Help! Poop Contact Caused Vaginal Itchiness

Hi Aunt Vadge,

I am experiencing some redness and itching that comes and goes for the past week. I have not made any changes to soaps, feminine products, laundry detergents, diet, etc. I shower every day, wash with Dial bar soap (no perfumes), and change my cotton panties daily. Nothing has changed in my daily life.

I only made the simple mistake of wiping myself back to front after a bowel movement and unfortunately got some stool on my vadge. I usually wipe the proper way after a BM but I was having some back pains (due to sleeping wrong) so I had no choice but to wipe back to front.

That same day it occurred, I noticed the itching and redness. I went to my obgyn thinking it was a yeast infection so he did a vaginal culture. He prescribed me Diflucan and that seemed to help only for a few hours then the itch came back!

My results only say “commensal flora present.” It says nothing else. When I called to inquire, they said it’s normal. But I’m still itchy and red! I’m on my period now and it’s still red and itchy.

I’m frustrated because the nurse I spoke with about my test result is saying that it’s probably from an irritant from my soap or an allergic reaction to something. But again I haven’t changed anything in the past 10 years or longer!! And I only noticed it after I got stool on my poor vadge.

Where should I go from here? Should I seek a second opinion? What kind of bacteria from our stool coming into contact with the vadge can cause redness and itching? Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Sincerely,
Itchy
Age 32, USA

Dear Itchy,

It sounds like you have introduced some faecal bacteria to your vagina, and it’s caused irritation. The test your doctor is doing is a culture, and it’s showing commensal – normal – bacteria, but it might pay for you to get a comprehensive vaginal microbiome test.

These tests show all the bacteria in your vagina, including bacteria that can’t be cultured, and may show that you have faecal bacteria in your vagina.

Often, these are the likes of Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis, which cause a condition of bacterial imbalance called aerobic vaginitis (AV) and can be a cause of urinary tract infections. It could also be other pathogens or yeasts – only a proper test will tell.

You can then take these test results to your doctor, and if they aren’t sure what to do with you, book in with one of our specialist naturopaths for microbiome analysis and plan. We can definitely help you with working out how to clear up your vaginal microbiome.

It seems relatively clear what’s happened, wrong bugs in the wrong place, but the tests your doctor is ordering may just not be sensitive enough to prove this, so your practitioners are blaming allergies or sensitivities, which you know it’s not.

Getting quick treatment is important so the problem can’t get worse, though it might also clear up on its own if you have a strong vaginal microbiome.

Check out the AV page for some treatment tips you can do at home, but remember, quick, correct diagnosis and targeted treatments are key to resolution. You do not want this to drag on and get worse.

Love,
Aunt Vadge

References^1–4

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Yalew GT, Muthupandian S, Hagos K, et al. Prevalence of bacterial vaginosis and aerobic vaginitis and their associated risk factors among pregnant women from northern Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study. Mitchell C, ed. PLoS ONE. Published online February 25, 2022:e0262692. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0262692
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Ma X, Wu M, Wang C, et al. The pathogenesis of prevalent aerobic bacteria in aerobic vaginitis and adverse pregnancy outcomes: a narrative review. Reprod Health. Published online January 28, 2022. doi:10.1186/s12978-021-01292-8
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Kaambo E, Africa C, Chambuso R, Passmore JAS. Vaginal Microbiomes Associated With Aerobic Vaginitis and Bacterial Vaginosis. Front Public Health. Published online March 26, 2018. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2018.00078
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Flores-Mireles AL, Walker JN, Caparon M, Hultgren SJ. Urinary tract infections: epidemiology, mechanisms of infection and treatment options. Nat Rev Microbiol. Published online April 8, 2015:269-284. doi:10.1038/nrmicro3432