Burning needs to go!

The coconut oil I've been using is Terrasoul I purchase it on amazon. I've used Bragg's vinegar in a sitz bath and it helps but it also seemed to cause a drying effect

In my opinion i would not use vinegar

I used coconut oil for 1.5 years then I switched to compounding hormones. The coconut oil worked really well. I would get it in a glass jar . ( always get it in glass not plastic) I would melt it , pour it in to these candy molds shaped like tears freeze them and then kept them in freezer until I needed them. I used them internally and externally. I also used them in tea and hot chocolate because if you have candida ( yeast issues) coconut oil keeps that under wraps also. Coconut oil is a bit messy but I just kept sheets, towels and underwear separate from other clothing and washed them in hot water. Gyno Dr went crazy when I said what I was using but my reply to her was I'm going to use whatever works ... No one told me what the problem was I figured it out on my own and I saw multiple drs for the problem. All of them knew I had a full hysterectomy a 32. I was on hormones for 12 years and 7 without no one ever said I had to be on them the rest of my life..... They just kept prescribing dyflucan which is for yeast. I thought I was losing my mind .... I can't tell you how many nights I sat on ice packs.. So you know chlorine causes more dryness... My suggestion is start reading up on compounding hormones. If your in the states insurance doesn't cover them its out of pocket and it takes a few months to get it right but once you do its totally worth what you pay out..... I've had no issues since...

Could I just say that I tried baking soda and cider vinegar and both made things much much worse. Please don't use any 'home remedies', you may regret it like I did. I made things so much worse down there I aggravated the nerves and caused vulvodynia which took 1.5 years to get better.

Unless i have a pap test or pelvic exam,all I use now for vulva irritation is vitamin e from the vit capsules on the vulva,if i get worse,I ad sitz baths,also loose cotton underwear,ususlly no problems now and i had horrible irritation for a year.

I agree with Lee. Be gentle and kind to that area. Don't use anything with nasty chemicals, or home remedies, for anything fragranced. Many women find relief from bit e oil or coconut oil. I don't know anyone who has had a bad reaction to these natural oils. I tried out other oils as an experiment: wheat germ oil stung me, as did tamanu oil.     sea buckthorn oil taken orally (3g a day) has been shown to improve the condition of the vagainal wall cells; I can provide the link to the research study if you want. I tried sea buckthorn oil on my vulva and it didn't sting but it has a nasty smell and is a bright Organe colour which stains everything.  There is also a product which is a mix of natural organic oils called vulva harmony, especially developed for that area.

I use coconut oil for burning in urethra you rub it on and shove some up your vagina.  I use natures way organic extra virgin olive oil

Hi Lisa. There is a blog about vaginal dryness that talks about the causes and treatments of vaginal dryness at www.naturalvaginalsolutions.com I have recommended their product Fabuvag to my patients before and it seems to do a good job. It does have coconut oil in it but there are some herbs in it too. I am sure they can answer the details if you contact them

I though it may be helpful to give the story of my vulva pain and burning caused by vulvodynia and how, after 1.5 years, I got rid of it.

Ok, ready for a long story:-

First I saw a gynaecologist. He took a biopsy of the painful area and confirmed no diseases or cancer. He put me on amitriptyline and steroid cream. These slowly worked for a while and made me comfortable enough to have a long overdue smear test. I had the smear test and the pain came back full force - back to square 1. By that time I had used the steroid cream for as long as is recommended and had stopped it (long term use not recommended). However, desperate to get rid of the pain I tired it again, but this time the cream stung me and made the pain worse. The gynaecologist gave me lynocaine cream to numb the area, but that stung me and made me worse. Nothing was working and in the end the gyno said that he could not cure me he could just help me managed the pain. Well, I wasn't going to put up with that for the rest of my life. So I did some investigating to find someone else who could help me and found a dermatologist consultant in Oxford who specialised in vulva pain. I also found some medication on the internet, made in Italy wii is angel specifically for vulvodynia. It calms down the overactive and hypersensitive nerves. Saginil gel  - you can order it direct from the suppliers, epitech, on their website. You can do this because it is not classed as a medicine because it is made of natural plant-based ingredients. It is expensive, as is the post from Italy, but I am so pleased I bought it because it was the only thing my skin could tolerate there and it did make a difference - it reduced the pain so that it was bearable and I could function better with daily life.

i saw the dermatologist and she told me all the things that she had found worked to get rid of the pain, but nerve pain is difficult to get rid of so she suggested I try them all and stick at it. i was surprised because, appears from upping the amitriptyline dose to 50-70mg a day (I was on 20), the rest of the things were what you would class alternative, or natural, cures. They were: western acupuncture, physiotherapy, chiropraction and manual desensitisation. Now, different things work for different people because there are different causes for the vulvodynia: infection, physical or chemical trauma, hormones, trapped nerve in back. I knew mine was caused by repeated and persistent thrush and the various treatments I tried to get rid of it (including cider vinegar - ouch! No!). So I didn't see a chiropractor because is didn't thing it stemmed from a pelvic nerve problem, however, from what you describe, yours might. I did do yoga exercises that free trapped pelvic nerves. I bought a book on pelvic floor exercises and did those, rather than see a physio. I did the manual desensitisation - this is where you stroke yourself very lightly in the painful area, using non-irritating lubricant (I used oil based lube by yes, or coconut oil), just once the first day. Then each day you gradually build up the strokes in number and pressure. The idea is that you are retraining the nerves to register touch as touch and not pain. So, massage yourself there just enough so as not to cause lasting pain afterwards. I built it up until I could do 100 strokes of fairly good pressure, then I moved into inserting a finger, then two, then the tip of my husband's penis and then gradually out him in a little further each time, until I could get most of him in, then starting moving with him in, again gradually building it up each time. I also found a GP that also ran a Western acupuncture clinic. Western means that they leave the meddles in and pass electricity through them. That was what really worked for me - each time I went I just got better and better. Apparently the amitriptyline and the acupuncture work well together to dampen down those hyperactive and oversensitive nerves. I upped the amitriptyline to 50mg as day, very gradually by 5mg every 1 or 2 weeks because it caused side effects so my body needed to adapt to each increase. 

Finally, there are the changes to how you live. No tight clothes, no sex (until you are ready), no exercise (I gradually built that up too but walking just a short distance and gradually increasing it - never do an amount that cause she lasting pain). Go knicker free if you can - I work mainly from home so was able to go around with no knickers on and baggy jogging bottoms or a skirt. Sitting also caused problems (I work at a computer) so I got a ring shoved cushion form woman to use after they have given birth and sat in that so that there was no pressure at all on the sensitive area (dame for driving the car). Coconut oil was soothing (raw, cold pressed, organic coconut oil) so I applied that externally and internally with a clean finger after every time I went to the loo (I carried a little pot in my hand bag so I could apply it while out and about with an organic, pesticide and bleach free cotton pad). No scented products on that area, in fact I didn't wash there at all, I used coconut oil to clean the area and when showered I used organic, nasty chemical free and scent free body wash and shampoo and conditioner (because stuff runs down). I also washed my clothes in scent free, kind-to-skin laundry detergent and conditioner. Toilet paper has bleach in it, so I got some tissues that were bleach free and used those to wipe after doing a wee.

The key is to be persistent, try everything, gradually build things up, stick with what works, be determined, don't give in. The consultant dermatologist was very impressed with me because I was so determined and didn't give into urges. She said she had many women who just got fed up with how long it was taking and just went for a long walk / bike ride / horse ride or had sex and put themselves back at square one again. It does take a long time - it took me 1.5 years of all that stuff in my message above to get to being pain free. Even now, 5 years later, I still apply coconut oil after every time I go to the toilet, use tonnes of oil based lube during intercourse, go around the house wear no knickers. I don't want it to come back. I am also still on 50mg amitriptyline a day. At first I was afraid to come off it because the consultant dermatologist told me, you may be pain free, but if you come off it too soon, the pain can come back. So it is best to wait a few months after being pain free. Then menopause set in and I got hot flushes and my GP told me to stay on the  amitriptyline because it helps with hot flushes. My body has adapted to it now. I hope to reduce the dose sometime (gradually, by 5mg very 2 weeks, just like I built it up). I still do pelvic floor exercises - the book I got was called 7 steps to pain-free sex by Claudia Amherd. It is mainly about vaginismus, but the exercises apply to vulvodynia too - just don't do them sitting on a juggling ball (ouch) do them standing up first, then lying down, as it advises in the book. Gradually build up the exercises, doing more and more each time. Again, don't do so much that it causes an increase in pain or lasting pain - cut back if that happens.

Also, you need to get some organic, chemical free sanitary towels for when you have your period (no tampons). 

Hi Lisa. Going through the same thing. Went to the ER and they thought it was all in.my head. So I went to a different hospital claiming a UTI. My urine sample there was infection. The only way I could pull off an infection was to run on the parts that were burning and made sure it was in my urine. Yep deffiently an infection. I was put on the same antibiotics I had several years ago and hoping I'm cured. The burning was coming from inside my vagina. Burn, burn ,burn. It's a shame I have to resort to such things in order for the DR to listen to me. Got prescribed Keflex. I had already mentioned all the antibiotics I can not take. I didnt say because it won't do any good. I'm just sensitive to certain ones Cipro is one that tears me up inside. And it's the one recommended for these kind of infection based on what kind of bacteria I had. Believe me I went through almost I whole year last time trying this and that. Probiotics by mouth by inserting and anything that might bring me relief. I know where you are. I know it's hard to think but this to will pass. I practically had a party once I was cured. It just seemed I do better in the keflex family. My heart is with you. Oh and one more thing if an antibiotic does nothing for you you need to tell them it doesn't anf you want to switch to a different family group of antibiotics. I wish I had that information before. Good Luck

You may not have an infection. I just know being"dry" causes all kinds of bacteria to take up residence. Replends did nothing for me either