My fanjo is irritated...

[SamanthaBrique]

...and I'm not too pleased about it either!

Anyway, in the past couple of months I've had periods of time where my fanjo has felt quite itchy and a bit sore. It isn't anything internal, it's all external. It's definitely not an STI, I've looked up the symptoms of lichen sclerosus and don't have any of those, there's no smell so it's not BV, and I don't think it could be thrush as there's no internal burning or pain. The itch tends to be towards the top of it and the soreness more towards the perineum. I've had a look with a hand mirror and can't see anything that looks unusual. I hadn't been using a different laundry detergent either but I've switched to Surcare since, just in case.

Any ideas what it might be? I know I should go to the GP but I'm putting it off as usual...

I sometimes get this and it can be linked to totm. I usually go with the canestan route just In case! Have a nice warm bath (not hot) with some salt in it this may help. X

I've had this for years, since well before menopause. No actual identifiable cause, not thrush. The GP gives me mild hydro cortisone which I use about once a month. The best relief though is if I take anti-histamine.

Well, touch wood, since popping the canestan pill yesterday and applying the cream I am no longer dancing the itchy fannydango! So FX that it was just thrush and won't make a reappearance any time soon. Thanks for all your help MNers!

Very pleased you have a happy fanjo!!!

Yup a happy fanny means peace in the house. Nothing worse when it keeps drawing attention to itself.

Nothing better than a happy fanjo

I had problems, after doing everything else I could think of I swapped from supermarket own brand loo roll (not really cheap but the step up!) to more expensive brands featuring puppies or koalas and it's much much better! Maybe worth a try if it persists!

Sigh. So I'm still on the Canasten cream, as the tube says use for two weeks, and the good news is that I'm still itch-free.

But since yesterday I've been a bit sore down below so investigated with a hand mirror and (look away now if you don't want TMI) I see to have what I can best describe as a tiny tear/fissure inside my inner labia, if that makes sense? The best way I can describe it is that it looks like when you have a small cut inside your mouth. So I guess that like the inside of your mouth, it'll heal fairly quickly but WTF is going on? I had a perfectly serviceable fanjo until a couple of months ago!

I had the cuts after one particularly bad thrush outbreak last winter- it was so bad I actually thought it might have been herpes. I also had a chest infection. That was a fucking great Christmas, coughing and scratching my fanny simultaneously

You can start suffering with vaginal atrophy in the peri menopause stage and you say your mother had her menopause in her forties, so possible you may have yours at a similar age.
These present itself as awful irritation and you can get split skin on the vulva.
I would go and get it checked by your doctor as it is treated by topical oestrogen.
What are your periods like?

My periods are all over the place! They've ranged from 22 to 42 days apart in the past few months.

Vaginal atrophy in our forties .

That's so depressing.

I swear one day soon I will look down there and have no pubes anymore .

Yes, you can get VA in your forties. Treating early is the answer, do not leave it or be fobbed off by your doctor telling you that it is thrush.

Samantha with your symptoms I think you should see your doctor as VA treatment, if that is what it is, is very effective. If you decide to see your doctor do mention your mother's earlier than average menopause.

Could it be breastfeeding related? I had Atrophic Vaginitis when I was breastfeeding. It's not common but can happen. All fine now but the small cuts & itching were symptoms.

Bingo I had heard that you can get it during BF, did you use topical oestrogen? I think I read that it is safe to use whilst BF.

As a further point to all the above washing down below with aqueous cream in place of soap should ward off many irritations.

Don't forget to iron your cotton knickers/underwear once you have treated your thrush unless you are washing at 90 degrees.

At the risk of sounding completely mad, try eating natural yogurt every day - the bacteria in it are the enemy of the bacteria that causes thrush.
I find it works (for me).

The tears could be from scratching, as the tissue 'down there' is very delicate.

At the risk of sounding completely mad, try eating natural yogurt every day - the bacteria in it are the enemy of the bacteria that causes thrush.

Probiotics in yoghurt (if it's the probiotic sort) may help systemic thrush (in the gut) but they won't do anything for vaginal thrush. Vaginal thrush occurs due to a change in the pH in the vagina and a disturbance of the good / bad bacteria. It can also take hold if there is trauma to the vagina (eg using tampons or sex.) The yeast cells that cause thrush live in the vagina all the time but overgrow when conditions are right for them.

OP- you should do all the things everyone says including cutting right back on sugar, refined carbs, dried fruit and anything that has a lot of sugar- even 'natural' sugar.

I'd also stop using the Canestan cream- you shouldn't need it for 2 weeks if the pessary worked and some people find the cream irritating.

Vaginal dryness is a possibility if your mum had an early menopause- you might be heading in that direction.

Hi OP, sorry to drag up an old thread but I was wondering how you got on? I have similar symptoms and am trying to sort this out! Did you find the cause in the end?