Hello from an itchy newbie! Please help if you can as I’m not sure how I can go on not even knowing what’s causing this itch/ burning. It’s hard to concentrate on anything else on a bad day. Have read loads of posts on here but not sure if mine matches any of them properly.
It all started the day I got back from holiday in Sep. Suddenly felt a strong and persistent ****ly itch on both outer labia. Was alarmed and put on a gentle steroid cream to no avail. Ended up going to a gynae who said she couldn’t see anything wrong and took a swab, which came back as thrush. Eureka! Thought all my troubles were over.
Took the canesten treatment and felt better for a few days but it came back. Another swab at the GP came back with thrush, but only faint growth. Am now on a weekly thrush treatment for 6ms. But any improvement from canesten has gone. And the symptoms have only got worse. Sometimes it’s awful ****ly itching all over the outer labia. Sometimes it’s the same around the back package (skin on the sides) - then sometimes it’s an unbearable itch and/ or burning that moves around the outer labia. Sometimes at the top, sometimes the middle, and sometimes low down, either on or around the perineum. Sometimes all at once
![Cry :'(](https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/forum/Smileys/extended/cry.gif)
I’m 49 and have been on systemic HRT for a year now. Have been on ovestin cream for about 4 wks now - did the 2 week loading dose internally but have now started putting some on the external lips. There’s no internal itching, although sometimes it’s on the inner sides of the outer labia. The skin does feel quite dry to the touch. No bladder issues at all.
So I’m not sure it fits with VA, eczema (no redness I can see), dermatitis or anything else. Sometimes I wonder how much I bring on through stress as the more I concentrate on it the more it flares and burns. Especially in the middle of the night! It waxes and wanes (some days hardly there at all) - but I haven’t found a link to why. Don’t use shower gel and only use cotton underwear.
This last week has been particularly bad and it’s led to a vicious cycle of me becoming very despairing, which makes the symptoms worse. I have an appt to see another gynae soon but am losing hope.
Vagisil and Lanacane can help sometimes -and I’ve tried other creams like YES but nothing consistently as they don’t have any immediate effect! I put all my hopes into Ovestin but feel that if it was going to work it would have done so by now.
Apologies for the rant/ saga. Any help at all would be much appreciated. Thank you!