Not thrush - what is it?

[Diorissimo1985]

Also posted in Women's health but haven't had a reply...

I am in so much pain with thrush-like symptoms and it is getting no better, it's been like this for about 5-6 weeks now. I went to the Dr who prescribed pessaries and Canestan cream, which I've been doing for nearly 2 weeks to no improvement.

However last week the surgery called with my swab results and said "there was no growth" - and then put the phone down! I assumed this meant it wasn't thrush? So what is it then?

I am also taking Vagifem pessaries to help with post-partum/breastfeeding linked low-oestrogen issues as was suffering with dryness and soreness.

I've had all the STI tests at the GUM clinic earlier this year as I thought it was herpes or something the pain was so bad (they also suggested thrush when I saw the nurse there) - but all tests came back negative.

I'm at the end of my tether and feeling so down about it - does anyone have any advice or suffered similar?

Could it be BV or have they ruled that out? So sorry you are suffering x

I had similar to this earlier in the year and had to go back a few times. My tests for thrush and BV came back negative but the symptoms were still there. It took about 4 months before a GP finally relented and prescribed vaginal antibiotic cream. It was cleared up a few days later. Go back.

Also try Optibac intimate flora capsules if you can afford them - available on Amazon.

I'm having this same issue @Diorissimo1985 ! Have wondered if it's just postpartum hormones / breastfeeding. I can't seem to get on top of it. Took treatment for BV, then thrush: got better for a few days and now just so itchy and sore all the time. I've been using the vagisil cream but have drawn a blank. So I'm following with interest. And you're not alone!

If you have low oestrogen it’s possible that you’re not able to absorb the canestan due to the atrophy / dryness in your vagina. I had this and as soon as I started to use Ovestin cream every day for 2 weeks it cleared itself up and then the canestan worked (I didn’t have any of the usual thrush symptoms apart from soreness and swabs came back clear but the canestan did work)! It may be that you need a stronger oestrogen product or to use it more than it says (with Ovestin it says twice a week but the GP told me to use it every day for two weeks to get things back to normal and then drop to twice weekly).

Also be careful with Vagisil and Replens as they both contain a lot of glycerin which can set thrush off!

Can it be a bacterial infection?

Thanks everyone - sympathies to those suffering too, it's horrible

Would BV be swabbed/tested at the same time as thrush?

I will make another gp appointment i think...

How often are you using the Vagifem?

Once a day pessary

Dryness due to low oestrogen presents like thrush. It’s possible it’s not thrush at all

I treated thrush for months unsuccessfully so went to doctors then after 2 weeks of estriol cream it had cleared up

I got patches of localised eczema down there, for years I was told it was thrush. A doc gave me betnovate steroid ointment to use on the external areas. Fixed it overnight. Mine was triggered by hormones and started our of the blue. I had one other patch of eczema in my ear canal as well which always flared the same time.

Interesting! I've been on the Vagifem since May so I assumed my oestrogen levels would have improved by now? Other symptoms are definitely better e.g. Brain fog

I had BV and the only thing that helped was using boric acid suppositories everynight for a week and since then I’ve been free from it.

You can buy them on amazon but I bought pure boric acid powder and bought the gel suppositories and made my own.

It could be lichen sclerosis. A family member has recently been diagnosed with this after months of agonising thrush-like symptoms ended up with a referral to a gynaecologist. It needed a strong steroid cream to get it under control.

It could be a different kind of thrush that doesn't respond to Canesten or the other azole treatments. If you go to the GU clinic, they can swab and check for different types.

I had something similar and it drove me mad. Constant burning that wasn't BV and wasn't thursh. The doctor was unsure of what to do and I went to a consultant. He put me on a low dose of amtrypline (sp?)... not for anti depressant purposes but because apparently it calms down the nerves. It was like that scene in Sex and the City "I have a depressed vagina!". His theory was that I had vulvodinia..i must have had thrush at one point that cleared but my nerves had been jangled up as he put it. Few months on that sorted it alongisde optibac for women... I continue to take them to this day and if you read the reviews they're great for this type of thing.

I know how awful this is especially when you can't get to the bottom of it but you will get better xxx

Just wanted to update the thread as I know lots of pp had similar issues -
Basically it got a lot better with a very, very long course of Canestan and steroid cream from the GP. She said a week of treatment will not eradicate thrush entirely and the pain was in fact broken skin (but incredibly fine cuts - ouch) cause by the dryness and infection.
GP was amazing and I think just luck of the draw that she insisted it was thrush and that I keep going with a longer course of cream. Other GPs I've seen were much more mystified!

Ouch sounds sore glad you're on the mend.