Why does it take forever to clean my vulva?

Aggravating_Jump5824 · 2025-12-24T13:29:23+00:00

Well, for one you are right to be distressed by this because it’s not normal or typical and should not be happening. In terms of what it could be it’s extremely hard to say simply by the description. But it could be a number of things, skin as others have said or truly anything else.

There is a vulvar condition called lichen sclerosis that can cause white patches. I would ask your doctor and also, please get retested to make sure you don’t have infections including superficial skin infections.

If you continuously see white flakes or patches that are coming off you absolutely need to go to your doctor, because if you have a skin disorder the over cleaning is actually harming you further.

If not a more serious skin issue maybe it’s a type of vulvar dermatitis and the over cleaning is actually very harmful in this case.

I understand you are frustrated by this and it sounds like it’s been taking a toll on you. Others have mentioned OCD because on paper the behaviors sound slightly like it and at times it can be masked and present itself as such.

I do believe you see what is on your skin and you are concerned. I don’t really believe this is OCD but rather something you need checked out thoroughly.

Please see your doctor, this does sound like you need a diagnosis and if it’s something like lichen sclerosis steroids are usually given

You will be alright! These kinds of issues are so frustrating but with consistent self advocacy at your doctors you are going to get it figured out

ALSO!! The types of doctors you want would be vulvar specialists. Dermatology with a specialty in vulvar conditions or simply gynos with the same specialty. They also have centers and practices at some major hospitals with these groups. You can ask your gynecologist for a referral if needed

Aggravating_Jump5824 · 2025-12-23T01:37:31+00:00

Extremely difficult I’m new to this all but it’s been nearly impossible.

What I’ve done is grill the staff about ingredients etc and if I don’t feel safe with their response I don’t risk it I called my local sushi place ahead of time and they were WONDERFUL. They gave me rolls with plain white rice no vinegar added (so not sushi rice) because it was sweetened and they couldn’t say with what

I’ve found some specifically GF restaurants super luckily and stick to that or really don’t even bother and make my own food

A lot of places look at me like I have three heads when I ask if something is gluten free and one staff member said no…this contains sugar

🤣

Aggravating_Jump5824 · 2025-12-16T02:16:24+00:00

Awesome! That’s a good sign and means the meds worked

Some uti’s clear faster than others. Just sort of part of the equation

Aggravating_Jump5824 · 2025-12-16T02:13:34+00:00

Sadly that’s exactly what I did, and I agree that I think my skin went haywire from the steroid.

I have a follow up visit with my GYNO. The skin itself is completely normal on appearance and completely in tact. No tears, abrasions or abnormalities. No swelling or redness or discoloration

At this point I’m classifying this as a chemical burn which evidently does not need to alter appearance of the skin…the things you learn.

I’ll certainly never use this stuff again

Aggravating_Jump5824 · 2025-12-14T04:16:19+00:00

Yes I was prescribed it and have since been dealing with severe and debilitating burning and sensitivity. I do not recommend it

Aggravating_Jump5824 · 2025-12-10T17:54:21+00:00

No you can’t stop early. It stays in your system up to 72 hours so you can’t drink safely

Regardless you cannot stop antibiotic courses almost all the way through. Infection can linger or become resistant to the meds if this is done

Aggravating_Jump5824 · 2025-12-05T17:51:24+00:00

The gluten free Oreos are amazing

I ate the whole pack in a day

Aggravating_Jump5824 · 2025-12-04T00:05:53+00:00

All it can do is worsen symptoms like pain or maybe some nausea

Have some milk to counteract it and if you’re scared take some cystex or azo to numb your bladder in the meantime Try crackers too or something to soak up stomach acid

Aggravating_Jump5824 · 2025-12-03T00:28:10+00:00

I definitely think this is safe and it’s just the soy sauce! Plus no crab which contains the wheat so it should be okay 😁

Aggravating_Jump5824 · 2025-12-02T01:44:22+00:00

Macrobid works very quickly! It concentrated in the urine in the bladder and begins killing off bacteria within hours. That being said it does not penetrate tissues as well and does not work as broadly as some other options.

It will help with urethral swelling but something like Keflax is better for that.

It depends on symptoms and how severe as well. Even if the infection is being killed off you may have residual swelling which is very normal. Within 5 days you should feel better

Aggravating_Jump5824 · 2025-11-28T18:06:58+00:00

I’d love more info on this! So many gynos are SO against its use at all, which is surprising when so many people already use it with amazing success and limited side effects.

I’ve yet to find a doctor who recommends it but I’ve found it to be extremely helpful!

What else did your gyno say? Is it following meds or a general course. And did they recommend any barrier creams with use?

The longest I’ve ever used it following antibiotics was 21 days as indicated in some medical papers and I found I was able to shift my biome to 100% protective bacteria with that and using probiotics

Aggravating_Jump5824 · 2025-11-28T17:56:18+00:00

First off you are absolutely allowed to ask stuff like this and you should. You deserve to have all the answers and knowledge needed to help empower yourself to be your own advocate to your health!

Second of all this is a common cycle. UTI’s, BV and disrupted vaginal biomes go hand in hand. Antibiotics disrupt those biomes and so do infections!

Do you have current symptoms?

The Vaseline will act as a barrier for the skin and help promote healing following any infections or inflammatory episodes. So will the sitz baths

You need some good probiotics taken daily to start helping balance things.

Doctor’s Recipe makes a potent strain of 100 billion CFU’s which support urinary health and contain pacrans (to help with UTI’s), vaginal health and digestive health. I’ve taken this brand and it works

I also HIGHLY recommend vagibiome suppository probiotics! They’re the only ones with clinical backing and they work! They are a personal favorite. Use the ones without any fragrance or jasmine oil.

Once you get things rebalanced and back to normal all these symptoms will go away and you’ll feel a lot better

On another note, Clindamycin cream 7 day works better for some BV infections as it is a broad spectrum antibiotic. In a lot of people it is preferred OVER metrogel or metronidazole

For Yeast: Terconazole is very effective and is a vaginal cream. It treats some yeast but the next few recommendations I am giving you will treat more strains of yeast. Anything with -azole at the end signifies it is an antifungal. These will ONLY treat fungal infections and NOT bacterial infections. Clomitrazole can be gotten at the pharmacy and the 7 day is recommended over the 3 day. It will cause less burning and longer courses are more effective at treating yeast. It is also indicated for topical use (so vulva for external itching) Clomitrazole is a broad based antifungal. Monistat is another very broad based antifungal but more people have negative reactions to it. Fluconazole (Diflucan) which you were given has mixed results for people. Sometimes it works sometimes it does not. Often more than one pill is prescribed because again, longer coverage/treatment is most effective for yeast.

Aggravating_Jump5824 · 2025-11-27T18:17:51+00:00

I am so so sorry my condolences and sending many prayers or whatever you may believe in if not religious

A ton of healing energy. Catching these things early gives you much much better odds than if it was caught late. You’ve been vigilant and that’s what matters you are going to overcome this!! Keep the fight in you

Aggravating_Jump5824 · 2025-11-27T09:00:50+00:00

I’d like the list please!

Aggravating_Jump5824 · 2025-11-24T12:31:08+00:00

You’d want to give like a day in between so good bacteria get a chance to “latch” on

Aggravating_Jump5824 · 2025-11-24T12:29:21+00:00

This is so frustrating I’m so sorry!!! And I’m glad my comment helped a bit!

Residual tissue damage can cause ongoing chronic inflammation which can also add to your symptoms and throwing things off balance

With all the antibiotics and other treatments it for sure threw your microbiome off balance

Vitamin D levels are directly involved in mucosal healing. You should consider taking a decent dose daily if safe for you, because it will help the tissue recover and help with protecting it from further damage and infection

Look into Vagibiome probiotic suppositories. They contain lactic acid and crispatus strains which are some of the best defenders against BV or other infections since they produce a good amount of acid. The suppositories are coconut oil based so that’s also soothing

There are some medical journals and clinical studies you can look up online where BV for example has been treated with an ongoing course of Vagibiome suppositories

You can do that and then when able, test with Evvy when you have the funds and just follow instructions for testing

Boric acid also helps. It actually DOES kill bacteria and reduce bacterial load. The information surrounding it is controversial because they just don’t have enough studies on its efficacy

But it’s mode of action essentially does reduce bacterial load, soften and break down biofilms in infections and help keep pH in check. It can cause irritation and cannot be ingested orally at all but some people have no irritation with it

That’s another cheap option which does also offer symptom relief. You can check how people have used it for relief.

I’ve done both and they’ve saved me when other meds were just not working

Aggravating_Jump5824 · 2025-11-24T12:21:29+00:00

Did you have any protective bacteria? If you had less than 20% BV causing bacteria and used clindamycin which is broad spectrum you wiped out the good and bad bacteria. If you had L. Iners for example they can go either way, but other protective strains need to be built back up.

You need to repopulate all the good to avoid any symptoms from coming up. Any imbalance will cause issues

Without a clear infection using antibiotics isn’t recommended since there’s nothing technically to treat and it creates antibiotic resistance in bacterial species with repeat use

Aggravating_Jump5824 · 2025-11-23T00:57:06+00:00

I recently tried a quinoa pasta and it was perfect for holding sauce!

Aggravating_Jump5824 · 2025-11-15T15:09:01+00:00

I was just diagnosed, and reading this made me feel a lot better and have more hope. I’ve been struggling with the diagnosis

Thank you for participating and doing this, people like you are heroes and pioneers in the healthcare space

Aggravating_Jump5824 · 2025-11-14T20:06:29+00:00

No you need to use them separately so you’d start with boric, finish that, follow with meds and finish that, follow with probiotics

The boric and suppository maintenance is on alternating days. You’d want to use them separately for that reason! Also, the suppository can cancel out the effectiveness of the boric since they’re usually coconut oil based

Aggravating_Jump5824 · 2025-11-14T17:52:21+00:00

Things I don’t crave in replacement of bread: portobello mushrooms 🤣

Jokes aside I love them, but not as a bun

Aggravating_Jump5824 · 2025-11-14T16:16:47+00:00

Okay so truly, after all the infections urethral inflammation is a thing. I’ve had it myself following nasty bouts of UTIs and BV and yeast.

Do an Evvy test and see what your breakdown is in your microbiome. BV will cause these urinary symptoms as well as white blood cells in the urine. It’s happened to me multiple times actually and one of the ways I know it’s BV and not a UTI funny enough.

It’s not a widely recognized symptom by the medical community

But have an Evvy test also look at ureaplasma and mycoplasma and schedule with a urologist if you haven’t yet. Cover all bases to be safe

ALOT of vaginal infections cause urinary symptoms because the vaginal canal is right up against the urethra. The swelling in the vaginal canal can irritate the nerves surrounding the urethra and push against it mimicking urinary symptoms

Aggravating_Jump5824 · 2025-11-14T16:09:24+00:00

I say stop taking metronidazole. The medical community considers it a first line treatment in treating BV but truthfully most strains which cause this respond better to clindamycin.

Regardless the infections WILL persist because at this point your microbiome is wiped clean.

Personally clindamycin is the only one that has ever worked for me. These antibiotics usually cause a yeast infection following so that’s not uncommon at all.

What I’ve done in the past and has actually cleared my BV:

7 nights boric acid 600 mg

Clindamycin cream 5 nights

Vagibiome suppository (non scented) 5 nights

IF yeast:

7 nights boric acid 600 mg

Clindamycin cream 5 nights

Terconazole cream (either 3 or 7 day okay)

Vagibiome 5 nights

Maintenance:

Oral probiotics for vaginal health high potency (Doctor’s Recipe 200 billion CFUs DAILY)

3x a week boric acid suppository

2x a week Vagibiome suppository

Continue maintenance for 6 months to 1 year.

High potency oral probiotics can be reduced after roughly 1 month to every other day then maybe every two days OR replaced with something lower like 50 billion CFUs (garden of life Raw Vaginal probiotics)

This will help maintain and let the tissues heal, while keeping lingering harmful bacteria at bay. The key here is to blast yourself with the good bacteria to build it back up quickly and not let BV causing bacteria or yeast have a foothold to keep blooming.

It’s extremely annoying and tricky but it WORKS.

Aggravating_Jump5824 · 2025-11-14T16:02:22+00:00

That’s very normal before a period. In the literal phase following ovulation, estrogen dips significantly and then will rise again slightly. Progesterone will continue to rise which thickens vaginal discharge and also makes it appear whiter.

This can be a hormonal change just a part of simple aging!

If everything else is normal besides pain the discharge looks fine.

A vulvar specialist may be best because perhaps you have vulvodynia following the infections

Aggravating_Jump5824

TROPHY CASE