to take daily for a few months - but not entirely sure if it worked or not.

I’ve found the best “cure” And prevention fir me is this
www.boots.com/multi-gyn-actigel-50ml-10137883 (I buy multi pack from amazon and apply 2:5ml with a syringe- Thus is the amount I’ve worked out is effective for me without becoming messy)

It works by keeping vaginal PH at a level where thrush or BV cannot grow, but the healthy bacteria can.

I apply as soon as I feel dry or sore, usually the days leading up to my period, then I also use after bathing/swimming and sex. I also have to shower straight after sex. Bit of a pain, but the times that I don’t, I suffer the next day. If I get a thrush outbreak, I use It twice daily, then slowly reduce the dosage.

Sounds like a Vulval dermatosis of some kind. Please pop to sexual health and get someone who knows genital skin to have a look. Once confirmed you’ll get some steroid cream and your life will change for the better.
(LS sufferer and sexual health clinician!)

Another LS sufferer here. Years and years it’s plagued me. Finally got a stronger steroid and it’s changed my life.
Is itching worse at night? That was key to me being diagnosed (and a doc who know what to look for exactly)

If you use anything at all like detergent, shampoo, shower stuff/soap that contains something that irritates you, you need to stop getting it down there. Buy only unperfumed and allergen free detergent and soap, do not rinse soap, shampoo etc. where it can run down your body.

Wash with water only or use aqueous cream. Avoid anything with lycra, elastane etc. even with cotton underwear underneath. Drink plenty of water.

Have you tried kefir or probiotics, good ones?

Stress is a major factor in some cases (mine).

Worms can cause itching.

Likeliest is fungal infection or lichen sclerosis

LS is basically a mystery dermatitis primarily affecting middle aged women on their extremities (ankles, wrists etc) and genitals. It's often triggered by triggered by stress or anxiety and needs high dose steroid cream (hydrocortisone won't touch it)

Have they actually given you anything for thrush?

I think the very first stages is to treat you as if it's thrush. Once they've done that and if it's not gone I think they need to refer you on to dermatology

In the mean time I would get yourself into sexual health

You can't just be expected to suffer with this.

Steroid cream?

May be something like this might help? www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321398

www.dermnetnz.org/topics/cyclic-vulvovaginitis/

How old are you? Vaginal atrophy could cause those symptoms and is a rarely talked about symptom of peri menopause/menopause.

I get this sort of thing and for me it's psoriasis. It's worse when I'm stressed or if the skin has been irritated by tight leggings etc.

It sounds like thrush!
I also had itching like mad and turns out it was bloody thrush! 🤬

This sounds like vaginal dryness. That's often felt as an itchy feeling, and also on the outside vulva area, not inside.

How old are you? Near menopause?