Hello. I’m 20F. I’ve been struggling with a problem for almost 2 years now. About 2 years ago I started having these horrible aggressive yeast infections. At first I had this like once every 2 months, but over time, it developed into a monthly problem. I’m at a point now where I have it 2 times a month. I’m guessing it has something to do with my hormones since I always experience this right after and right before my period. They last about a week. First it came to a point where I definitely couldn’t have sex anymore while I had these infections. The real problem is, it makes my skin (perineum) so so so vulnerable, red, itchy but the worst is that it rips during sex. Even when I’m not having sex it rips. I have talked to my doc about this, she says she can’t do anything about it and that a lot of women experience this. The only thing she can do is give tips so it’s easier to deal with them. But the thing is, i’ve done tons and tons of research, nothing helps (yoghurt, coconut oil, tee tree oil, using a thousand differt lubes, good foreplay, good hygiene, changing cotton underwear 3 times a day, showering my bottom with cold water, haven’t drank soda’s in over a year, tried to eat as less sugar as possible). There is a very small time frame in the month where I can have sex and if I have sex at that time for too long, my skin also rips and I have to stop. My bf is very understanding and accepts not being able to have sex as many times as we did before, but I know it really frustrates him that we can only have sex once a month. I buy medicine sometimes so it goes away (but it always comes back) but those things are 17 euro’s and I can’t afford that 2 times a month. I feel like my body has betrayed me. I want to enjoy sex again, please my bf again, not being scared and careful all the time for rips. We can’t do certain positions (such as doggy) I want to feel healthy again. Should I get a second opinion for this from another doc? What else would you advice me to do? It’s also ruining my mental health.
15 comments
I think the only way is taking probiotics to help your flora restore
Buy the medicine. Even if you didn’t have sex, €34 a month is worth it, just for your health.
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Boric acid suppositories can treat and prevent yeast infections
Buy anti-fungal medication fluconazole take one pill per week for at least 4 weeks but can be extended to 3 months. Dont drink with this medication and your birth control pill may not work as intended.
How’s the rest of your health? Exercise, sleep, diet? Definitely not a doctor, but maybe working on those might also help your body help itself fight re-occuring infections?
Perhaps you should listen to other doctors’ opinions.
I’ve heard of cases where the male partner didn’t wash under his foreskin well enough and kept re-introducing the fungal load to the female partner that way. So you might want to have him participate in the treatment and also be sure his hygiene is on point. Good luck!
Okay, I was on the same page but would get UTI’s every time my partner and I had sex. I went to the doctor and spent couple hundred dollars for them to tell me things I already knew, so here’s what I recommend:
-abstaining from sex for at least a month. Just give your body time to heal as you go on with these next steps. It’s going to be hard, but if you’re good with other stimulation then that works.
-when you do have sex CHECK YOUR LUBE, most lubes have glycerin, which is essentially sugar. Sugar will irritate your vagina significantly, as it did mine. I also prefer a water based lube if you can.
-Moisturizing the area. I’m talking lots and lots of water! Additionally, they make actual vaginal moisturizer (not lubricant) that can even come with an applicator to moisturize inside your vagina too. Here’s the link to what I use: https://goodcleanlove.com/products/restore-moisturizing-vaginal-gel?variant=8277500264490
(I’ve also had lots of luck slugging with bag balm or Vaseline, but they may be different for everyone)
-everyone who said probiotics in here is right on the money. Make sure you take them with food cause they can make your stomach hurt. I can’t remember which strand of bacteria you’re looking for exactly, but I’d say the more the better. I’ll send a picture of the key ingredients if I can remember.
-Last honorary mention: take care of your gut health. Quit drinking coffee without breakfast and make sure you’re providing your body enough of what it needs to have a great digestive trac. They’re more connected then it seems.
I hope this works for you. I’ve had BV, yeast infections, and UTI’s since I was 17 losing my virginity, and being in pain and uncomfort should not be normalized. While I just started getting better almost 10 years later, I hope to save you a little bit of time so you don’t have to deal with this nearly as hard. Best wishes! ❤️
My ex-wife used to deal with this same exact issue, she’d get terrible yeast infections right around her period. Her doctor tried a few things, but only fluconazole helped after the infection started.
I ended up doing a ton of research and eventually ran across a study about a generic brand of Wellbutrin (bupropion) extended release tablets (which she was taking during all this) causing a host of issues in people. She thought I was stupid to ask her to try and switch to the name brand Wellbutrin, and her doctor thought so as well. Her doctor humored me and wrote her Wellbutrin prescription so she’d only receive the name brand medication…yeast infections stopped completely after that! She wasn’t doing anything else at the time to try and mitigate the problem because she’d tried everything else over the previous several months.
Are you on any medication beside birth control, if so maybe talk to your doctor about them potentially causing this issue?
Is it definitely a yeast infection and have you checked your hormone levels?
My doctor diagnosed me with a yeast infection and told me to keep using antibiotics and creams even though the swab test kept coming back negative. After 6 months of unsuccessful treatment I went to see an endocrinologist who was horrified at the treatment plan and tested my hormones straight away. It turned out to be an estrogen deficiency that was drying the fuck out of my skin and causing similar symptoms to a vaginal yeast infection. Started hormone treatment and it all went away in a couple of weeks!
Do you use sex toys and wash them frequently enough?? Could your partners semen be disrupting your flora? Have you been to to the dermatologist?
Do you pee after sex and make sure that anything that’s put inside you/rubbed on you is clean? Toys, fingers, genitalia, etc.? I’ve had reaccuring issues with yeast infections/uti’s in the past and making sure that my partner and my toys are clean was definitely something I noticed made a difference. Also, infections left untreated for long periods of time make you easily susceptible to getting them in the future so it could be a medical issue you need a monthly prescription to treat, unfortunetly. I hope you find relief soon, luv!
An X girlfriend of mine had this exact issue. Go get your A1C & your blood sugar checked. She was early 20’s, maybe just a few pounds over weight and never even considered it could be from diabetes. Once she treated her blood sugar they stopped almost immediately.
Question how do you wipe cuz my friend had the same issue and once she learned the wrong answer to that question she fix her issue