His and Her Health

I am also experiencing clitoral pain. I have had problems with yeast in the past, but I don't have any discharge or itching really now, only this horrible rawness around my clitoris, with redness and swelling. It hurts to receive oral sex (it feels like sandpaper) and even to sit. My labia minora sticks out a bit, so walking seems it, too. Last month, I got diagnosed by an ob/gyn with vestibulitis, but then it turned out that I had a raging yeast infection at the time that had none of the usual symptoms (only burning, but not really internally), so I don't know what's going on. I treated the yeast infection with Canesten and continued to apply the cream to my clitoral region for about 2 weeks, which helped a lot and the swelling and redness went away temporarily. I think that Canesten is better for clitoral rawness than Monistat.) <P>In the hopes that this might also help, I am currently doing a yeast cleanse by eliminating sugar and certain foods and taking naturopathic herbal supplements designed to eliminate yeast from your system. I seem to get particularly irritated during my period. Does anyone else experience this? I think it's from wearing pads, with the friction and the fact that they are bleached with chemicals. I try not to wear pads when I have a very light flow (I just wash my underwear), but it happens anyway, like almost a reaction to blood. I also have some eczema, so it is likely that I just have sensitive skin to begin with. I have purchased a DivaCup menstrual cup, which is awesome because it's more natural than pads or tampons, but I haven't quite gotten the hang of it yet (it can take a few days to perfect its insertion). I am just starting to use laundry soap on my underwear instead of detergent, too, which is supposed to be good for irritation. Does anyone have any other suggestions? I am pretty much treating my clitoral pain as sensitive skin and an external yeast infection, with mixed success. <BR>

Hi! This does sound somewhat like what I have. The burning seems to be all over now for me though. Yesterday I went almost the whole day with no burning and it was wonderful. Then I got up this morning and it's back. My doctor suggested I wash my underwear with mild detergent and then wash again with just water to get any leftover residue out. She also said to use mild soap while bathing. The pad issue could be corrected by buying natural ones at a health food store but I have yet to try that. I take acidophilus pills which don't seem to make any difference. I'm sorry you're going through this too, but glad I'm not alone. Thanks!

Very rarely is the type of pain that your are referring to cause by yeast. It is often misdaignosed as yeast, but much more frequently it is vulvodynia. If the pain is confined to near the urethra, then it is vulvar vestibulitis- please see my articles on this at <A HREF="www.ourgyn.com" TARGET=_blank>www.ourgyn.com</A> .<P>Andrew T Goldstein<BR>Director, The Center For Vulvovaginal Disorders<P><BR><p>[Note: This message has been edited by NEWSHE Moderator]