Lichen Sclerosus

[NannyPlumBum]

Been diagnosed recently with this after months of what I thought was a yeast infection.
It seems there is no cure, and the cause is unknown....
Been prescribed a steroid cream and check up with GP in 3 weeks to reduce strength of cream, along with referral for hospital apt.

A few months back I got the contraceptive implant in my arm. Does anyone think this could have contributed? I mentioned it to doctor but she didn't say...
I want to get it taken out, just on the odd chance... I am prepared to try anything.

From what I've read online this condition can not get worse. I'm so upset reading about it, DH has asked me to tell him but I can't brig myself to. The reason I haven't been able to have sex.. And might not be able to if symptoms get worse! The increased risk of cancer! Arghhhhhhh horrible horrible horrible disease

My dad is a nutritionist/homeopath - I can't ask his opinion on natural remedies or to do any
research, it's too embarrassing.

It's just horrible. I don't know what to do. The cream, so far, is not helping and I'm so worried about it getting worse.

Hi came across this post by chance but just had to reply! A few years ago i was told i had lichen sclerosis and like you was horrified! I'd been going to docs for months and they treat me for infection after infection until i eventually saw somebody who knew what they were talking about. It seemed for me that this and thrush went hand in hand each making the other worse. The only thing that settled my skin down was dermovate which is a steroid ointment its very strong but did the trick. I had to look at everything that irritated me too i changed my washing powder to one thats unperfumed etc cant use soap down there at all and no bubble bath etc. I was very fortunate to have an understanding partner as sometimes sex was impossibble for weeks at a time it was awful. I know exactly how you feel but dont worry too much as im absolutely fine now!! As long as you remove the things that irritate you you should be fine, sex is no longer a problem either. I was told that the pill had nothing to do with it but i must say since i came off the pill a year ago i havent had one bout of thrush either so you never know. Sorry for the long post but tried to give you as much info as poss! Take care and good luck x

Hi PlumBum

Easy for me to say, but STAY AWAY FROM DR GOOGLE! The internet is full of scare stories about LS but it's very unlikely that you'll develop vulval cancer as a result of having LS. This usually results from having undiagnosed and untreated LS for years and years.

It's great that you have an on-the-ball GP, and steroid cream (trimovate or dermovate) is definitely the treatment of choice for LS. It can take quite a while to take effect though, for me it was six months before I felt any difference (although skin changes were evident within three months). Keep on with it, don't give up.

Although the cause of LS is unknown, it's generally considered to be connected to auto-immune conditions. It's a severe inflammation of the skin which makes it both fragile and inelastic, hence the pain and susceptibility to infection.

Hey there
I have LS too and while I'm breastfeeding I've had some horrible flare-ups, so I do think hormones (particularly lower estrogen levels) play a big part.
Keep using the cream as directed and look after yourself, emu oil is a great soother and makes a good lube too!
I'm experimenting with a very low sugar diet this week - seems quite promising so far.
Good luck and pm me if you want a fellow LS buddy, it's a bloody embarrassing and horrid thing to live with.