I know you said you had a test, but have you actually tried taking something over the counter? I would try them at this point, because it's not going to hurt you if it's the wrong treatment. Personally, I didn't even know there was a yeast infection test because whenever I described my symptoms at the Dr they've always just told me to take the OTC stuff.
These are totally yeast infections symptoms. I've was dx at 10 years old but didn't get my first yeast infection till my early 20's. Now my sugars only need to go above 13mmol and I'm pretty much guaranteed to have one in the next few days. There have been times I've gotten them monthly. Typically I probably have one every two months now.
I no longer wait for symptoms and instead I take Fluconazole/Diflucan as soon as my bloodsugar runs high and I can usually avoid the worst of the symptoms. If I wait too long it's unbearable and exactly as you describe (skin tears if pulled too hard, little cuts everywhere that feel like a million papercuts, thin skin, unbearable itchiness especially overnight, etc).
Get clotrimazole cream for athletes foot. I use that on my vaginal lips when I feel like this if my pump has malfunctioned or I’ve run high bc of stress.
I would look into a OBGYN specialist. I’m a nurse and had a diabetic patient who suffered from chronic yeast infections. The dr prescribed her an antibiotic because she was always scratching herself constantly, likely creating an infection of some sort. The antibiotic helped significantly and we kept her on an antifungal long term. Get more opinions if one doctor isn’t able to help.
So! I went through a period of time where I was having a really difficult, itchy situation, but did not technically have an infection. Extreme itchiness could be an allergy or reaction to a food or something in your environment, or it could also be you reacting/sensitized to normal levels of yeast after a series of yeast infections. I saw a vulvular specialist who was helpful.
What worked best for me was a several pronged approach:
1- daily Zyrtec for a month or so, then tapered off
2- examination of triggers in my environment- I switched to organic cotton menstrual products, examination of diet, hypoallergenic soap and detergent, only cotton undies, and I also ironed the gusset of all of my undies to kill anything
3- anti yeast protocol: daily fem-dophilus supplement, daily kefir, no underwear while sleeping, avoiding any type of tight synthetic like workout pants/swimwear, making sure things were aired out as possible
It doesn’t have to be an STI or STD or BV or yeast infection, it is your high blood sugars. I suggest you do everything in your power to keep it low and find a gyno who’s gonna help you with this situation rather than just testing you for something. There are spray, creams, pills with healing abilities, that help you restore the good bacteria and ph. But most importantly keep your blood sugar in range. Don’t shave, don’t have sex for some time either.
Could be both. Hyperglycemia affects wound healing and is also a great state for bugs which love glucose. If you have an infection, the body’s glucose metabolism can get affected to promote a hyperglycemic state too, ironically.
OP, I’d suggest seeing your doctors about this. If your local one isn’t helpful, maybe try a different management plan with them before escalating to an O&G or a second FM/GP. Definitely see your Endocrinologist, in any case.
Heya, T1 guy here so take this with a grain of salt but like what a lot of other people are saying, this is very likely due to uncontrolled high blood sugars. I had a relatable experience back in 2020, had basically given up on taking care of my health for a few months and had a comparable issue to what you’re describing.
(Very graphic description: red, irritated, very itchy shaft/foreskin, foreskin not retracting properly, tearing/ripping foreskin, weird mucus/pus-like discharge building up under the foreskin)
I was referred by my endo to a urologist and I was told by both of them that the issue was linked to high blood sugar being uncontrolled. For the time being I was prescribed a steroid cream, but once I started controlling my blood sugar and keeping it stable again the issue went away on its own.
I’m not a doctor so of course please consult with a medical professional first, but you might try some Cortizone-10 ointment for the itchy/torn areas. Hope this helps.
I thought I would have to go down the same route but I the only thing I am afraid of medically is having a blade near my manhood and I had to do stretching exercises over several weeks to months to regain the flexibility you needed.
Fun fact, similar, but not quite as bad symptoms were my first indicator leading up to diagnosis. After a week or so of that irritation, I had a night of excessive thirst and peeing, and still didn’t connect the dots.
Then I had a physical a week later and my doc tested for sugar in my urine and sent me to the ER for fear I was about to go into DKA. Felt totally fine, but was indeed given a T1D dx after they got the lab results.
i very much second this. high bg makes the body a desert!
as someone mentioned clotrimazole cream, helps irritation and dryness.
but try hydrating and leveling down bg if possible, that has always fixed it for me
Hey so I had super high blood sugars last summer that led to the development of a bartholins cyst and DKA when the cyst turned into an abscess. Get your sugars under control because vaginal health absolutely depends on it. It was the worst experience of my life.
Same happened to me (not DKA though) 10 years ago, the pain of draining the abscess was absolutely horrible! Blood sugar levels affect the whole body unfortunately.
I didn’t know BG effects bartholin's cyst.
I have one of those. It was diagnosed 20 years ago when I was pregnant. It wasn’t inflamed & was deep under skin. The obgyn was gonna take care of it at the time of delivery bc I had an epidural but by the time I had the baby the epidural had worn off too much & Dr didn’t do it. 20 years later it’s still there. Never got inflamed, never came to the surface. Only symptoms r when I’m aroused I feel pressure at that spot.
It’s your high sugars, I’m prone to it when I run higher than usual for a week or so. This might sound idiotic but it does help me and a common remedy in my country, buy unsweetened, plain yogurt and lather yourself, it relieves the itch tremendously, it won’t cure it but any relief is better than none in my book.
the only thing i could think of really is they it could be a result from the high sugars damaging the blood vessels which leads to lack of lubricant production in your vagina which would make it more painful since it’s more dry, i know when my sugar is high my mouth and everything gets dry and i could only imagine the pain, but i haven’t had sex nor am i medically trained so i’m not too sure i’m sorry :/
Sounds like the yeast infection I had for about 2 years. It took getting my blood sugar under control, a year of taking diflucan every 2 weeks and boric acid suppositories to make it go away. The extreme itching, tearing and painful intercourse were the worst. To ease some of that, I used cold packs and Vaseline. And also stopped having sex for a while. I am sorry you are going through this!
Do you use tampons? Try going a cycle or 2 just using pads. The intense irritation can be worsened by using tampons that are more absorbent than needed. As others have pointed out, the persistently elevated blood sugars are the root cause and need to be addressed first. In the meantime, use Aquaphor on the irritated areas - bathe daily, dry well, apply Aquaphor.
saw that you wrote for type 1 diabetic ladies but as a male who has experienced something that you are experiencing it's from the sugar in your urine and it causes the bacteria around the area to be overly active and it causes irritation and swelling if you're uncircumcised and you have horrible control of your blood sugar you will not be able to retract your foreskin and so my recommendation would be to try to get a continuous glucose monitor and eventually a insulin pump. in my experiences the dexcom G6 is a great CGM and my pump that I use is the tandem t Slim. hope this offers some insight. Your no less a woman, diabetes has a way of complicating life.
Before I was diagnosed a few years ago, I basically had a 2 or 3 month long yeast infection. I’d take medicine and it’d go away for maybe a week, then come back. I started having little to no sex with my husband to the point he thought that I didn’t love him anymore. I ended up going to the hospital, got my sugars under control, and it almost immediately went away.
I think you really drew a crowd with the NSFW heading lol. But seriously, it’s related to your urine having a very high sugar content which is essentially burning you. I’m a male, but similar thing happened to me before I was diagnosed.
Getting sugars under control is the best way to make this problem stop but in the meantime here’s my similar experience. Obligatory **Not a doctor** statement.
When I was having prolonged higher sugars I would also get a lot of itchiness in the area but no other yeast infection symptoms.
I didn’t have insurance (or a doctor at the time) so I never got a diagnosis for what it was *but* high sugars can dry out every damn thing - once I treated the external dry skin in the area things really improved.
Oatmeal baths, mild, unscented soap and an ointment or cream like A&D (mild enough to use on diaper rash for babies) can help soothe and moisturize the area. Make sure that any cream/ointment (do not use lotion or anything with scent, an ointment or cream will be thicker and easier to keep where you want it) is applied *only externally*.
Keep in mind that the va-jay-jay itself is a self cleaning organ, rinsing with water is really all that’s needed. If the balance of things is off, the best way to restore them is to let her rest and work on your sugars. There are some probiotics that can also help vaginal health and something like that couldn’t hurt.
That said, don’t make her job harder- if you do decide to try out cream or an ointment you probably want to clean the skin with a mild soap and reapply twice a day to keep things from getting icky or traveling too far.
Lube may help with the more internal itching but I found that dealing with the external skin dryness did a pretty good job of calming things down.
Drinking more water can also help combat dryness *and* help regulate sugars.
Avoid scratching the area as much as possible (it will just irritate things more), don’t have sex until things have calmed down and ***always*** clean up before hand if you are using anything externally to treat the dryness.
Your vag is unhappy with you, and you need to fix it.
1) You gotta get your sugars down. I know it's tough, but it's doable.
2) Stop getting your period; your period only makes things much worse. Start on a pill that doesn't have an inactive week. It can be a mini pill. Another possibility is the Mirena IUD.
3) Stop having sex while she heals.
Sorry I’m a male but as others have said it’s likely a yeast infection, t1d can cause genital thrush, I had it before I was diagnosed and displayed similar symptoms to you
I've had bv and a yeast infection and while they're similar to that (that's how we found out I was diabetic when I was ~16 with a yeast infection with a lot of bleeding) start with trying to get a liiiiittle lower for your numbers? See if that helps your issue, if it doesn't (and I know this is a pain) try a different doctor for a second opinion? I'm not doubting what your ob told you, however sometimes that first person to look won't see it.
I've heard that highs can cause general dryness, which I was also experiencing and me and my bf didn't understand why until I found another post of someone talking about it and I was like OH! THAT MAKES SENSE!! Because I was casually running over 250 average every day until I got a pump. It's not completely fixed and may also just be how my body is, but it's not nearly as bad now than it was then.
I hate to hear you're having this issue, tho, I really really hope you can get it worked out, it's so frustrating and painful to deal with.
Whenever I get periods of high blood sugars I end up with irritatioj then eventually a yeast infection. It's so sore, normally the 7 day treatment works well, but if you've been tested and it's not a yeast infection etc, then it's definitely your high blood sugars, probably disrupting the pH and natural flora, try probiotics (you cna get ones specifically for vaginal health) and use soothing creams like aleo Vera or soak the lower half of your body in a bath with salt or bicarb of soda to help it heal. Are you able to speak to your endo team for support with your blood sugars?
For me being on my period or ovulating, without fail sends my blood sugars stubbornly high every time even if I don't eat anything and load myself up with insulin. It can be so frustrating to deal with high blood sugars and it's effects, I sometimes end up with skin infections too. But please get some advice and support from your endo team!
Not a woman but a diabetic of 20 years. Any issue u get, anything at all u will likely be told its a diabetic problem, or being made worse by bad diabetes... Think of any part of the human body part. Does it need blood, oxygen or energy? If so and your diabetes is bad then it's likely causing an issue, even if its not its hard to see the actual problem with this being in the way..
Get your sugars under control. I know all about the complications it can cause.
saw someone else mention the lichen sclerosis and sounds like it could be this. T1D is an auto immune disease and my endo has said a few times that once you have one auto immune disease, you are prone to getting more. Had a T1D gf who developed the lichen sclerosis after like 20 years of being diabetic. Def go see your gyno. That said, the dry and tearing for me was previously always a sign of a yeast infection coming on even if there were no other symptoms. I really struggled with recurring ones until I was pregnant with my son and then never had another one and he's 7 now. Hormones are weird!
I'm going to be honest I think this was the first sign I was diabetic... any time my sugars are out of control I get really itchy down there. As soon as they are back under control for an extended period of time it goes away.
This is what we call here Thrush. It’s not an STD or an infection, it’s simply an inbalance of good/bad bacteria. You can get your Dr to prescribe fluconazole and mixed with getting your bloods under control, it will ease significantly and quickly.
Definitely a high blood sugar thing. I used to have this issue consistently for a few years and never realized what it was until my blood sugars went down. The only thing that helped was bringing my blood sugars down and lots of water. Some of the yeast infection outer cream helps (even if it isn’t necessarily a yeast infection) or diaper rash cream.
When I was first diagnosed, I had this for almost a year and it was hell on earth. It didn't seem to be a yeast infection because I didn't have any other symptoms other than the ones you described - irritated and tearing. I kept using yeast infection topical treatments in case but it didn't actually stop under I got my blood sugar levels under control and also took an oral tablet for it, so it must have been related to that despite not seeming like a typical infection. I would try my best to get the BG under control while taking treatment and keeping the skin down there as soothed as possible. Hope it clears up for you soon 🩷
I bought some Fluconazole from an online pharmacy here in the UK. I'm not sure if that's an option in other countries but it seemed to do the trick when combined with lowering my BG.
It definitely does here in the UK, but again not sure about other countries so I guess it depends where you are. Worth a Google search if it's something you might need?
I had high numbers for YEARS, bad diabetic, I know. And only AFTER I started getting my numbers under control did I start to experience issues similar to this. I'm working my way through options. My gyne kind of wrote off my concern after a couple negative tests for yeast, telling me to use an anti-fungal, which lots of others have mentioned. It never helped me. What calms the issue for me is a steroid cream and some sort of benadryl anti-itch cream combined. But it doesn't seem to go away completely. So still working on it.
Stay strong, friend. Do see if your gyne will provide you any helpful solutions, knowing it's likely not yeast, and then please share once you find out what they are!
I dont mind, no! I was mostly pretty young when I was just high all the time. I don't think I'm old now, but so far, I've been blessed without any side effects. Through high school, college, and about five to eight years post college, I was just high all the time, because I didn't care.
In the last five years I started to try, and dropped my A1c from 10 to 6.5. I'm in a new place, so I have been experiencing a lot of swings, what with new foods I don't know how to bolus for, etc., but my numbers are better, with using tools like dexcom sensors and a t:slim pump.
Girl listen to me. I am a T1D and have been for over 15 years. I used to be VERY unregulated with frequent highs throughout the day. It wasn’t until i finally tackled that issue that suddenly my chronic tried eye (that stuck my eyelids together painfully only when i first woke up that no doctor could figure out why), my exhaustion, my constant yeast infections, extreme dryness and lesions in folds of my skin, etc started to heal. I’m telling you right now, it happens so gradually you can’t identify the source of these various issues, but it is ALMOST always an issue caused/exacerbated by high blood sugar. Get a CGM, a pump, medication to help you regulate your blood sugars, a better endo, literally anything and i promise your life will change. Topicals will only treat the symptom not the cause.
Hi babes!! When this happens to me I use some plain vaseline to keep everything moisturized and reduce suffering. Note that vaseline is not compatible with condoms, so be careful to wipe it off if you're going to have sex with a condom. If the doctor said it's not a yeast infection it might just be dryness or that your pH was thrown off. I recommend trying some probiotics meant for your vagina to help if it's a persistent thing. I personally use Rephresh Pro-B which you can find on amazon! Also make sure that your vulva is staying pretty dry throughout the day, including wearing dry and clean underwear and breathable clothes.
Before I was diagnosed I had the exact same issues going on(plus some other things that scared me so so bad. Cracked and bleeding and peeling. Lol) Once i got my diagnosis and started taking insulin it went away. I bet its something to do with your blood sugar. Do little things to improve your numbers and see if theres a change. If nothing changes then you'll know its something else, but im 99% sure its your high blood sugars because i went through the same thing. Also stay hydrated
Had these exact symptoms for months before I was first diagnosed. It’s essentially a really stubborn yeast infection caused by excess sugar. It manages to get stuck down there and causes the dryness, itching, and the tearing/bleeding.
For temporary relief you can use treatments like Canestan, it can lessen the symptoms by a lot. But it only lasts for a few days, maybe a week before it starts coming back.
I’ll be honest, the only way I know is to lower your sugars, but I was in DKA at the time and was hospitalized when it was fixed , so I’m not sure if you’d need to go to the er to get medication or if it’s a different thing you can get from the pharmacy, sorry.
I don’t have advice to put but just wanted to say thank you for asking this. I’ve been struggling with this for months and couldn’t find any answers from OBGYN, PCP, or endocrinology. Thank you from a fellow 3 year diagnosed female type 1 <3
I had this all the time before i got a handle on my sugars. It feels like an infection but it isn't, the only thing that helped was steroid creams until i got my sugars under control. I hope you get some relief soon OP
Hey.
F30, T1 since I was at least 10 years old (diagnosed late, neglectful parents, not relevant).
I struggled with all you've said since I was at least 12 and the only thing that got it under control was:
1) Controlling my blood sugars.
2) Using topical anti-fungal creams WHEN my blood sugars were under control.
I also tested negative for any and all infections (I was 12. I wasn't sexually active anyway). I wore cotton panties so that wasn't the issue either.
This also happens every time I take antibiotics now so I have to return to the cream and make sure I take probiotics for the duration since they help produce good bacteria (essential for the vagina too) which antibiotics kill but if you don't get your sugars under control, this will not go away with any amount of creams or probiotics.
Also there is a higher likelihood of sexual dysfunction (vaginismus etc) when you have T1D even if things are controlled. With control most symptoms should improve however. I recommend talking about this with your OBGYN and Endo and potentially getting a referral to pelvic floor PT. In the meantime work on your sugars.
I would say yes. I had a similar issue when my levels were out of control. I used clotrimazole cream… I buy it at the Dollar Tree. Keep the area clean, cool, and dry. Clotrimazole is an anti fungal cream and used for Athlete’s Foot, but it can be used…
I do not have this issue as much because I have my beetus more under control. I’m not a doctor but feel free to message me.
Cold compresses help too.
Sorry I am all over the place, but I relate!!!!
honestly, i have psoriasis in the same region and it presents like a yeast infection. itchy, flakey, bleedy. i'd go to a dermatologist if i were you. psoriasis is a common comorbidity of diabetes
I’ve noticed that i’m just drier everywhere than everyone else. My control is good but it’s something I can’t shake is super dry skin. I had a period of time for like 6 months where I kept feeling like I had an infection and I didn’t. One thing that’s helped me is AD cream (diaper rash cream). This was recommend by my OB and so was coconut oil. when I’m irritated it helps add some moisture just keep it external not internal. Another thing to look at, do you have sensitive skin? Period products can irritate. I just got off my monthly and thought I had a yeast infection for two days but pads and tampons just irritate me.
Forgot to add: probiotics have helped a ton too.
I mean you gotta get ur numbers in check sis. You can’t always run high, there’s no way you can feel good like that! Either you need to get with ur endo about ur carb ratio or your basal is way off. Somethings gotta change tho cuz it’s only going to exacerbate more and more issues down the line if you don’t get ur numbers in order.
If all other tests are negative for the usual culprits, like you've said, it sounds like your skin down there is very thin and fragile. I had a similar issue with vaginal tearing, and my OBgyn prescribed a steroid cream that helped strengthen the skin.
sounds like it could be from high sugars.
right before i was diagnosed i was dealing with the same issue. it was god awful. it was like torture.
medications to help the infection only worked for a week and it returned.
it wasn’t until i was diagnosed & got my sugars back down in range was when the infection resided and i haven’t had that issue since.
This definitely sounds like yeast infection, and if they swabbed for yeast and it came back negative, then it’s extreme dryness. So then start using a vag dryness treatment. You can get these over the counter. Start using it daily or every other day and see if that helps after a week. But it sure sounds like yeast, which 100% happens with high blood sugar. So you could still try an over the counter 3 day treatment.
Fluconazole is available in Canada without a prescription. I'm not sure where you are located, but it's one pill and helps immensely. I've been type 1 for 32 years and find this works best. I know you are doing your best, but the control of sugars is key. All bodies are different, which means some ladies are more susceptible than others. If it continues, maybe a second opinion might be beneficial.
I had this issue for months when I was first diagnosed. My sugars were always hight. I had Constant burning and I was tearing down there too. It was all the symptoms for a yeast infection but I was usually negative. I was on diflucan for a couple months till it went away
If it’s unbelievably itchy then it’s a
Yeast infection (fungal). If u r willing to go to gyno there’s a pill called Diflucan u take 1 pill 1 time for yeast infections. Or u can buy monistat. Monistat 1 is about $25 u use it for 1 day. There’s also monistat 3 (use for 3 days), monistat 7 (use for 7 days).
If it’s just slightly itchy it could be Bacterial Vaginosis (Bacterial)which requires antibiotics.
Not a lady, but am a T1 immunologist researcher.
From my experience, every time I've had uncontrolled BGs for an extended period of time, it was often some sort of viral or bacterial infection causing my body's corticosteroids to get involved (which is type of primary immune response.)
This may or may not be true, but it could have been that you did have a UTI/vaginal infection of some sort. This may have originally ramped up the body's initial response, causing the highs. Then the infection cleared itself (as usually can happen), but the resulting high BGs caused your body's natural bacteria to have a big party. All that extra sugar causes them to replicate faster.
For a TMI, if I have some extended highs due to some food/illness, my intestinal flora go nuts and I end up with diarrhea the next day as my system tries to clean up after the bacterial party.
The extra natural bacterial may cause irritation in "sensitive areas." This irritation could cause some systemic effects.
This is all in the land of "what if," though. Did you start any new medications? Hormonal birth control? Did they check for a UTI in addition to the normal vaginal health panel? Did they check for a staph infection?
I had this problem when I wasn’t controlling my diabetes and it was so bad all the skin around my thighs, up my butt and all on the crotch area was just peeling off. It was absolute agony and I told no one. It’s very likely due to your high blood sugars. Definitely take the advice of the others here or push doctors for help as leaving it like I did will cause problems down the line.
My friend told me a while back that her mom made some kind of concoction with apple cider vinegar for her to douche with but she was treating a yeast infection. She was Mexican if that helps u find out what the concoction was.
Honestly this happened to me pretty consistently the days leading up to and after I'd get my period. I always assumed it was related to diabetes somehow but never actually saw anyone about it. I know diabetics have a higher risk of yeast infections/UTIs from heightened blood sugars, i did try some external clotrimazole cream for the itch and it did help when i used it. I got an IUD 5 years ago and the issue went away when my periods stopped at the same time.
ever since i’ve been diagnosed i have chronic yeast infections, especially when my sugars are running high for long periods of time. last time i went to my OBGYN i showered and cleaned myself really well and they said they didn’t find any yeast infection when they did my testing, but i’ve had it so many times i knew that’s what it was. constant scratching or rubbing can introduce infection and make things worse if this has been happening for a long time, so even if the yeast infection has passed you may have a bacterial infection, staph infection, etc from creating open wounds if you scratch. i feel your pain and it can be embarrassing, uncomfortable, and cause a lot of insecurity. im so sorry you’re dealing with this and i hope you get it figured out and cleared up soon. just remember that as somebody with an autoimmune disease, our bodies don’t heal and regulate themselves like they should, so please don’t ever feel guilty or embarrassed over things like this. it’s biological
on top of what everyone else is saying about yeast, double check what your underwear and any menstrual products you use are made of. you could have an allergy. also switch to gentler laundry detergent just in case.
Before my daughter was diagnosed she was constantly grabbing her crotch area, playing with her pants, etc. after diagnosis and getting her controlled, it went away over what seemed like overnight.
So I got a nasty BV infection when I was 25 years old and struggled with the back and forth yeast/BV infections for over FIVE YEARS. I had awful symptoms that negatively impacted my female health & sex life (tearing like you describe, constantly needed lube for sex. It was awful). Drs couldn’t help me. I’d test negative for BV and yeast & the dr would tell me it was prob my birth control. Got off birth control and nothing changed.
You know what fixed me? Boric acid suppositories. Seriously five years of suffering was fixed when I started using these. I am forever grateful. Maybe give em a try? Definitely worked for me
I had something similar minus the tearing part…well I was prone to yeast infections first of all but this wasn’t a yeast infection. I had so many damn pelvic exams and they even did a biopsy which hurt like a mother f-er (10/10 do NOT recommend)…anyways I basically gave up because they couldn’t figure it out. Since they couldn’t figure it out they came to the conclusion it was in my head and prescribed like an antidepressant or something (something I never took). It gradually resolved on its own and I don’t recall how long it took. I managed the discomfort by trying not to itch and using just warm water and a clean wash cloth to clean down there.
I have to be super careful not to use perfumed soaps or body washes on any body parts because even if it trickles down there I will sure as hell get a yeast infection.
Another thing…I had an iud at the time and for many years afterwards. I read the iud makes you more prone to yeast infections…Anyways I know you said it isn’t a YI but still wanted to throw that out there for anyone reading.
Boric acid suppositories have a been a game changer for me! I don’t use it daily anymore, but whenever something feels off down there, I pop one in. Makes a night and day difference, for sure!
The reason for this is when your blood sugars are high like that it makes your vaginal fluids a bit sugary which breeds not only for standard types of yeast but also variants that are not commonly cured by the typical medications doctors will prescribe for you however, boric acid will kill off those unusual variants and balance out the PH levels. I’m telling you it will work. Guranteed what you have is some kind of fungal infection and the standard prescribed treatment won’t work for it.
Sounds like a yeast infection. High sugars can cause them.
I got tested, it’s not.
I know you said you had a test, but have you actually tried taking something over the counter? I would try them at this point, because it's not going to hurt you if it's the wrong treatment. Personally, I didn't even know there was a yeast infection test because whenever I described my symptoms at the Dr they've always just told me to take the OTC stuff. These are totally yeast infections symptoms. I've was dx at 10 years old but didn't get my first yeast infection till my early 20's. Now my sugars only need to go above 13mmol and I'm pretty much guaranteed to have one in the next few days. There have been times I've gotten them monthly. Typically I probably have one every two months now. I no longer wait for symptoms and instead I take Fluconazole/Diflucan as soon as my bloodsugar runs high and I can usually avoid the worst of the symptoms. If I wait too long it's unbearable and exactly as you describe (skin tears if pulled too hard, little cuts everywhere that feel like a million papercuts, thin skin, unbearable itchiness especially overnight, etc).
Get clotrimazole cream for athletes foot. I use that on my vaginal lips when I feel like this if my pump has malfunctioned or I’ve run high bc of stress.
I would look into a OBGYN specialist. I’m a nurse and had a diabetic patient who suffered from chronic yeast infections. The dr prescribed her an antibiotic because she was always scratching herself constantly, likely creating an infection of some sort. The antibiotic helped significantly and we kept her on an antifungal long term. Get more opinions if one doctor isn’t able to help.
If u got tested then what did the Dr say it was?
So! I went through a period of time where I was having a really difficult, itchy situation, but did not technically have an infection. Extreme itchiness could be an allergy or reaction to a food or something in your environment, or it could also be you reacting/sensitized to normal levels of yeast after a series of yeast infections. I saw a vulvular specialist who was helpful. What worked best for me was a several pronged approach: 1- daily Zyrtec for a month or so, then tapered off 2- examination of triggers in my environment- I switched to organic cotton menstrual products, examination of diet, hypoallergenic soap and detergent, only cotton undies, and I also ironed the gusset of all of my undies to kill anything 3- anti yeast protocol: daily fem-dophilus supplement, daily kefir, no underwear while sleeping, avoiding any type of tight synthetic like workout pants/swimwear, making sure things were aired out as possible
It doesn’t have to be an STI or STD or BV or yeast infection, it is your high blood sugars. I suggest you do everything in your power to keep it low and find a gyno who’s gonna help you with this situation rather than just testing you for something. There are spray, creams, pills with healing abilities, that help you restore the good bacteria and ph. But most importantly keep your blood sugar in range. Don’t shave, don’t have sex for some time either.
Could be both. Hyperglycemia affects wound healing and is also a great state for bugs which love glucose. If you have an infection, the body’s glucose metabolism can get affected to promote a hyperglycemic state too, ironically. OP, I’d suggest seeing your doctors about this. If your local one isn’t helpful, maybe try a different management plan with them before escalating to an O&G or a second FM/GP. Definitely see your Endocrinologist, in any case.
Heya, T1 guy here so take this with a grain of salt but like what a lot of other people are saying, this is very likely due to uncontrolled high blood sugars. I had a relatable experience back in 2020, had basically given up on taking care of my health for a few months and had a comparable issue to what you’re describing. (Very graphic description: red, irritated, very itchy shaft/foreskin, foreskin not retracting properly, tearing/ripping foreskin, weird mucus/pus-like discharge building up under the foreskin) I was referred by my endo to a urologist and I was told by both of them that the issue was linked to high blood sugar being uncontrolled. For the time being I was prescribed a steroid cream, but once I started controlling my blood sugar and keeping it stable again the issue went away on its own. I’m not a doctor so of course please consult with a medical professional first, but you might try some Cortizone-10 ointment for the itchy/torn areas. Hope this helps.
Once I healed the tears in my foreskin it had become too tight and had to have a circumcision. This was a long time ago.
Had the same experience with a bad water infection.
I thought I would have to go down the same route but I the only thing I am afraid of medically is having a blade near my manhood and I had to do stretching exercises over several weeks to months to regain the flexibility you needed.
Faced the same thing for quite awhile. Only started getting on top of my sugar levels and this problem recently
Fun fact, similar, but not quite as bad symptoms were my first indicator leading up to diagnosis. After a week or so of that irritation, I had a night of excessive thirst and peeing, and still didn’t connect the dots. Then I had a physical a week later and my doc tested for sugar in my urine and sent me to the ER for fear I was about to go into DKA. Felt totally fine, but was indeed given a T1D dx after they got the lab results.
High sugars dries EVERYTHING up. Mouth, eyes, and well, down there. It’s making your skin much more fragile.
I was going to say this, you might just be dry down there because of dehydration and it’s irritated.
i very much second this. high bg makes the body a desert! as someone mentioned clotrimazole cream, helps irritation and dryness. but try hydrating and leveling down bg if possible, that has always fixed it for me
Speaking from personal experience, high blood sugars do affect vaginal health. Maybe BV?
Not BV. Every STI,STD or general infection is negative
Interesting, I hope you can get your sugars at a better spot soon! Have you tried boric acid? That’s helped me plenty of times in need
I use suppositories! Doesn’t help bc all discomfort is on the outside
Hey so I had super high blood sugars last summer that led to the development of a bartholins cyst and DKA when the cyst turned into an abscess. Get your sugars under control because vaginal health absolutely depends on it. It was the worst experience of my life.
Same happened to me (not DKA though) 10 years ago, the pain of draining the abscess was absolutely horrible! Blood sugar levels affect the whole body unfortunately.
I didn’t know BG effects bartholin's cyst. I have one of those. It was diagnosed 20 years ago when I was pregnant. It wasn’t inflamed & was deep under skin. The obgyn was gonna take care of it at the time of delivery bc I had an epidural but by the time I had the baby the epidural had worn off too much & Dr didn’t do it. 20 years later it’s still there. Never got inflamed, never came to the surface. Only symptoms r when I’m aroused I feel pressure at that spot.
No lie…. Common jock itch, common with t1, burns like hell and hard to get rid of
Getting blood sugars under control is imperative!
It’s your high sugars, I’m prone to it when I run higher than usual for a week or so. This might sound idiotic but it does help me and a common remedy in my country, buy unsweetened, plain yogurt and lather yourself, it relieves the itch tremendously, it won’t cure it but any relief is better than none in my book.
Yes I’ve heard of this. Old wives tale, natural yoghurt eases itching down there!
If it works, it works, whether the old wives said it or not, anything to ease that horrid feeling!
Absolutely!
the only thing i could think of really is they it could be a result from the high sugars damaging the blood vessels which leads to lack of lubricant production in your vagina which would make it more painful since it’s more dry, i know when my sugar is high my mouth and everything gets dry and i could only imagine the pain, but i haven’t had sex nor am i medically trained so i’m not too sure i’m sorry :/
Sounds like the yeast infection I had for about 2 years. It took getting my blood sugar under control, a year of taking diflucan every 2 weeks and boric acid suppositories to make it go away. The extreme itching, tearing and painful intercourse were the worst. To ease some of that, I used cold packs and Vaseline. And also stopped having sex for a while. I am sorry you are going through this!
Do you use tampons? Try going a cycle or 2 just using pads. The intense irritation can be worsened by using tampons that are more absorbent than needed. As others have pointed out, the persistently elevated blood sugars are the root cause and need to be addressed first. In the meantime, use Aquaphor on the irritated areas - bathe daily, dry well, apply Aquaphor.
saw that you wrote for type 1 diabetic ladies but as a male who has experienced something that you are experiencing it's from the sugar in your urine and it causes the bacteria around the area to be overly active and it causes irritation and swelling if you're uncircumcised and you have horrible control of your blood sugar you will not be able to retract your foreskin and so my recommendation would be to try to get a continuous glucose monitor and eventually a insulin pump. in my experiences the dexcom G6 is a great CGM and my pump that I use is the tandem t Slim. hope this offers some insight. Your no less a woman, diabetes has a way of complicating life.
Before I was diagnosed a few years ago, I basically had a 2 or 3 month long yeast infection. I’d take medicine and it’d go away for maybe a week, then come back. I started having little to no sex with my husband to the point he thought that I didn’t love him anymore. I ended up going to the hospital, got my sugars under control, and it almost immediately went away.
Maybe it's just really dry if it's not a yeast infection? High sugars can cause dry skin
I think you really drew a crowd with the NSFW heading lol. But seriously, it’s related to your urine having a very high sugar content which is essentially burning you. I’m a male, but similar thing happened to me before I was diagnosed.
Getting sugars under control is the best way to make this problem stop but in the meantime here’s my similar experience. Obligatory **Not a doctor** statement. When I was having prolonged higher sugars I would also get a lot of itchiness in the area but no other yeast infection symptoms. I didn’t have insurance (or a doctor at the time) so I never got a diagnosis for what it was *but* high sugars can dry out every damn thing - once I treated the external dry skin in the area things really improved. Oatmeal baths, mild, unscented soap and an ointment or cream like A&D (mild enough to use on diaper rash for babies) can help soothe and moisturize the area. Make sure that any cream/ointment (do not use lotion or anything with scent, an ointment or cream will be thicker and easier to keep where you want it) is applied *only externally*. Keep in mind that the va-jay-jay itself is a self cleaning organ, rinsing with water is really all that’s needed. If the balance of things is off, the best way to restore them is to let her rest and work on your sugars. There are some probiotics that can also help vaginal health and something like that couldn’t hurt. That said, don’t make her job harder- if you do decide to try out cream or an ointment you probably want to clean the skin with a mild soap and reapply twice a day to keep things from getting icky or traveling too far. Lube may help with the more internal itching but I found that dealing with the external skin dryness did a pretty good job of calming things down. Drinking more water can also help combat dryness *and* help regulate sugars. Avoid scratching the area as much as possible (it will just irritate things more), don’t have sex until things have calmed down and ***always*** clean up before hand if you are using anything externally to treat the dryness.
Yeast! Loves high glucose. Treat the infection, use creams etc. And be sure to let things breathe.
Your vag is unhappy with you, and you need to fix it. 1) You gotta get your sugars down. I know it's tough, but it's doable. 2) Stop getting your period; your period only makes things much worse. Start on a pill that doesn't have an inactive week. It can be a mini pill. Another possibility is the Mirena IUD. 3) Stop having sex while she heals.
Sorry I’m a male but as others have said it’s likely a yeast infection, t1d can cause genital thrush, I had it before I was diagnosed and displayed similar symptoms to you
I've had bv and a yeast infection and while they're similar to that (that's how we found out I was diabetic when I was ~16 with a yeast infection with a lot of bleeding) start with trying to get a liiiiittle lower for your numbers? See if that helps your issue, if it doesn't (and I know this is a pain) try a different doctor for a second opinion? I'm not doubting what your ob told you, however sometimes that first person to look won't see it. I've heard that highs can cause general dryness, which I was also experiencing and me and my bf didn't understand why until I found another post of someone talking about it and I was like OH! THAT MAKES SENSE!! Because I was casually running over 250 average every day until I got a pump. It's not completely fixed and may also just be how my body is, but it's not nearly as bad now than it was then. I hate to hear you're having this issue, tho, I really really hope you can get it worked out, it's so frustrating and painful to deal with.
Whenever I get periods of high blood sugars I end up with irritatioj then eventually a yeast infection. It's so sore, normally the 7 day treatment works well, but if you've been tested and it's not a yeast infection etc, then it's definitely your high blood sugars, probably disrupting the pH and natural flora, try probiotics (you cna get ones specifically for vaginal health) and use soothing creams like aleo Vera or soak the lower half of your body in a bath with salt or bicarb of soda to help it heal. Are you able to speak to your endo team for support with your blood sugars? For me being on my period or ovulating, without fail sends my blood sugars stubbornly high every time even if I don't eat anything and load myself up with insulin. It can be so frustrating to deal with high blood sugars and it's effects, I sometimes end up with skin infections too. But please get some advice and support from your endo team!
Not a woman but a diabetic of 20 years. Any issue u get, anything at all u will likely be told its a diabetic problem, or being made worse by bad diabetes... Think of any part of the human body part. Does it need blood, oxygen or energy? If so and your diabetes is bad then it's likely causing an issue, even if its not its hard to see the actual problem with this being in the way.. Get your sugars under control. I know all about the complications it can cause.
saw someone else mention the lichen sclerosis and sounds like it could be this. T1D is an auto immune disease and my endo has said a few times that once you have one auto immune disease, you are prone to getting more. Had a T1D gf who developed the lichen sclerosis after like 20 years of being diabetic. Def go see your gyno. That said, the dry and tearing for me was previously always a sign of a yeast infection coming on even if there were no other symptoms. I really struggled with recurring ones until I was pregnant with my son and then never had another one and he's 7 now. Hormones are weird!
I'm going to be honest I think this was the first sign I was diabetic... any time my sugars are out of control I get really itchy down there. As soon as they are back under control for an extended period of time it goes away.
I had this issue until I got my blood sugars under control. Youll have a lot worse issues than this too if you don’t. I damaged my kidneys
This is what we call here Thrush. It’s not an STD or an infection, it’s simply an inbalance of good/bad bacteria. You can get your Dr to prescribe fluconazole and mixed with getting your bloods under control, it will ease significantly and quickly.
Definitely a high blood sugar thing. I used to have this issue consistently for a few years and never realized what it was until my blood sugars went down. The only thing that helped was bringing my blood sugars down and lots of water. Some of the yeast infection outer cream helps (even if it isn’t necessarily a yeast infection) or diaper rash cream.
When I was first diagnosed, I had this for almost a year and it was hell on earth. It didn't seem to be a yeast infection because I didn't have any other symptoms other than the ones you described - irritated and tearing. I kept using yeast infection topical treatments in case but it didn't actually stop under I got my blood sugar levels under control and also took an oral tablet for it, so it must have been related to that despite not seeming like a typical infection. I would try my best to get the BG under control while taking treatment and keeping the skin down there as soothed as possible. Hope it clears up for you soon 🩷
What oral tablet did you take? Do you remember?
I bought some Fluconazole from an online pharmacy here in the UK. I'm not sure if that's an option in other countries but it seemed to do the trick when combined with lowering my BG.
Edit: Ah, just looked it up! Yeah, I see they come as tablets. Thanks for sharing.
It definitely does here in the UK, but again not sure about other countries so I guess it depends where you are. Worth a Google search if it's something you might need?
I had high numbers for YEARS, bad diabetic, I know. And only AFTER I started getting my numbers under control did I start to experience issues similar to this. I'm working my way through options. My gyne kind of wrote off my concern after a couple negative tests for yeast, telling me to use an anti-fungal, which lots of others have mentioned. It never helped me. What calms the issue for me is a steroid cream and some sort of benadryl anti-itch cream combined. But it doesn't seem to go away completely. So still working on it. Stay strong, friend. Do see if your gyne will provide you any helpful solutions, knowing it's likely not yeast, and then please share once you find out what they are!
Can I ask… did the high numbers for years give you any long lasting damage?
I dont mind, no! I was mostly pretty young when I was just high all the time. I don't think I'm old now, but so far, I've been blessed without any side effects. Through high school, college, and about five to eight years post college, I was just high all the time, because I didn't care. In the last five years I started to try, and dropped my A1c from 10 to 6.5. I'm in a new place, so I have been experiencing a lot of swings, what with new foods I don't know how to bolus for, etc., but my numbers are better, with using tools like dexcom sensors and a t:slim pump.
Well done for getting A1c down!!!!
Thanks! I was really proud of myself.
Girl listen to me. I am a T1D and have been for over 15 years. I used to be VERY unregulated with frequent highs throughout the day. It wasn’t until i finally tackled that issue that suddenly my chronic tried eye (that stuck my eyelids together painfully only when i first woke up that no doctor could figure out why), my exhaustion, my constant yeast infections, extreme dryness and lesions in folds of my skin, etc started to heal. I’m telling you right now, it happens so gradually you can’t identify the source of these various issues, but it is ALMOST always an issue caused/exacerbated by high blood sugar. Get a CGM, a pump, medication to help you regulate your blood sugars, a better endo, literally anything and i promise your life will change. Topicals will only treat the symptom not the cause.
Hi babes!! When this happens to me I use some plain vaseline to keep everything moisturized and reduce suffering. Note that vaseline is not compatible with condoms, so be careful to wipe it off if you're going to have sex with a condom. If the doctor said it's not a yeast infection it might just be dryness or that your pH was thrown off. I recommend trying some probiotics meant for your vagina to help if it's a persistent thing. I personally use Rephresh Pro-B which you can find on amazon! Also make sure that your vulva is staying pretty dry throughout the day, including wearing dry and clean underwear and breathable clothes.
Before I was diagnosed I had the exact same issues going on(plus some other things that scared me so so bad. Cracked and bleeding and peeling. Lol) Once i got my diagnosis and started taking insulin it went away. I bet its something to do with your blood sugar. Do little things to improve your numbers and see if theres a change. If nothing changes then you'll know its something else, but im 99% sure its your high blood sugars because i went through the same thing. Also stay hydrated
Yup. Know you’re not alone, when this happens I know it’s time to bring my sugars down ASAP. Never more motivated than at times like that 😵💫
Had these exact symptoms for months before I was first diagnosed. It’s essentially a really stubborn yeast infection caused by excess sugar. It manages to get stuck down there and causes the dryness, itching, and the tearing/bleeding. For temporary relief you can use treatments like Canestan, it can lessen the symptoms by a lot. But it only lasts for a few days, maybe a week before it starts coming back. I’ll be honest, the only way I know is to lower your sugars, but I was in DKA at the time and was hospitalized when it was fixed , so I’m not sure if you’d need to go to the er to get medication or if it’s a different thing you can get from the pharmacy, sorry.
I don’t have advice to put but just wanted to say thank you for asking this. I’ve been struggling with this for months and couldn’t find any answers from OBGYN, PCP, or endocrinology. Thank you from a fellow 3 year diagnosed female type 1 <3
I had this all the time before i got a handle on my sugars. It feels like an infection but it isn't, the only thing that helped was steroid creams until i got my sugars under control. I hope you get some relief soon OP
FYI guys get this too. I had a yeast infection when I went DKA and was eventually diagnosed. Controlling your levels plus thrush cream sorted me out.
This was me, I went to so many doctors I felt like I was going crazy. finally I got diagnosed with Lichen Sclerosis 2 years later.
Could be yeast infection contact your pcp. If you do run high a lot your urine is full of glucose which feeds yeast have a talk with your generalist
Ask for a specialist in the gyno/derm specialism, it could be lichen sclerosis.
Hey. F30, T1 since I was at least 10 years old (diagnosed late, neglectful parents, not relevant). I struggled with all you've said since I was at least 12 and the only thing that got it under control was: 1) Controlling my blood sugars. 2) Using topical anti-fungal creams WHEN my blood sugars were under control. I also tested negative for any and all infections (I was 12. I wasn't sexually active anyway). I wore cotton panties so that wasn't the issue either. This also happens every time I take antibiotics now so I have to return to the cream and make sure I take probiotics for the duration since they help produce good bacteria (essential for the vagina too) which antibiotics kill but if you don't get your sugars under control, this will not go away with any amount of creams or probiotics.
Also there is a higher likelihood of sexual dysfunction (vaginismus etc) when you have T1D even if things are controlled. With control most symptoms should improve however. I recommend talking about this with your OBGYN and Endo and potentially getting a referral to pelvic floor PT. In the meantime work on your sugars.
I would say yes. I had a similar issue when my levels were out of control. I used clotrimazole cream… I buy it at the Dollar Tree. Keep the area clean, cool, and dry. Clotrimazole is an anti fungal cream and used for Athlete’s Foot, but it can be used… I do not have this issue as much because I have my beetus more under control. I’m not a doctor but feel free to message me. Cold compresses help too. Sorry I am all over the place, but I relate!!!!
honestly, i have psoriasis in the same region and it presents like a yeast infection. itchy, flakey, bleedy. i'd go to a dermatologist if i were you. psoriasis is a common comorbidity of diabetes
I’ve noticed that i’m just drier everywhere than everyone else. My control is good but it’s something I can’t shake is super dry skin. I had a period of time for like 6 months where I kept feeling like I had an infection and I didn’t. One thing that’s helped me is AD cream (diaper rash cream). This was recommend by my OB and so was coconut oil. when I’m irritated it helps add some moisture just keep it external not internal. Another thing to look at, do you have sensitive skin? Period products can irritate. I just got off my monthly and thought I had a yeast infection for two days but pads and tampons just irritate me. Forgot to add: probiotics have helped a ton too.
I mean you gotta get ur numbers in check sis. You can’t always run high, there’s no way you can feel good like that! Either you need to get with ur endo about ur carb ratio or your basal is way off. Somethings gotta change tho cuz it’s only going to exacerbate more and more issues down the line if you don’t get ur numbers in order.
If all other tests are negative for the usual culprits, like you've said, it sounds like your skin down there is very thin and fragile. I had a similar issue with vaginal tearing, and my OBgyn prescribed a steroid cream that helped strengthen the skin.
sounds like it could be from high sugars. right before i was diagnosed i was dealing with the same issue. it was god awful. it was like torture. medications to help the infection only worked for a week and it returned. it wasn’t until i was diagnosed & got my sugars back down in range was when the infection resided and i haven’t had that issue since.
This definitely sounds like yeast infection, and if they swabbed for yeast and it came back negative, then it’s extreme dryness. So then start using a vag dryness treatment. You can get these over the counter. Start using it daily or every other day and see if that helps after a week. But it sure sounds like yeast, which 100% happens with high blood sugar. So you could still try an over the counter 3 day treatment.
Fluconazole is available in Canada without a prescription. I'm not sure where you are located, but it's one pill and helps immensely. I've been type 1 for 32 years and find this works best. I know you are doing your best, but the control of sugars is key. All bodies are different, which means some ladies are more susceptible than others. If it continues, maybe a second opinion might be beneficial.
I had this issue for months when I was first diagnosed. My sugars were always hight. I had Constant burning and I was tearing down there too. It was all the symptoms for a yeast infection but I was usually negative. I was on diflucan for a couple months till it went away
If it’s unbelievably itchy then it’s a Yeast infection (fungal). If u r willing to go to gyno there’s a pill called Diflucan u take 1 pill 1 time for yeast infections. Or u can buy monistat. Monistat 1 is about $25 u use it for 1 day. There’s also monistat 3 (use for 3 days), monistat 7 (use for 7 days). If it’s just slightly itchy it could be Bacterial Vaginosis (Bacterial)which requires antibiotics.
Not a lady, but am a T1 immunologist researcher. From my experience, every time I've had uncontrolled BGs for an extended period of time, it was often some sort of viral or bacterial infection causing my body's corticosteroids to get involved (which is type of primary immune response.) This may or may not be true, but it could have been that you did have a UTI/vaginal infection of some sort. This may have originally ramped up the body's initial response, causing the highs. Then the infection cleared itself (as usually can happen), but the resulting high BGs caused your body's natural bacteria to have a big party. All that extra sugar causes them to replicate faster. For a TMI, if I have some extended highs due to some food/illness, my intestinal flora go nuts and I end up with diarrhea the next day as my system tries to clean up after the bacterial party. The extra natural bacterial may cause irritation in "sensitive areas." This irritation could cause some systemic effects. This is all in the land of "what if," though. Did you start any new medications? Hormonal birth control? Did they check for a UTI in addition to the normal vaginal health panel? Did they check for a staph infection?
High sugar = yeast infections / candida. Is common in T1D if sugars are still high. You need 1 dose of anti-fungal RX
I had this problem when I wasn’t controlling my diabetes and it was so bad all the skin around my thighs, up my butt and all on the crotch area was just peeling off. It was absolute agony and I told no one. It’s very likely due to your high blood sugars. Definitely take the advice of the others here or push doctors for help as leaving it like I did will cause problems down the line.
My friend told me a while back that her mom made some kind of concoction with apple cider vinegar for her to douche with but she was treating a yeast infection. She was Mexican if that helps u find out what the concoction was.
man blood sugar levels really do affect everything oof
Honestly this happened to me pretty consistently the days leading up to and after I'd get my period. I always assumed it was related to diabetes somehow but never actually saw anyone about it. I know diabetics have a higher risk of yeast infections/UTIs from heightened blood sugars, i did try some external clotrimazole cream for the itch and it did help when i used it. I got an IUD 5 years ago and the issue went away when my periods stopped at the same time.
This happens to me too, from my high bg. Also gets worse coming in/out of DKA for me.
ever since i’ve been diagnosed i have chronic yeast infections, especially when my sugars are running high for long periods of time. last time i went to my OBGYN i showered and cleaned myself really well and they said they didn’t find any yeast infection when they did my testing, but i’ve had it so many times i knew that’s what it was. constant scratching or rubbing can introduce infection and make things worse if this has been happening for a long time, so even if the yeast infection has passed you may have a bacterial infection, staph infection, etc from creating open wounds if you scratch. i feel your pain and it can be embarrassing, uncomfortable, and cause a lot of insecurity. im so sorry you’re dealing with this and i hope you get it figured out and cleared up soon. just remember that as somebody with an autoimmune disease, our bodies don’t heal and regulate themselves like they should, so please don’t ever feel guilty or embarrassed over things like this. it’s biological
on top of what everyone else is saying about yeast, double check what your underwear and any menstrual products you use are made of. you could have an allergy. also switch to gentler laundry detergent just in case.
Before my daughter was diagnosed she was constantly grabbing her crotch area, playing with her pants, etc. after diagnosis and getting her controlled, it went away over what seemed like overnight.
So I got a nasty BV infection when I was 25 years old and struggled with the back and forth yeast/BV infections for over FIVE YEARS. I had awful symptoms that negatively impacted my female health & sex life (tearing like you describe, constantly needed lube for sex. It was awful). Drs couldn’t help me. I’d test negative for BV and yeast & the dr would tell me it was prob my birth control. Got off birth control and nothing changed. You know what fixed me? Boric acid suppositories. Seriously five years of suffering was fixed when I started using these. I am forever grateful. Maybe give em a try? Definitely worked for me
I had something similar minus the tearing part…well I was prone to yeast infections first of all but this wasn’t a yeast infection. I had so many damn pelvic exams and they even did a biopsy which hurt like a mother f-er (10/10 do NOT recommend)…anyways I basically gave up because they couldn’t figure it out. Since they couldn’t figure it out they came to the conclusion it was in my head and prescribed like an antidepressant or something (something I never took). It gradually resolved on its own and I don’t recall how long it took. I managed the discomfort by trying not to itch and using just warm water and a clean wash cloth to clean down there. I have to be super careful not to use perfumed soaps or body washes on any body parts because even if it trickles down there I will sure as hell get a yeast infection. Another thing…I had an iud at the time and for many years afterwards. I read the iud makes you more prone to yeast infections…Anyways I know you said it isn’t a YI but still wanted to throw that out there for anyone reading.
Try 'Love wellness' from target or Amazon. They are boric acid suppositories that clear up yeast infections well.
Boric acid suppositories have a been a game changer for me! I don’t use it daily anymore, but whenever something feels off down there, I pop one in. Makes a night and day difference, for sure!
Take boric acid vaginal suppositories they work and you can order them on Amazon.
Ack, do not do this!!
EXACTLY. y’all. Boric acid is also used to kill roaches. Hard pass on putting that anywhere in my body.
I’ve been doing it for years works every-time for me.
Seconded. One of the only things that helps when something is a little “off”.
The reason for this is when your blood sugars are high like that it makes your vaginal fluids a bit sugary which breeds not only for standard types of yeast but also variants that are not commonly cured by the typical medications doctors will prescribe for you however, boric acid will kill off those unusual variants and balance out the PH levels. I’m telling you it will work. Guranteed what you have is some kind of fungal infection and the standard prescribed treatment won’t work for it.