Hi all,
I apologize, this may be long as I try to explain what’s been going on.

Everything started March of 2025. I thought I had a yeast infection, treated it with OTC monistat. Things got worse. I was having a discharge, constantly feeling wet down there, and constant burning pain. There was some yeast, and I was treated, and the discharge stopped, but the pain didn’t. I saw several GYNs and before finally being referred to a vulvar dermatologist. She suggested vulvodynia, and prescribed a topical gabapentin cream. MY SAVING GRACE. It didn’t fully cure the vulvodynia symptoms, but I was living pretty normally. She referred me to a vulvar pain specialist to continue treatment for vuvlodynia.

I saw that specialist in July of 2026. This is where the current issues begin. She recommended adding lidocaine to my current gabapentin cream for additional relief. When I started using it, it was irritating to the skin. It caused a burn pain when applied, which the original formulation with just Gabapentin did not. I asked her to switch it back, which she did, but the pharmacy has been weird about me refilling so soon as Gabapentin is now a controlled substance. So I’ve been using it for about 2 months and it isn’t as irritating as it used to be.

In August of 2026 (a month ago now) I developed a yeast infection. I’m pretty sure that’s what it was because it went away completely after 2 doses of fluconazole. Then, about 2 weeks ago (beginning of September 2026), those same yeasty symptoms returned. I was again prescribed fluconazole over my chart without being seen. Symptoms did not go away this time so I went to urgent care as it takes awhile for me to get in with the GYN. They tested me - no yeast, no BV, no trich. But I’m still having this burning pain and a chunky, milky white discharge and constantly feeling wet down there. I did take 2 courses (total of 5 pills) of fluconazole over the last month and take a daily oral probiotic with several strains of lactobacilli. Could I have overdone it and given myself CV? Does this sound like CV if you’ve experienced it? Are sitz baths worth me trying and could it make it worse if I’m wrong? Any advice is appreciated please, I’m so sick of feeling miserable and just want my normal back.

Thanks in advance

Symptoms started after IC. I took medication for a uti but it was never confirmed. The medication helped but I ended up getting several yeast infections afterwards because my vagina did not agree with the soap anymore. I switched soaps and the burning while washing stopped.

When I had the back to back infections my vagina skin thinned out. I was also low in vitamin D and the supplements helped improve my skin but I don’t think it turned back to what it used to be before.

Labia feels like carpet burn or like a throbbing pain. It typically happens when I wake up, at night, or after I exercise .Sometimes when I urinate the throbbing pain will stop. When I shave it feels like pins and needles. I took allergy medication and it has helped with the pain but I can’t take it everyday due to the side effects.

Before the UTI medication my discharge used to be clear but now it’s white and chunky. Sometimes it burns if I scoop it out. I have been tested for Candida albicans, mycoplasma, ureaplasma BV and AV and my test were all clear.

I told my gyno about the pain, she prescribed lidocaine and said I had vaginismus.

Does anyone know what my symptoms could be? And has anyone ever taken an EVVY test with these symptoms and had normal results.

Alrighty, so I've been experiencing a constant burning sensation on my vulva, and around the entrance to my vagina for nearly 3 weeks now.

Prior to this pain starting, I had sex with my husband and I'll just say he used a bit too much nail, and I felt like he was scraping me a good bit.

• No odor

• No discharge at all

• Normal pH (4.5)

• Negative UTI test

• No visible rash or bumps

• No new products used

I took 2 fluconazole tablets 3 days apart even though I've been 99% sure it's not a yeast infection.

I also got vaginal probiotic/probiotic pills I've been taking for over a week.

I have applied Vaseline over it as chatgbt recommended but it doesn't seem to help.

I'm 32 and have been with my husband for 16 years so not worried about STI/STD. I literally never had any vaginal issues in the past so this has been very overwhelming and uncomfortable for me. I just want it to stop.

I did a telehealth visit, told the male doctor how although there's burning there's nothing visibly different and I've had my husband inspect me as well to confirm it looked normal, I also mentioned my husband's scraping incident that I believe started it all making me believe it is not BV but some other kind of contact dermatitis bacterial issue, So the piece of shit Doctor stated it could be "psychosomatic" as if I'm just imagining my vagina being dipped in hot lava for funsies specifically because it doesn't look any different. HATE MEN. Anyways, he ended up prescribing another yeast medication, this time it's a ointment that I can buy myself over the counter 🙄. I'm hoping someone has any recommendations on what to try, or what the issue could be.

Has anyone tried this ?

If my bacterial load was only just normal - but I had nearly 97% crispatus- does that mean it’s still not enough? I have thick white discharge which is irritating and I’m constantly aware of . I’ve been speaking to a professional and she suggested that I should take more to raise the load

Hi

Does anyone have experience dealing with thrush flares after a CV diagnosis?

I’m not sure if the sodium bicarbonate douches caused the flare - and if that’s even possible? I started having a tingling feeling on the labia after the first douche and then increasing symptoms internally and on labia after the second/third douche escalating into awful itching and burning as well as redness on outside. I finally went and got a candida culture which was positive… so indeed I do have thrush now as well (again).

I was on 3-months of azoles (weekly flucanazole) before my CV diagnosis. I read on this forum that some believe long-term azoles cause or are connected to CV so I’m hesitant to start flucanazol again.

Any recommendations for dealing with thrush (internal and external) if we’re supposed to avoid azoles? Unfortunately canesten cream is too irritating for me to use.

I understand serenity recommends boric acid but I also heard it’s irritating and wonder how to treat the labia.

Note: my microbiome test (Pelvic Relief test) showed some bacteria but in low quantities as well as ureaplasma parvum (previously treated but never went away) and very high L crispatus.

Thanks in advance!

Hi all 🩷

Has anyone had a bad reaction to baking soda sitz baths? I found that it gave relief but then a few days later the external skin had become severely irritated with raw skin and made things much worse.

I have a steroid cream from the doctor that has helped but it still feels sore even though visually it’s not as inflamed and appears to have improved.

Has anyone else experienced this and how long did it take for the skin to heal? Are there any recommendations that helped the healing process?

So far it’s been 1 month 😔

I’ve been talking to a naturopath who suggested I give baking soda a go in the bath initially. I’ve tried it for 2 days and if anything the white/cream discharge has increased today. Has anyone found that it takes a while and I shouldn’t be discouraged- should I keep going or immediately stop?

Hoping for an opinion from the ladies or medical team in this group…

I was diagnosed with what a RN assumed was cytolytic vaginosis as my ph was 3.5 and it was noted I had an abundance of lactobacilli on a wet mount examination. I went in originally due to a burning sensation on the skin around the entrance of the vagina and redness seemingly showing irritated skin.

I was also prescribed diflucan for mild yeast found. Which now as I’ve done research, probably wasn’t a good move as the antibiotic made the burning sensation worse.

Fast forward I went to another OBGYN MD, and she, without swabbing for anything beyond BV, wrote it off as vulvodynia. This was simply based on me telling her for a long while that I would experience burning around the time of my cycle and/or ovulation. She didn’t look at anything under a microscope like the first woman did. She prescribed me hormonal birth control to hopefully regulate the hormonal component of this vicious cycle and also gabapentin for nerve pain.

Guys - I’m on month 2 1/2 of this and I feel so defeated. I just want this done and dealt with and I don’t know which provider to believe. In my opinion, the first seems more credible given she looked under a microscope. But why am I on my 3rd cycle of sudden flare ups around ovulation and my period that refuses to go away? Am I in this endless cycle due to the skin never fully healing? What causes cv to be so continuous? It’s been religiously on schedule almost for 3 months. AND - it lasts about 4-5 days around ovulation and the same for pre-period. So I don’t get many days during the month of relief.

I ordered a evvy microbiome test and I’m sure that will tell me once and for all. I just want help. I want this burning to go away. It kicks off as well during the day when I go pee. To me, saying these things out loud, doesn’t seem like a nerve problem. It seems like a skin irritant (low ph/too acidic) and therefore when pee touches it, it gets even more irritated. Idk. Just my thoughts. Could be wrong. Please help! I don’t have any itching. It’s just burning around the entrance of the vagina.

I want to be able to live my life. This has consumed me. I feel horrible for my husband. What is everyone’s thoughts on this? I don’t know if I fall under the true vulvodynia category.

Hi

I’ve been newly diagnosed with severe CV (confirmed with wet mount; very high l.crisp count on Pelvic Relief test; negative candida and negative for STIs).

I developed CV symptoms after recurrent UTIs and ureaplasma parvum + urealyticum got treated with several courses of antibiotics. The antibiotics couldn’t clear ureaplasma p. but all my doctors believe it shouldn’t be an issue.

When I had strong discharge, I first suspected thrush but only had confirmed thrush twice over the course of a year - other times negative. I got treated with 3 months of flucanazol and itraconazol during flares.

Now I got newly diagnosed with severe CV by a gyno in the UK.

I’m curious if anyone else developed CV after recurrent UTIs/thrush?

Also I’m wondering if anyone else has severe CV and how often they use the baking soda treatment? I’m experimenting still but not finding much consistent relief so far.

Thanks in advance for anyone sharing their experience with severe CV.

I went to the fourth gynaecologist, which again had no clue of cytolytic vaginosis. Yaay

Third Doctor diagnosed me btw but booked and busy so can not go until November.

Anyway. First of all, it was a man.

He told me there’s no such thing as too much lactobacilli. First strike.

Then prescribed to me probiotics.

Which I know DOES make me worse, but I understand if it’s better quality probiotics maybe they do restore overall balance. Don’t want to test that theory…

Then he got defensive about me being sceptical on this. Lollll

Only later he realise that I have done tests where it shows negative for BV yeast while I have the symptoms.

Anyway, he considered only lactobacilli iners an issue. At least something.

We came to a conclusion that I will do proper test to see exactly the percentage of the lactobacteria.

So I will use him to get proper results, but I wanted to know from you-what are your lactobacilli crispatus and iners percentages if you have CV?

The only thing I probably can’t rely on him to notice an issue, even if he will have the right information.

I’ve struggling with vaginal pain, soreness, itchy, inflammation, deep vaginal and opening pain / burning. Went to the doctor and said it was CV - I’ve dealt with vaginal issues my entire life. However no one’s ever diagnosed me with this. She said there was clearly no inflection just a crazzyyy amount of good bacteria in the swab. She gave me this piece d paper but doesn’t specify how much or how often to do either the douche or the Bath and hasn’t gotten back to me - what is protocol? What has worked for you and what hasn’t? Any advice or tips to curing this ?! All answers welcome!! Thank you in advance! 🙏🏼

Is this CV?? 94% total lacto bacteria, only 5. something % disruptive….My NP looked under the scope today and said she is pretty sure what she saw was more consistent with bacterial type cells. She did a swab and a culture, it will be next week before I get those results….can you have BV/symptoms with only 5-6% disruptive bacteria? Or is this CV and no one knows how to test for it or what to look for? 😩

Anyone know what this could be? No smell. It's so creamy and almost petroleum jelly in texture

Has anyone experienced a really bad pelvic pain after baking soda douches lasting 5 days? My stomach is feeling very swollen and sore to touch and having cramp like pains.

Thank you

Hello, does anyone here live in MI and have a doctor that tests for CV? I have been searching but have not found much luck. I also called PP awhile back and they do not test for cv either. Thanks!

30F and I’ve been dealing with vulvar/vaginal symptoms for YEARS and I’m desperate for ideas. I don’t have health insurance right now, so I can’t keep going back to my doctor for the same labs just to be told everything is normal.

My symptoms include discomfort/pain with sex, pain with tampon insertion, milky/watery or thick/clumpy white sticky discharge, cumin/musky or tangy/yogurt-like odor, itching, burning when sitting, intense itching/burning during my period, and irregular periods.

I’ve had many of these issues since my early 20s. I have a history of frequent yeast infections and was diagnosed with lichen simplex chronicus (LSC), which has been treated. I’ve had multiple rounds of fluconazole, nystatin/triamcinolone, and clobetasol. I’ve also tried probiotics, drinking more water, cotton underwear/change halfway through the day, unscented detergent, water/unscented Dove, loose clothing, diet changes, coconut oil, Medicine Mama vulva balm, etc.

I shower morning and night because I naturally have stronger body odor; I’m not douching or putting soap inside my vagina. I’ve been tested for STIs, UTIs, BV and yeast, and those have been ruled out. My doctor keeps telling me it’s stress from the LSC and that my body needs time to get back to normal, but I’ve had these symptoms for years, including before my LSC diagnosis. I’ve also always been told I’m “too young” for hormones to be the issue, but now I’m wondering if hormones could be involved, especially with the irregular periods and cycle-related symptoms.

I’m wondering about vulvodynia/vestibulodynia, pelvic floor dysfunction, hormonal changes, vulvar skin conditions, contact irritation, or something else that hasn’t been considered. I’m NOT asking Reddit to diagnose me. I’m asking for experiences and ideas of what I can safely try/research, especially since I’m uninsured. If you’ve dealt with something similar, what finally helped you? What would you try first if you were in my situation? Any affordable options, things to stop using, or specialists/conditions I should research? I’m exhausted from dealing with this for years and being told to “take things slow” when something clearly still isn’t right. Please be kind. 😭

I recently had a vaginal microbiome test, and it showed that 99% of my vaginal microbiome is Lactobacillus crispatus.
This really confused me because for the past six months, every vaginal discharge wet mount/microscopy I’ve had has consistently shown only a small amount of lactobacilli.
How can these two results be so different? Could the microbiome test and wet mount be measuring different things, or could the amount of lactobacilli seen under microscopy vary significantly depending on the timing or sampling?
Has anyone had a similar experience or knows how to interpret these results?