Broken Vagina: YI and sex woes...

[catalina-royce.livejournal.com]

Where to start? I got what was a mother of a YI in November/December...it's been a while but I seem to recall it being there beforehand. It was off and on for a while, through December. I thought it'd been treated, then it would come back, so I would treat again, then it'd come back, blah blah blah. Then on Christmas eve, the boy and I had sex and it huuurt. I think I made the mistake of using YI cream and then having sex on it and I think it may have messed up the lubrication.

So I nixed the sex for a while until I was healed and YI free. Which took a week or so. But the sex still hurt. It was more like the vulval area (in particular just at the entrance to the vagina) hurt. Actual pain during attempted copulation, but then afterwards it would sort of...burn? 

I don't suspect an infection of any sort as I'm in a monogamous relationship and have been for 17 months. I was tested in April last year but not since at my partner hasn't changed, and I know he's been faithful, so am fairly certain I'm STI-free. 

In desperation I went back to the doctor a week or two ago and explained the situation, and she believes that I got caught it this cycle where trauma to the membrane would encourage the YI which would leave the membrane traumatised and then any attempted sex would screw with that, etc etc. Her suggestion was to use significant amounts of lube and then after sex to put a little bit of anti-fungal cream on to try to the break the cycle, which I have been doing. 

I guess my question is: has anyone else had experience with this? Is there something less, uh, chemical bound that I can do to help it? Do I need to do the lube/sex/anti-fungal forever? We've been using KY but to be honest, I just don't orgasm as much/strongly when we do - in some ways it's almost like I can feel it less - so the sex just isn't as fun. And part of me is constantly paranoid that I'm going to get a YI again...

Here's the thing: If I'm not having sex then there is no issue and no YI. I have no pain during masturbation (though there is rarely insertion when I masturbate) and the burning is almost always only located on the left hand side of the vaginal entrance. 

I ended up running across a thread which had very similar symptoms and the issue was Vulvar Vestibulitis - in these particuar cases, they were likely caused by hormone exposure and the pill - link here ). I ended up reading the study (which is in no way definitive as Vulvar Vestibulitis is such a cover-all description) and I do fall into the category of 'higher-risk': I'm on an low-estrogen based pill (Monofeme, if interested) which is a second generation pill, and I have been on it for over 5 years. While the lube has helped, it hasn't fixed the problem yet, and since the current 2 weeks of lubed-up sex was precluded by 4 weeks of no-sex-at-all, I guess I feel like I should have healed by now? 

Essentially I'm just hoping someone has been in a similar situation to situation a) or b) and can give me some advice on whether what I'm dealing with sounds normal for either, and if you have any advice. Also if/when I can hope to move back to non-lubricated sex. Because I miss my intense orgasm. 

I think what I might try to do is continue the current situation and then hopefully stop using the cream, then if that's working okay I will try to stop using the lube. If it still hurts but no YI, I'll go back to the doctor. The main issue is that we normally have a very active sex life, and not having sex has been, well...difficult for me. He's very understanding but I get horribly frustrated and become an emotional see-saw, particularly when it had stretched out to about a month. 

Whew! Long post, but any help on anything would be wonderful! 

Comments

[naked-beauty-21.livejournal.com]

One thing you could try is using coconut oil for lube. The KY could be irritating you/leading to YIs. Coconut oil had natural anti-fungal properties, so it may help with the yeastie beasties.

[elfbert.livejournal.com]

Some people link YIs with glycerin - as the yeastie beastie can feed off the glycerin (sugar). KY is full of glycerin.

So you might find that switching to a glycerin-free lube helps your situation, for the period when you're trying to fight the Yeast. Personally I would worry that using KY you're fighting the YI with one hand, feeding it with the other.

You can Google for Glycerin-free lubes - including coconut oil, as mentioned by the above commenter. But obviously that depends if you use condoms.

Good luck!

[archangelbeth]

Have you been treating your partner for a YI? Because assuming your partner possesses a penis... Well, penises can often carry a mild yeast infection without seeming to be more than a bit of dry skin. When introduced back to the vagina, that yeast goes, "Yay! We're back to re-colonize!"

I would get a better lube than KY, to start with. (KY is okay for a little bit, but gets "tacky" really fast, in my experience. Great for giving hand-jobs. Don't want it near my tender bits. And, as said, glycerin is linked with yeast infections for many people!)

I'd take a lot of probiotics, probably using them vaginally; you need lactobacilli (acidophilus is not the majority lactobacillus in the vaginal ecosystem, but it's there and it's easy to get) in your vagina to keep it acid enough that yeast can't flourish. If probiotics don't work, try boric acid.

I'd also try to incorporate some penetration into your masturbation, just to see if it's uncomfortable. I'd advise using something hard plastic, or glass (pricy but often nice), so that you can wash it thoroughly before and after. "Jelly" toys can be irritating on their own, and are pretty much impossible to truly clean; bacteria and such hides in the "pores" and soap doesn't defeat it.

If none of that helps... Try a dermatologist to see if there's a skin condition. Gynos, especially in the US, may be underinformed as to how to treat such things. If there's not a skin condition, then vulvodynia is a potentiality, and for that, you would want a Pelvic Pain Specialist. (Also, a PPS can have a better chance of ruling out such issues!)

Good luck!

[deuxditz.livejournal.com]

I was also going to suggest eliminating KY from your routine. I really like silicone lubes - they stay nice and slick for a long time, no tackiness. Of course, you can't go back to oral in the middle, but I won't be going back to glycerin lubes ever again!