(no subject)

[oceandream9.livejournal.com]

My mother thinks I have a yeast infection, but since I've never had one before, I haven't a clue what that entails. Though there is no burning, no pain, and no discharge, it is extremely itchy around the vagina opening and has been since yesterday. Anybody have the same problem at any point and what did you do about it?

Comments

Stick natural yoghurt on it

[divertimenti.livejournal.com]

Stick natural yoghurt on it, so the harmful bacteria in your vagina have something to compete with.

Hope you feel better soon :)

Re: Stick natural yoghurt on it

[oceandream9.livejournal.com]

It's a start! Thanks! Oh, and I just realized that I was wrong...there is a discharge. Just very slight.

Re: Stick natural yoghurt on it

[juniperesque.livejournal.com]

Eating yogurt helps too. Nothing like good bacteria in our bodies.

Re: Stick natural yoghurt on it

[oceandream9.livejournal.com]

Well, I went with the Diflucan and Grapefruit Seed oil pills. Here's the problem with yogurt. I'm lactose intolerant, specifically have allergic reactions to yogurt, and vegan. So no can do there. But thank you anyway! I will suggest it to my girlfriends when they get yeast infections...

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

When I had an itch like that, the doctor cultured it, saw no yeast, and said, "You have no yeast." He gave me no clue what it might be. Then I was broke for awhile, ran out of laundry detergent, and washed my clothes with only a dribble of dishwashing liquid. Lo and behold, no itch. Some trial and error over time enabled me to discover that if I wash underwear with anything but a few types of detergent, and that at half or less of the recommended measurement, I get vulval itching.

Re:

[oceandream9.livejournal.com]

Interesting! Sounds like your doc was really helpful there, eh?

[spaceheater.livejournal.com]

i've had a lil itching due to dryness due to taking too many showers (like 2 a day). so i stopped doing that...heh

Re:

[oceandream9.livejournal.com]

That could be part of it. I tend to wash my entire vaginal area very rigorously.

[poopsmoothie.livejournal.com]

I've heard that excessive washing, particularly douching, can be very harmful and prone to causing irritation/infection. Your vagina is self-cleaning. Handy, no? :)

Re:

[oceandream9.livejournal.com]

Very handy indeed. The infection just got worse over night, and now I'm absolutely dying. Why doesn't the health office open earlier at school?!

Soap - ick!

[hannahmorgan.livejournal.com]

Hear, hear. I haven't had soap anywhere near my vulva in about eight years...never had any complaints, either! :-) I have a family history of chronic UTIs, vaginitis and yeast problems, which is mostly why I don't use soap Down There (yes, I know, I hate that term too!!!). Also, I find that when I'm on the pill I'm MUCH more prone to yeast infections and generally cut way down on my sugar intake, which helps.

The other thing I wanted to comment on is a little muddiness I see in this stream of posts. UTI's come from getting nasty things in your urethra rather than your vagina. Just thought I'd point that out.

And as for yeast infections, for mild ones (or if I can catch one early, as *soon* as I feel that little twitchy feeling), I use boric acid. It's a powder you can get over the counter in most drugstores that's very, very mild (in solution it's used as an eyewash). You get some empty gelatin capsules from any health food store, fill up the capsules with the boric acid powder, and then insert one in your vagina before you go to bed at night, for two nights. Night #3 skip the boric acid (you can insert a Vitamin E capsule instead, which helps with tissue healing), then two more nights of boric acid. Works for me, and worked for a lot of pregnant women at the midwifery clinic I worked at for four years. It's totally safe, cheap and way less messy than those icky creams.

It doesn't work if you have chronic yeast, however, in which case I (and my sisters) have also tried THE pill for yeast, Diflucan (at least that's what I know it as), and it's great. You just can't take it a lot because it has some effect on your kidneys apparently.

Re: Soap - ick!

[oceandream9.livejournal.com]

This is my first, and hopefully only yeast infection. I did something silly to cause it, I already know what I did. So I'm not worried about the Diflucan effects. But thanks for the future tip! My vagina is going to be happy soon hopefully :)

[silvermoon999.livejournal.com]

I got mine from fabric softner... my parents stopped using vinegar (heaven knows why) and started with bounce or some shit like that. Like clockwork I had a yeast infection about once every month or so... so we finally just started taking things out of my life - such as detergents, soaps, and finally fabric softner. Here are some of my suggestions...

- Always use less than the recommended amount for detergents and fabric softners... the marketing people just want you to use more so you have to go out and buy more (smart people eh?)... small amounts rinse away easier

- If you use soap to wash try something mild, like Ivory... and make sure you rinse very well - sometimes if you leave some soap there it can cause iritation

- And DON'T used scented tampons or pads... the crap they use to scent it may cause a huge irritation :)

Hope this helps!

Re:

[oceandream9.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Unfortunately (or fortunately) my family has used the same detergents and soaps since I was a baby. It hasn't changed. So that isn't it. I've never used scented tampons or pads. I think I know what I did though to cause it...oops!

Re:

[silvermoon999.livejournal.com]

Well that's good - at least you can avoid it in the future (smiles)

[ravrhi.livejournal.com]

vinegar? How does that work in laundry?

Re:

[silvermoon999.livejournal.com]

It works just the same as fabric softner... you only need a tablespoon or so - just don't use too much or your clothes will smell :)

[pinkvinylstar.livejournal.com]

Re:

[oceandream9.livejournal.com]

I already go the Diflucan pill and am also taking some Grapefruit Seed Oil pills. Thanks! If it gets any worse, I'm definitely going!