question about clitoral/labial/vaginal aching

[quixotic.livejournal.com]

Hi everyone. I'm posting this on behalf of a community reader who doesn't presently have a livejournal account.

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I've never really gotten menstrual cramps in my whole life up until now; pretty lucky, i know, given that i'm 24. I recently went off the pill because after 8 years, I realized that maybe I wasn't actually so 'crazy' (depressed, anxious, super mood swings so bad my boyfriend thought I was bipolar) and maybe hormonal BC just wasn't for me. Now I've got a diaphragm and a pack of condoms, and a great deal more emotional stability - yay! So anyway, I'm not sure if what I'm experiencing is even cramps, so I thought I would ask here.

I'm supposed to start my period today or tomorrow, and over the last week or so, I've had these really strange dull pains in my clitoris, my labia, and sort of up along the walls of my vagina. This has been happening infrequently over the last couple of months (went off the pill in June), not necessarily only before my period, but definitely more frequently at that time. I mentioned it to my gyn at my last checkup (mid-December) and she said that she had never heard of menstrual cramps happening anywhere other than in the lower abdomen. The clitoral pain is the most uncomfortable -- last night I was lying in bed and the whole of my 'external parts' felt really tense and achy, with my clit as the epicenter.

One last piece of info is that my partner is a little rougher with his hands (during manual stimulation) than I would like (we're working on it!) but we haven't been together in a week or so; also, he is a farmer and doesn't necessarily have the cleanest hands sometimes -- when he comes to visit he usually jumps in the shower right away, but I still can't make myself eliminate the idea that some cow germs are where they oughtn't be. However, there aren't any other signs of an infection as I would assume that might cause -- no unusual discharge, no burning, etc. I've heard of smegma buildup/clitoral adhesion, but for some reason I have a lot of trouble examining my clit -- I'm fine with inserting/removing a diaphragm or menstrual cup but not so comfortable with the clit. I've tried looking but haven't seen anything unusual there.

Any thoughts? Much appreciated! I'll keep reading from the shadows and maybe someday get an actual account...

Thank you
Peace

Comments

[madtiki.livejournal.com]

I get those pains! I had them today, in fact. I'm supposed to start my period tomorrow. I never thought of it in relation to my period, but perhaps you're right. I have no idea what causes the pain though, sorry I can't help you out. :(

[aimeera.livejournal.com]

I was told that it's from having more blood flow than normal in the vaginal area. I've had it during my pregnancy and when I asked about it, was told that it's normally because the area is tender from the excess blood flow.