Something else? Ask Aunt Vadge – bottom left of your screen!
Hi Aunt Vadge,
I’m 22 years old, married for one year. We have no plans for a baby, so we use protection, usually condoms. He fingers me sometimes.
Last month my inner vagina felt swollen. I went to the gynaecologist and she said everything was okay, and it settled on its own after a while.
Now I have a lot of itching on the lips and mucus coming out, and if we try to have sex it feels like there are wounds inside my vagina. I showed my gynaecologist, but she just suggested some precautions, like wiping the area and washing with a particular wash. That’s it.
I’ve been suffering for two weeks and didn’t find the doctor’s advice useful. Any other suggestions?
Thanks,
Itchy
Dear Itchy,
Sorry you’ve been putting up with this for two weeks – that’s long enough, and the key thing I want to say up front is that ‘wash with a particular wash’ is not a plan, and two weeks of no improvement means it’s time to find out what’s actually going on rather than keep guessing.
The usual cause of itch plus discharge is a yeast infection, and that would be my first bet. But a yeast infection doesn’t usually drag on for two weeks unless something is feeding it, and the raw, wound-like feeling during sex makes me want it properly checked rather than assumed.
So the single most useful step: go back and ask for swabs, not more washes. A gynaecologist can only tell so much by looking – actual swabs (or a comprehensive vaginal microbiome test) are what tell yeast apart from bacterial vaginosis, from a skin reaction, from an infection picked up any time. We don’t do physical exams at My Vagina, so the swabbing belongs with her, but you’re allowed to go back and specifically ask to be tested.
On the raw, wound-like feeling: worth ruling out an infection like genital herpes with a test. I know you’re married – no judgement in this at all. These things can sit quietly for a long time and surface out of nowhere, so testing is about ticking it off the list, not about blame.
Two other common culprits worth knowing: a contact reaction to something touching the area, or plain vaginitis (irritation and itch with no single infection behind it). Your body can suddenly react to a condom brand, lube, soap or detergent even if it never has before.
While you sort out the testing, here’s what actually helps and costs nothing:
- stop the special wash and any soap – plain warm water on the vulva only, as washes and soaps irritate and often make itch worse
- give the area a rest – no penetration, fingering or douching for a couple of weeks while it heals
- switch to a fragrance-free, hypoallergenic laundry detergent, and change your condom or lube brand in case that’s the trigger
- ease off sugar and starchy foods for a few days and add some fermented foods to feed your protective bacteria, in case it is yeast
If it’s a simple yeast flare, you’ll often feel a difference within a couple of days of the above. If it doesn’t budge, or you get a bad smell, bleeding or worsening swelling, that’s your cue to go straight back and insist on those swabs.
This is general information, not a substitute for personalised medical advice.
Write back with whatever the tests show and we’ll take it from there.
Warmest regards,
Aunt Vadge
