Something else? Ask Aunt Vadge – bottom left of your screen!
Dear Aunt Vadge,
I have yellow discharge and bumps around my vagina, and I’m not sure what it is. I’ve been taking fluconazole for two weeks for a yeast infection, but I still have burning when I urinate and my vagina is very red. The doctor told me it was just a yeast infection, but I think it’s something more now. I haven’t had sex in five months.
From,
B
Age 19, Canada
Dear B,
Trust that instinct — it’s well-founded. Two weeks of fluconazole with no improvement is itself the biggest clue: this probably isn’t (just) yeast. Yellow discharge, redness and burning when you wee point more towards aerobic vaginitis (AV) — which involves the same kinds of bacteria behind UTIs — than towards yeast. And a yeast treatment simply won’t fix that.
The bumps are a separate question that really needs an in-person look — they could be an ingrown hair, a skin condition, an allergic reaction, or something else.
So what I’d do next: get a proper diagnosis, because you need an examination and the right tests. So go back to your GP or a sexual health clinic for a second opinion and be assertive — say plainly that two weeks of treatment hasn’t worked.
Ask for the right tests, since a comprehensive vaginal microbiome test can sort out yeast versus AV versus BV, which standard checks often miss. And even with no recent sex it’s worth ruling out STIs too, as some can stay quiet a long time.
Get the bumps looked at specifically, because an ingrown hair or a skin condition needs a different approach again. And stop adding treatments blind — until you have a clear diagnosis, hold off on more over-the-counter products, since the wrong one can make things worse.
In our experience, ‘treatment-resistant yeast’ can turn out to be cytolytic vaginosis (CV) or something else wearing a yeast costume, so getting the diagnosis right is the whole game. If you feel your concerns aren’t being taken seriously, you can also book an appointment with one of our practitioners for another perspective.
You know your body — keep pushing until someone listens.
Take care,
Aunt Vadge
This is general information based on current research and our clinical experience, not a substitute for personalised medical advice.
