Itching

[Butterfly01]

Hi, ive been trying to work through what may be causing the itchiness ‘down there’ i experience. It isnt new to me but ive been trying to track it to see if theres a pattern and try other things as well. I cant really pick a specific time it happens ie after/before periods but it happens quite frequently and can be quite intense. I have so much discharge esp when im itching to the point i need to wear liners otherwise my underwear gets soaked. . Ive done various things such as treating with the at home canesten creams, vagisil both the wipes (these do help) and the shower gel stuff, been tested for all STIs as well. i havent changed washing powders, no new clothing (which i wash first anyway), no new soaps, etc. Thought it may have been due to shaving but ive tried waxing, shaving and letting it grow fully out and none of those work either- if im honest keeping on top of shaving in that area helps the most along with the vagisil wipes.
Its becoming so embarrassing even to talk to my nurse whom i have quite a good relationship with since shes already suggested most of these things.

Has anyone had anything like this happening for them? what helped? is there any conditions that cause this?

[tea]

Omg @butterfly01 I am SO glad you posted about this! I was just thinking of starting a thread about this too, because the exact same thing is happening to me!

Maybe @nurse_nettie can shed some light on what might be going on a bit more. But for me I think it’s just sweat?? Sweat and friction? I’m not sure but I’ve done all the same things as you so I know it’s not at STI or anything. It just gets so itchy down there!!!! Maybe I should change the type of underwear I’m using to something better for sensitive skin. Have you tried this at all?

I hope we can figure this out together, thank you so much for sharing! 🙂

[Nurse_Nettie]

Hi @tea and @butterfly01 vaginal itch is really, really common! It can be triggered by many things you described-an increase in vaginal discharge, using panty liners, shaving, wearing synthetic underwear & tight clothing as well as washing or douching with perfumed or disinfecting soaps as well as vaginal hygiene products.
Believe it or not the vagina has an ecosystem of healthy bacteria which protects it from infections & skin conditions. The skin of the vagina is thin & delicate…so it needs to be treated with sensitive care. Some ways to avoid it is to wash the vagina with water only or a light neutral moisturising soap, wear cotton underwear & where possible no underwear at night (to allow the skin to air). If vaginal itch occurs have a salt water bath (1/2 cup of salt in a full bath) may be soothing without harming the skin. The Vagisil cream contains a local anaesthetic & that’s why it relieves the itch, however doesn’t treat the cause of the problem.
It’s great to hear you got tested for STIs! If the vaginal itch continues it’s important to see a women’s health nurse or a Family Planning doctor. They can help find out the real cause of the problem & advise on how to manage it.

[Butterfly01]

Hi @tea im glad (but also not) that your experiencing this too! i hope that we can both work out whats causing this. im sure its driving you just as crazy as what im feeling
Thank you @nurse_nettie
ive tried so many things and even my womens health nurse doesnt know whats causing it. Weve been over heaps like wearing cotton underwear, allowing airing out, home treatments like canesten creams, hygeine such as only using water, not douching etc, wearing looser fitting clothing etc and done various infection and STD tests through both vaginal samples/swabs and through blood tests as well and everything is normal.
It really feels like heaps has been covered but we arent getting anywhere. ill try mentioning it again and maybe there will be something else that can be done. the vagisil wipes/cream has been the only thing thats made a difference to the itching or other creams like sudocream helps. i cant use other sorts of nappy rash creams though like curash as it burns and stings like crazy.

[Nurse_Nettie]

@butterfly01 Since you’ve tried all the standard things without much luck, it’s probably time to see someone who specialises in vulval dermatology. Check out this site for some good information about vulval conditions that can cause itch or pain. You can see a list of vulvovaginal specialist clinics in Australia & NZ here. Hope you can find some relief soon.

[tea]

@nurse_nettie Thanks so much for all the information! I think giving some time for everything to air out is solid advice.

@butterfly01 I hope you find out what’s causing your problems! I think seeing a specialist like @nurse_nettie said is a good idea, hopefully they can figure out what’s going on! Good luck x

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