[Sarah001]

I just bouht some from the local healthfood shop, can't remember which brand and I also tried the hydrogen peroxide inserted slowly with a syringe followed by inserting the capsules too but it didn't make any difference to me. I inserted the capsules whole and they just dissolved in there but some people wet them slightly to start the dissolving off. I actually don't think mine is bacterial as I don't have a discharge and my culture wasn't for anything specific it was just to see what grew as I read the bag and delivered it to the lab myself. There wasn't any instructions for special conditions however but as I don't actually have a discharge I probably don't need to repeat that.

[Sarah001]

I forgot to say though the hydrogen peroxide treatment is supposed to only be useful if the bv test is positive and I can't remember for sure but I think you said yours wasn't? Do either of you ladies have any other health conditions your problems could be related to? There has to be something that makes us prone to these chronic symptoms.

[lafemelle]

Besides this vaginal problem, I have nothing else going on with me health-wise. After my problems with this first started, I had some blood work done and it all came back looking good. Do either of you know if a hormonal imbalance could cause these symptoms? I was on birth control for 5 years when this started (and another year after that before I quit), and when I quit the bc my symptoms changed--they did NOT improve, they simply changed a little bit--so I'm wondering if I need to ask my doctor about checking my hormone levels. I'm really worried that all those years on bc just screwed up my body, and even now that I'm off of it of course my hormones wouldn't be functioning the same as they were before I ever started those stupid pills to begin with...

[Sarah001]

I've got a form of hypermobility that means my ligaments don't support my joints properly and it also affects my skin and makes it very fragile which could go partway to explaining why I can't get my sore skin to heal but as I've had the condition all my life and had severe pain with it for the last 6 years I don't want to assume it's that if it's something unrelated if you see what I mean.

I too have been wondering about the hormone angle, I'm just about to turn 37 and my periods have changed in the last year or so and have become closer together and shorter which makes me suspiscious of hormones. I do know some women online have mentioned hormones playing a part but if I'm perimenopausal it may not show in blood tests at this point. Also my Mum was on HRT by the time she was 45 so she must have had a fairly early menopuse so it is an option. I haven't been on birth control for a number of years so I can't blame that but the hormone angle is definitely a maybe. How old are you ladies if you don't mind me asking?

[amelillo13]

I am 22. As far as the hormonal things goes, I've been wondering about that too. I've asked multiple times for doctors to check my hormone levels and they've refused, saying that since I am semi-regular that it wouldn't show anything wrong. Again, Id just like to make sure....if this is being caused by something easily overlooked I will be so angry. My sister has PCOS and that was detected by checking her hormones levels because she had no cysts on her ovaries when they checked, but all the symptoms of having it.

Im going to ask my doctor to check it when i see him at the end of the month. I don
t care if they "think" it is unrelated or unlikely. I don't fit into exact symptoms for having anything usual, so why not appease me?

I just got bloodwork results in today, actually. I had a full metabolic panel done and they just checked to make sure everything is functioning properly. Turns out I have a Vitamin D deficiency. Not sure how that is possible given I take a multivitamin everyday and I drink vitamin A+D milk (when I can tolerate it b/c I feel I am border-line lactose intolerant). I have read that this can be tied to chronic BV. Aside from that, everything else looked good, though they found traces of blood in my urine.... Since this began, every single urine analysis I have ever had said that-trace blood. Why is this not concern for them? This paper says my kidneys are working fine, but blood in the urine still makes me nervous. Polycycstic kidney disease runs in my family and Ive read that's a sign of having it, though my grandma said it usually doesn't show up until mid-late 20s. I really hope I wont have to deal with that in the upcoming years. Sigh.

[Sarah001]

It wouldn't surprise me if I had a vit D deficiency too, it's very relevant to the immune system so perhaps supplementing your body with more might help you? Definitely worth a try. I know what you mean abou if it turns out to be something simple after all the pain and anxiety, half of me hopes it is and half would be furious with them for not spotting it earlier.

I had blood in my urine with this at the beginning too and they were, as you said, unconcerned about it but it vanished after a while on its own. I think I'm going to ask about the hormone tests next time I see a GP, they always think you can't have a hormone imbalance if you have periods and it simply isn't true.

[lafemelle]

I'm with you two, I'm demanding hormone tests at my next appointment in a few weeks. I'm also worried about the possibility of something simple being overlooked--especially because the longer this problem goes unsolved for me, the more doctors push aside the simple things and ONLY focus on what "rare" or complex issues could be causing problems.

[Sarah001]

I know, it's a simple enough blood test so why do they resist doing it? When I was in my early 20s I kept getting thrush over and over, I literally had it every 2 weeks for no reason anyone could think of and it only stopped when I started taking Acidophilus every day (it wasn't something people really knew much about at the time but luckily a doctor I saw had another patient who was taking it with good effects) and I think that might have been a hormonal thing too. They say hormones change about every 7 years in women which would fit in with early 20s and with my just after 35 things have started changing.

The other thing about VVS if that is what we have is womens health physios can sometimes deal with it. The pelvic floor becomes "unstable" which can mean anything from it being tight, weak or just not functioning properly and the ony definite way to test it is a biofeedback machine with a vaginal probe. That's another thing I'm considering if dermatology and hormones get me nowhere.

Have you started the tablets and numbing cream yet lafemelle? I'm curious to know how they help skin that looks red and inflamed and fragile just as you were wondering how they help discharge. If I had no visible signs of damaged skin I'd take them in a flash but I keep thinking they just stop you feeling most of the pain but the skin will still get sore and cracked if it isn't dealt with which surely can't be the right solution.

[lafemelle]

I'm about a week into the amitriptyline and I can't say for certain that it's helping with my symptoms (although I do feel I'm experiencing less anxiety related to this whole problem, but I'm not sure if that's because of the pills or if it's just all in my head). My period just ended so I haven't tried the lidocaine yet. Part of that is also because I'm just so weary of putting anything--creams, gels, etc.--in that area because every time I do they just end up making my condition worse. So, I'm gonna give myself a pep talk next time my symptoms are really flaring up and I'll give it a go.

[Sarah001]

Do you find your skin looks as though it may bleed with any friction either of you? The reason I'm reluctant to go down the low dose anti-depressant and lidocaine route is my skin looks as though it may bleed with the slightest friction and I can't help but think those methods aren't going to help that. My partner and I haven't had sex for months because of this, if my skin would just heal I'd be halfway there!