[butterflylady]

One last thing I have a pad reaction, so I have to buy organic pads or use cloth type ones, I cant even consider tampons pads give me itching and redness down there, so maybe your the same way. I have to get my pads online now. We struggled to figure that one out forever but it was simply the pads, the same holds true for some people with toilet paper you can irritate your vagina with the way you wipe or if your too rough or if you use toilet paper that is fragranced in any way.

[Sarah001]

Hi butterflylady personally I use 100% organic cotton pads, no soap on the area, no fabric softener on my underwear, a non bio wash powder with an extra rinse cycle on any underwear and no chemicals whatsoever touch my downstairs department and I also sleep without underwear except for 3 days a month when I have my period so for me it isn't a reaction to anything. I haven't had sex in months so that isn't the issue either! I wasn't tested for PID because I don't have discharge, if anything I have a lack of discahrge which is why I have oestrogen pessaries to use for a while, my last pelvic ultrasound showed nothing wrong in there at all. I'm pretty sure my problem is pelvic floor related, I have the highest resting tone my therapist has ever seen because I have unstable pelvic joints thanks to another condition I suffer from so for me I'm sure that's my answer but it's taking time to sort it out. Unlike some of the other ladies in this thread I haven't been given the creams etc for BV, in fact I only tested positive for it once throughout all my swabs and it was such a mild imbalance of bacteria it wasn't treated and rectified by itself so BV isn't the problem for me either, I never had the discharge or odour associated with it and I never test positive for yeast either.

[butterflylady]

Sarah001, that wasnt directed to you, it was just in general to everyone to help anyone who was taking about irritation and discharge. Heh.

And to the original poster (on the blood clots) some reasons for your clotting periods could be very well.. normal because I get the clots sometimes or have you thought it's coming from your birth control?

Hormonal Changes:
Short term: Hormone production can vary for many reasons. Some of these include failure to ovulate, ovarian cysts, and medication. It is not uncommon for any woman to experience an occasionally bizarre menses with unusual clotting. The majority of these occurrences are short-lived and followed by normal periods.

Chronic: Other factors that can change hormone production on an ongoing basis include peri-menopausal changes, chronic illness, significant weight gain or loss, and use of certain long term medications such as steroids, or prolonged failure to ovulate.

Changes in the Uterus:
Fibroids: Called leiomyomata, fibroids are very common. They are benign growths of muscle that form spheres occupying space within the normal muscle of the uterine wall. They can grow into the inside of the uterus (submucous), stay within the wall (intramural), or grow from the outside surface (subserosal). Sometimes they grow on a stalk (pedunculated). If they interfere with the ability of the entire uterus to contract, bleeding will increase and clots are likely to form.

Adenomyosis: When this abnormality occurs, it is commonly associated with a reduction in the ability of the muscle fibers in the uterine wall to contract. This, in turn, can result in clotting.
Large Uterus: After multiple pregnancies or multiple births, the uterus may remain larger than it was pre-pregnancy. If the cavity of the uterus enlarges, more pooling of menstrual blood may occur. This results in an increase in clotting.

Polyps: Polyps or other growths inside the uterus can act as an obstruction to the outflow of blood during menses. This can increase clotting. These growths can also bleed themselves.

Outflow Obstruction: Anything that can partially block the outflow of fluid from the uterus during menses can contribute to clotting. The most common form of outflow obstruction results from natural changes after menopause when hormone levels drop. Without estrogen stimulation, the cervical canal may atrophy, or shrink. This can restrict the flow of blood, so clots are likely to form. This problem does not surface unless there is some reason for the post-menopausal woman to bleed. Then she may notice that the bleeding is not at all like her menstrual period used to be.

[amelillo13]

if it was a reaction from a pad, wouldn't it go away after you stop using them? I use unscented pads, but I've heard certain brands just irritate people. However, I was also told that once you eliminate the irritant, if that's what sort of vaginitis it was -irritant vaginitis to begin with (which in my particular case it not, it is bacterial) that it'd go away, or is that not how it works? I mean, a person would only be using the pad for like a week and a half at max out of the entire month.

As far as the 'clotting', it really had nothing to do with anything out of the ordinary. I thought I had posted about it, but it was most definitely the boric acid suppositories I had used for two nights. I had a bad reaction and they got stuck up there. The black funky discharge I was having is consistent with discharge a woman would get having any foreign object stuck or left up there, but thanks for the info none the less. I've been completely fine since.

[amelillo13]

Also, to Lafamelle, I didn't know discharge was relatedt o PCOS. You said you haven't had a period in a few months, then I think that could definitely be a possibility if you haven't been checked. Make sure when you get the test done for that, that they do both the ultrasound AND check your hormone levels with a blood test. I was tested for that a good 4-5 years ago and had an ultrasound done in 2009 again sometime and my ovaries were fine, but they never ran the blood tests to see if my hormones were off. Mind you, I do still have excessive hair growth and acne, but my periods are regular. I get anywhere from a 1-3 week flux, but never go MONTHS without one. Usually they don't bother with the blood test unless your cycle is off. They ignore the rest.

I only stress getting the blood test done as well because my sister has PCOS and was diagnosed around 19 or 20 (she's now 29) and she does not actually get the cysts, her ovaries looked perfectly fine, but her hormone levels were severely off. This is what she told me. They put her on some sort of medication to regulate everything, which I can get the name of if you want because I do not remember off the top of my head. I think that sort of PCOS is more uncommon, but I know you can have the other signs like irregular menstrual cycles, excessive hair growth, etc; and not actually have cysts on the ovaries.

[amelillo13]

Darn it. I hate to make so many posts but I keep forgetting details and can't edit after 5 minutes. Just wanted to add that my sister saw an endocrinologist (sp?) for all of that.

[lafemelle]

Amelillo, I'll keep that in mind if it comes down to having to test for PCOS. I saw my doctor today, and after I mentioned having periodontal disease (I said this the first time I saw her but I don't think it really registered with her), she became very curious about whether I may indeed have lichen planus. She did an exam of my mouth and said I do show a lot of signs there as well that I could have it, so she is putting me on 20 days of prednisone. Part of me is really hopeful, as I've been convinced for a long time now that it could be LP...but I guess I'll see in a few weeks.

Sarah, how are things going with the pessaries?

[Sarah001]

I had high hopes for the pessaries but after a few weeks of them I can honestly say they've not made any difference to my sore skin. The decrease in dryness I got also disappeared as I carried on with them so I'm disappointed to say they haven't worked. I've got a few more weeks of them but I doubt they will work any better during that time either. I go back and see the vulvar specialist on Monday, she said last time if I was still feeling the soreness through 50mg of Amitriptyline she would add other drugs to my regime. It's not what I wanted really, I wanted to get rid of the problem not just cover it up but as I'm still feeling extreme soreness despite the Ami I'm going to have to take something else too.

I wondered about trying a short course of oral steroids for my skin, especially when one doctor thought I had Lichen Planus, but I never got it done. Do let us know how you get on lafemelle and fingers crossed for you.

[Sarah001]

Something I forgot to say is I'm considering getting one of those pelvic floor stimulators with a relaxation cycle on it, I thought it might help me relax my super tight pelvic floor a bit faster but I'm going to have to run it by the therapist to make sure it's ok to use one so I won't know until I see her in November. There's one I've been looking at that has various programs and relaxation is one and urinary urgency is another and I need to sort out both those problems. I've read positive things about them but I'm not sure how I'll get on with my unstable pelvic joints causing complications, I don't want to repeat what happened during my first month of pelvic floor exercises which was sacroiliac joint flare ups at least twice a week which was not only excruciating but also cancelled out my efforts as my pelvic floor just clamped back up in response to those.

[r3dh3ad]

I head back for another doctor appoinment Thursday. I swear to everyhting holy that I am not leaving there until they check my hormone levels! I don't care if I have to throw a little baby fit- I am sooo fed up! Amelillo- WHY with your sisters history and the fact that acne is related to androgenic issues and excessive body hair relted to horomal dysfunction also-are they NOT checking your hormone levels???!! GEEEZ! One excellent word for me is FRUSTRATED- for all of us!