r/vulvodynia • u/marystreasure • 3d ago
Chronic YI or vulvodynia?
22 F
FIRST EVER yeast infection. Itching and urgency never subsided. Fluconazole didn't touch symptoms. External swab was positive. Been testing neg on internal swabs. Flares into burning over period, hot weather, running, sexual activity. Varies hour by hour. Itch dominant. Sometimes stabbing pain. Nocturia and frequency. Is this a yeast infection that embedded and so never cleared up or a nerve condition?!???
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u/Old_Bat6894 2d ago
I experienced a similar thing, and here's what worked for me!!
- daily antihistamines (fexofenadine and famotidine) this DRASTICALLY cut my itching. The success of this medicine suggests MCAS.
- stopping use of ANY soap on the vulva
- switching hair products and body wash in the shower to hypoallergenic fragrance free versions bc it washes down onto your vulva. I use cera ve.
- switching to organic cotton underwear or going commando
- switching to free and clear laundry detergent. Zero fragrance.
- switching period products to clean chemical free organic ones
- rinsing my vulva with a peri bottle after peeing and dabbing dry with bamboo toilet paper. I think that leaving pee residue on my vulva was irritating.
I'm not sure if I ever had an infection or not to begin with, i think my cause may have been the sudden development of a contact allergy or mast cell activation. It may also have been hormonally triggered for me bc my symptoms started very shortly after getting my iud out.
Since you have symptoms that flare with your period, you may also have a hormonal component. I suggest trying estrogen testosterone cream. Get you cream sent to a compounding pharmacy, and request from the pharmacy samples of plain bases before buying a whole tube of medication. Often times people are irritated by the base of their medication, not the medication itself. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2050116115300106?__cf_chl_rt_tk=luUTbyb3Mf8pykPa7y6GWXIkf7skxszOzDB2gxN3iLQ-1779971412-1.0.1.1-KUdVra5kZ8TLAe8tBZYKdq85kUvqiCO1PdhHM3cWsB4
A hypertonic pelvic floor can also cause burning/itching symptoms bc the tight muscles constrict blood flow resulting in a buildup of lactic acid (like when you exercise), and it prevents blood from reaching the tissues so the tissues dont heal as well. I suggest going to a pelvic floor physical therapist to see if this is an issue for you.
It's also possible that you just have a microbiome issue. I suggest ordering a juno/evvy test which gives you a great comprehensive look at what's really going on with your microbiome.
I know i gave you a lot of information so hopefully I didn't overwhelm you. It's definitely possible that most of what I said is irrelevant for you but I just wanted to let you all of your options! Well, there are a ton more treatment options than this but these are the few core most common issues and the best place to start imo
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u/marystreasure 2d ago
I dint use soap on vagina. Anti histamines don't seem to do anything. I also have urgency. I only use bamboo no chemical period wear I think I do have a biome issue because I got the YI from tonnes of broad spec abx. I have a juno test w me
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u/Old_Bat6894 2d ago
Urgency is a common symptom of a hypertonic pelvic floor. Did you mention your age bc you think you shouldn't have hormone issues at this age? Your age has nothing to do with it.
If you have a hypertonic pelvic floor, the tight muscles prevent floodflow from reaching your vulva, which can prevent the hormones in your blood from reaching your vulva. So you can have a local hormone deficiency in your vulva even if your systemic hormone levels are perfectly fine. Either way, the hormone cream is great for tissue strength and quality in anyone, and has such little side effects, it is worth a try!
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u/Old_Bat6894 2d ago
Forgot to ask, do you have a history with hormonal birth control?
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u/marystreasure 2d ago
I've been off birth control for 2 years. Never had the slightest vaginal twinge or pain whatsoever before long term antibiotics and subsequent thrush
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u/marystreasure 2d ago
But urgency can also be a sign of an inflamed urethra. My urethra burns really badly as I finish urinating. Also I don't really believe in pf stuff for me because I had a chronic uti and once that was treated my urgency issues went away but came back with yeast infection, and urethral irriattion is a symptom of yeast
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u/Old_Bat6894 2d ago
You may very well be right! The microbiome is not my area of expertise. If you don't get better through other means you can keep these things in your back pocket, they are worth a try :)
I just know that pelvic floor issues are so so common, and can be triggered by infections, and can worsen infections/make you more susceptible bc of the blood flow issue
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u/marystreasure 2d ago
Yeah I'm aware of pf therapy but honesty I have a real. Hunch abt chronic yeast
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u/Dry_Peace4482 3d ago
If it’s showing up positive it is probably imbedded, mine was.
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u/marystreasure 3d ago
I've only repeated an external swab 2 and a half months after getting a positive external swab. Symptoms never left and I doubt it'll show positive anymore. But I know it's still there. I'm convinced the majority of women whose 'vulvodynia' began with an infection, still have that infection. Just like majority of IC sufferers have embedded uti. Like I treated an embedded uti that tested positive then repeat negatives and I've gone from that to embedded candida
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u/Dry_Peace4482 3d ago
You make a very valid point. Doctors need to care more about women’s health imo and look more into things especially when someone’s pain started with an infection.
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u/marystreasure 3d ago
literally!! like I was 100% right about having a uti. I mean ffs it always repsonded to antibiotics I jsut needed a longer course. Now I've bounced from a chronic uti to chronic candida. I was an athlete, I haven't slept properly in a year!!
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u/Dry_Peace4482 2d ago
I used a clotrimazole + steroid cream I can’t remember the name of only on my vulva cause I didn’t have an infection in my vagina just the vulva
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u/marystreasure 3d ago
BTW what did u use to treat ur embedded candida? The problem is they never cultured mine for speciesisation so I don't even know what kind it is!!!! ughhhhhhh Currently trialling nystatin pessaries after fluconazole failure
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u/CoolkiddoK210 22h ago
You have to rule test negative to everything first ( yeast in and out, uti, STDs , mycoplasma, ureoplasma) and then we can talk about maybe vulvodynia. Regular swaps do not show all of them so a pcr test ( and if positive ) a sensitivity test is the solution. Also since you had a swap out and it came positive you should repeat till it’s clear. Honestly I hope it’s something simple that your test did not show cause you don’t want to deal with vulvodynia. Good luck giiiiirl
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u/vicariouslyhaunted 3d ago
If you're testing positive on external swabs, you'll need an antifungal for the labia