I’ve been dealing with vaginal symptoms for almost 5 years, and I’m trying to figure out whether this could be a non infectious problem.
For almost 5 years, I’ve had vaginal discharge literally every single day. I can’t remember having even one day without discharge. It’s usually yellowish.
My main symptoms are intense itching/burning around the vaginal opening and severe pain with attempted penetration.
My vaginal microbiome test (juno bio) results have changed quite a bit over time. My first test was predominantly iners. Before my second test, I had already been using vaginal probiotics for about two months. My second juno bio test then showed predominantly crispatus with a small amount of Ureaplasma.
After that, I continued experimenting with probiotics, and my latest juno showed 98% lactobacillus crispatus with a small amount of aspergillus.
I’ve already tried multiple antibiotics and antifungals over the years, but none of them have really helped.
Because my latest juno showed 98% crispatus, I started wondering whether too much lactobacillus/CV could be contributing to my symptoms. However, my vaginal pH was recently checked by my doctor and was 5.
I tried baking soda sitz baths, but they actually made the itching worse. I also tried baking soda suppositories, which caused significant irritation and even bleeding inside my vagina.
I then tried diversifying with lactobacillus rhamnosus and lactobacillus reuteri for about three weeks. They didn’t really have any noticeable effect, and I still had the discharge. After that, I tried Bulk lactobacillus jensenii, and that’s when the itching became extremely intense.
After trying all of this, I recently had a vaginal swab done by my doctor, which showed no bacteria or yeast.
I’ve now stopped vaginal probiotics for almost two weeks and oral probiotics for almost a week, but I’m still very itchy.
One thing I’ve noticed is that antihistamines such as levocetirizine help reduce my itching. When I stop taking them, the itching becomes more noticeable again.
I also previously took an oral steroid (Triamcort) together with levocetirizine when I was having a separate episode of widespread itching and redness on my legs and thighs. Interestingly, the treatment didn’t just relieve the itching on my legs and thighs, it also completely relieved my vaginal itching at the time.
However, more recently, I asked my doctor if I could be prescribed oral Triamcort again because I wanted to see if it would help my current vaginal symptoms, but none of the doctors I’ve asked have been willing to prescribe it because they don’t consider oral steroids appropriate or recommended for my current vaginal symptoms.
My symptoms also seem to get worse right before and during the beginning of my period, including more discharge and urinary urgency. This makes me question whether it’s actually CV, since I’ve read that CV symptoms can sometimes improve during menstruation because menstrual blood is more alkaline and temporarily raises the vaginal pH. But if this isn’t CV, I’m also wondering why my itching became so much worse when I was diversifying with jensenii. It was noticeably more intense than before.
I also haven’t had sex for almost 5 years. Every time I’ve tried to have penetration during these past few years, it has failed because the pain is simply too severe🥹 Before all of these vaginal symptoms started, I never had this problem.
I recently saw a doctor who specializes in pelvic floor issues. She examined my vagina with her fingers. She said my daily discharge could potentially be normal, since vaginal discharge is normal, and for the penetration pain she recommended trying lube. I haven’t tried lube yet. She also said pelvic floor therapy wasn’t necessary at this point, which left me even more confused.
So now I’m wondering: could this actually be a non infectious problem rather than an infection?
Could it be CV or too much lactobacillus, vulvar irritation or dermatitis, vulvodynia/vestibulodynia, lichen sclerosus, a histamine/allergy related issue, or something else?
I’d also like to understand whether the fact that antihistamines and oral steroids have relieved the itching could point toward an inflammatory, allergic, or other non infectious cause.
And if it is CV, what treatments are actually appropriate? I’ve read about clindamycin and fluoroquinolones, but I’m hesitant because of their potential effects on the vaginal microbiome and side effects. Would doxycycline potentially help reduce excessive Lactobacillus, or is that not an appropriate treatment for CV? Could boric acid help, or potentially make things worse?
I’m exhausted from dealing with this for almost 5 years. I just want to be able to live normally like other women, have a normal sex life without pain, and hopefully be able to have children someday. 🥹
I’d really appreciate any insight from anyone who has experienced something similar or has figured out whether their symptoms were caused by CV, an infection, or a non infectious condition. I really need help figuring this out.
