A year on and my skin around vag is insanely itchy!

[GrassWasGreener]

Nearly a year ago I had a baby, ventouse delivery with episiotomy. The episiotomy was on the right side. Scar has healed well. Most of it is all back to normal down there. Feels normal, not excessively stretched or larger than before but omg, the left side of my opening has this itch. It is driving me mad. Started about 3 months after having the baby, once you could say things were fairly normal again, this started. No discharge, no smell, no anything. Just this itch on the skin. Skin feels a bit dry, and kind of like a ballon once it was deflated but without being stretchy, just the texture. It is driving me up the wall. Side of episiotomy is perfect, no itch. The itch doesn't travel, hasn't gotten worse or better, it's just there. Might not bother me for a day or so and then I can be sitting there minding my business and it starts.

Anyone else had similar, is the skin just trying to finish healing from the birth? I admit, I have scratched at it if I had a bad day, or if it's bad in my sleep! Resistance is low at end of a long day. I have been very strict lately with making sure I don't touch it. But it's still there. Scratching gives the same relief/feeling of when you scratch a knat bite.

I think I'm going to have to visit a gynaecologist, I am pregnant with another and think there is a bitnof prolapse going on too so probably should get an expert opinion. Will be mentioning all to the midwife at my appointment, see what she says

Just wondering if anyone had had similar issue

Sounds like you may need a dermatologist not a gyny. Although it could be hormonal? Have you spoken to your GP? In the mean time I would make sure you don't use anything other than water down there and maybe try some Vaseline or other very basic moisturiser with no fragrance etc. Also, probably would do no harm to try a bit of anti fungal cream (clotrimazole ) even though you have no discharge. You can have thrush in the area but not vaginally so no discharge.

Had the skin got paler at all? I would say don’t scratch it, as difficult as it is you could damage the skin and make the area bigger. You can get anti itch emollients to put on similar to eczema creams etc to tide you over but it may need a steroid cream so probably best to visit the gp.

I had the same thing OP - started about six weeks after I had DS2 (though no episiotomy in my case). I hate to say it, but DS was 7 last week and I still have no answer. It started with a small patch but spread over time so it now pretty much covers the entire area. I've seen about six GPs, two gynae specialists, and a dermatologist. Nobody can agree on what it is. I've been told it's eczema, folliculitis, dermatitis, you name it, and each doctor says it can't possibly be what the previous doctor thought it was... It's just about bearable with steroid creams, but it has honestly been the bane of my life. I haven't had a full night's sleep in years because the itching keeps me awake.

Push as much as you can, as soon as you can! It took forever to get my original GP to refer me and I wonder if I would have had a better outcome if I'd been seen be a specialist more quickly...

I had a bit of a funny reaction after one of my children, insanely itchy around the ladie parts and my bottom, drove me mad!!! Then the skin around my lady parts started to get irritated and would crack open, I used Vaseline and sudocream as a barrier but nothing worked so I went to the Dr's who gave me some antibiotics which seemed to clear it up.
I think it was triggered by using sanitary towels after birth, apparently they have alot of chemicals in them, and perhaps an infection developed too. I'd recommend seeing someone as it's so uncomfortable and could probably be easily solved, good luck

It hasn't changed colour down there? Like vitiligo type loss of colour patch/es

www.nhs.uk/conditions/lichen-sclerosus/

Thanks for all the advice. A few of those things make sense, but thank god it's not just me. Will make an appointment ASAP

Thanks again