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Hi everyone, I'm a 20 yr old female and for the last couple years I've had on and off itching in the area between my labia minora and majora. During the day I'm pretty much fine but at night when I'm trying to sleep I sometimes find myself waking up and scratching down there.
Most of the time I had put it off as general itching and didn't really ring alarm bells in my head, but it's been a bit of an embarrassing condition when I'm on my period, which I usually related to the pads I used for my heavy flow possibly making an irritating environment down there.
I started being sexually active last year so since then I've tried to be a bit more aware of what goes on down there. Other than being slightly red from the scratching, the area between my labias appears visually okay. I went to my first GYN appointment last year as well once I started being active and the routine swab and pap smear came up negative. I was a bit nervous for that first appointment, so it slipped my mind to bring it up at the time.
It's my first time posting something like this, so any advice or tips on possibly reducing the itch would be helpful. It hasn't really impacted my daily life but is more of an embarrassing nuisance. For the record I guess I do wear cotton underwear and wash down there with Dove soap and water. Thanks for any help!
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Hello Hikara1221,
Welcome to the EmpowHER community. I am glad you reached out to our community with your concern.
It is understandable that you forgot to mention the itching during your first gynecological exam. The first time can be stressful:)
The gynecologist must not have seen anything abnormal or suspicious during the pelvic exam.
I suggest you contact your physician about this.
Vulvar skin conditions are highly treatable, but the treatment depends on the specific cause. Identifying the underlying diagnosis can be very challenging.
Sometimes vulvar problems are the collective effect of long-term practices.
It's often what you've done day after day, year after year, that causes the problem. If you wear abrasive clothing and engage in abrasive activities like bicycling or spinning class and wear tight workout clothes that expose your vulva to sweat or to detergent or soap residue, eventually it might catch up with you.
The cause of the itching might be dry skin, a sexually transmitted disease or bacterial infection, a less common strain of yeast that required special medication, or irritation by and allergic reactions to common products such as soaps, creams, and lotions.
Keep in touch,
July 5, 2016 - 9:41amMaryann
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