Hi all,

The past few days I've been experiencing an INSANE itch at the entrance to my vaginal opening.

To be exact, my labia minora (inner labia) and around the opening. I can't help but scratch and rub at it through my underwear when the itching gets bad, to the point where it's sore. The area is slightly swollen/inflamed, but no broken skin though. It itches whenever I touch it, and even movement (walking) can cause it to start itching. My vaginal secretions also seem to smell bad/off.

I had sex with my boyfriend 2 days ago, and experienced an itching, burning sensation throughout, even though I was sufficiently lubricated.

I haven't been trying any new lubes, toys, detergent, fabric softeners or intimate soaps (I use Lactacyd) recently, so I have no idea why this has suddenly cropped up..

Any ideas or suggestions?

I'm not too keen on seeing the gynae unless I have to, because consultations here cost a bomb- so if you girls have any over-the-counter medicines to recommend, that would be great less

Seconding the yeast infection. Since you've never had one before, I suggest getting thee to a doctor. Could be a yeast infection. Could be the onset of genital warts. Not saying it is, but it could be. The strain of HPV that causes warts takes about six weeks to incubate and warts begin developing shortly thereafter. Some are unseen and could be in the entrance to the vagina...

So yeah, best to go to a doctor. Unless you are one of the lucky ones who had the Guardisil vaccine, you are at risk. Most men don't know they have it and it's passed through skin to skin contact - condoms won't even stop it.

Also, it could be your first run with bacterial vaginosis. The smallest tilt in your pH level can throw your flora out of whack and you develop an infection. Even something as small as your boyfriend rubbing against your anus during play and then going into the vagina can disrupt it. less

Even women who have had the Guardasil vaccine are not protected. This vaccine is not only very selective (most strains of HPV aren't even it in) but even women who are exposed to HPV have only a 50% or less chance of being protected to the strains that are IN the vaccine. it is a colossal money maker and fear mongering technique, but it has little to no to negative effect on young women's health.

Again, as my opinion as a nurse, the Guardasil vaccine is a waste and a strain on young women's immune systems. I have three daughters, all over 10 and NONE of them have been allowed to receive this most ineffective vaccine. less

Just going to echo what everyone else has said about going to the doctor. It sounds like yeast, but why risk it?

Also, if you use a douche/feminine soap too often it can throw everything out of wack and cause an infection.

My Ex is a Corpman and was incredibly pissed that I refused to get the Guardasil vax. I just don't trust it at all, and don't see the point if it only covers a handful of strains and even fewer cancer causing strains. No thank you. less

Good call on not getting the Guardasil -- the way they are pushing it is dangerous, especially when they push it on girls who aren't even sexually active. (And yes, there is such a thing as a girl who knows she won't be sexually active any time soon.) If it protected against, say, AIDS, it might be worth the risk, but just to protect against a few select strains of something that doesn't even kill you? No, I'll skip risking the year in a wheelchair, thank you very much. less

Hi all,

Thank you so much for all the advice! I've made an appointment with my gynae for tomorrow, but in the meantime, I bought one of those at-home testing kits for vaginal infections, and I appear to have bacterial vaginosis.. So I need to see the doctor anyways to get myself some antibiotics.

And I actually got the Guardasil vaccines done last year, my mum made me get it after realising I was having sex.. But I had no idea about how ineffective it was. Thankfully I never had any unwanted reactions to the vaccines! less

Well, that's a start! I have been battling BV for years so if you don't mind I'd like to offer a suggestion or two.

If you can get the metronidazole gel...it's extremely expensive...but MUCH MUCH more effective than the oral antibiotics. If you choose the pill route to treat this infection, YOU CANNOT DRINK while you are taking it. You will find yourself wishing with all of your might and mane someone would just kill you right then and there, that's how sick you will get.

If you choose the gel route, you will need panty-liners of some kind to catch the discharge. Change it every two to three hours.

Wash all of your linens, panties and pants in warm water with a good laundry detergent to prevent reinfection. (You're supposed to boil your panties but I don't know if that's feesible.) Some of this might be outdated but it's what my DR. has recommended and it really does help. He has 32 years of experience.

Also...have you recently had your period and have been using tampons? It might be time to switch to something that doesn't hold and create bacteria, like a diva cup or moon cup. Tampons not only lead to TSS risk but they cause bacterial infections in some women because the absorbency is far stronger than what is actually needed to absorb the fluids. I had to stop using them years ago because of this. Now I use Stayfree Ultra Thin with Wings and I haven't had an infection in quite some time.


Any woman can develop bacterial vaginosis. Broad-spectrum antibiotics may destroy healthy bacteria, disrupt the vagina's normal flora, and promote infection. Douching, overused or retained tampons, intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUDs), diaphragms, contraceptive sponges, and products containing nonoxynol-9 may also disrupt the balance.



Read more: Bacterial Vaginosis - STDs - Urology Channel link less

Hi all,

The past few days I've been experiencing an INSANE itch at the entrance to my vaginal opening.

To be exact, my labia minora (inner labia) and around the opening. I can't help but scratch and rub at it through my underwear when the itching gets bad, to the point where it's sore. The area is slightly swollen/inflamed, but no broken skin though. It itches whenever I touch it, and even movement (walking) can cause it to start itching. My vaginal secretions also seem to smell bad/off.

I had sex with my boyfriend 2 days ago, and experienced an itching, burning sensation throughout, even though I was sufficiently lubricated.

I haven't been trying any new lubes, toys, detergent, fabric softeners or intimate soaps (I use Lactacyd) recently, so I have no idea why this has suddenly cropped up..

Any ideas or suggestions?

I'm not too keen on seeing the gynae unless I have to, because consultations here cost a bomb- so if you girls have any over-the-counter medicines to recommend, that would be great less

Okay, you should see a doctor, but if you honestly can't or won't, they do sell OTC stuff for yeast infections. You can also add a little yogurt to your diet -- the live cultures will help restore your natural balance, and can prevent infections in the future.

(Also, Guardasil has some scary potential side effects and protects against very little, and the emphasis placed on it speaks more to the greed of the pharmaceutical industry than anything else.) less

Hi all,

Thank you so much for all the advice! I've made an appointment with my gynae for tomorrow, but in the meantime, I bought one of those at-home testing kits for vaginal infections, and I appear to have bacterial vaginosis.. So I need to see the doctor anyways to get myself some antibiotics.

And I actually got the Guardasil vaccines done last year, my mum made me get it after realising I was having sex.. But I had no idea about how ineffective it was. Thankfully I never had any unwanted reactions to the vaccines! less

Well, that's a start! I have been battling BV for years so if you don't mind I'd like to offer a suggestion or two.

If you can get the metronidazole gel...it's extremely expensive...but MUCH MUCH more effective than the oral antibiotics. If you choose the pill route to treat this infection, YOU CANNOT DRINK while you are taking it. You will find yourself wishing with all of your might and mane someone would just kill you right then and there, that's how sick you will get.

If you choose the gel route, you will need panty-liners of some kind to catch the discharge. Change it every two to three hours.

Wash all of your linens, panties and pants in warm water with a good laundry detergent to prevent reinfection. (You're supposed to boil your panties but I don't know if that's feesible.) Some of this might be outdated but it's what my DR. has recommended and it really does help. He has 32 years of experience.

Also...have you recently had your period and have been using tampons? It might be time to switch to something that doesn't hold and create bacteria, like a diva cup or moon cup. Tampons not only lead to TSS risk but they cause bacterial infections in some women because the absorbency is far stronger than what is actually needed to absorb the fluids. I had to stop using them years ago because of this. Now I use Stayfree Ultra Thin with Wings and I haven't had an infection in quite some time.


Any woman can develop bacterial vaginosis. Broad-spectrum antibiotics may destroy healthy bacteria, disrupt the vagina's normal flora, and promote infection. Douching, overused or retained tampons, intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUDs), diaphragms, contraceptive sponges, and products containing nonoxynol-9 may also disrupt the balance.



Read more: Bacterial Vaginosis - STDs - Urology Channel link less

Thank you all SO much for the tips and advice!

My gynae told me it's most likely to be some sort of fungal infection (she scoffed when I told her about the test kit, saying it's hardly ever accurate, lol), helped me to apply some medication that's a deep blue in colour as well as giving me one pill to take.

The itching's eased up now, but unfortunately my lady bits are now stained blue. Hahahaha.

I'm starting to take some yogurt daily, so hopefully I'll be able to avoid infections like this in the future! less