Just returned from hospital, been diagnosed with LS. I'm 32 yrs old

Laura, I am so sorry that you have this awful disease so young. Hopefully, it will settle down with treatment and you can resume relations with your husband as you are so young and just starting your family. I am nearly70 and have had this for about 15 years or so. The cream should give you some relief. I also use Dermeze between using advantan fatty ointment. The Dermeze  is like a Vaseline and keeps it moisturised. I guess you know not to use soaps and wear cotton panties that are not tight. Anyway, all the best and do not let it get you down. You have a lovely little girl to keep your mind off it a bit.

Laura, I share your puzzlement about not being diagnosed earlier.  Apparently many Dr's have never heard of LS.  I went to my family physician last year and was in the middle of a bad flare.  I got the original diagnoses from my gyno, but didn't want to pay the extra so just went to my primary.  Well, the nurse practitioner had never heard of LS and was quite intrigued.  The good thing is that when I ask for a refill on my clobetosol there is no argument!   

I also have noticed that my worst spot is around a scar I got when I gave birth to my second child.  That was 43 years ago!!  

All the best, Laura.  Hope you get your LS under control and have many symptom free days.

 

I hear you, Laura! I have had LS all my 62 years, undiagnosed till last summer. I had a big episiotomy at age 30 and that's exactly the line along which my skin tears when it gets white there.

I have a theory, based on my gynae's admission that LS and psoriasis are related. In psoriasis there's a triggering of flares by skin trauma called the Koebner phenomenon.

Anyway, on an optimistic note, I had a second child and lots of great sex in my forties and some in recent years. So, don't despair. If you read the hugely helpful advice shared by sufferers on this site, you should have many years of calm times between flares.

I do know the friction of sex is very bad for an active flare, so we all need understandng partners. In my case it stirs up candida and I end up with a hard-to-cure yeast infection. You want to avoid scarring, which will lead to atrophy. So do be good to your vulva.

Laura, my second and third births were nothing like the first one. I had my children many years ago, of course, but wanted to reassure you that each birth is different, and your next one should be nothing like your first which seemed very difficult for you.   My daughter had c sections and they are not fun either. At least you recover quickly the second time from a natural birth. Hope you are doing better all round.

Hi Laura,

Both my births were induced and natural. I honestly don't remember having an episiotomy in the second one. My marriage was so bad we only had sex once in the three and a half years between them. I remember that my clitoris hood was starting to fuse two years after the second one, but resuming sex seemed to un-fuse it, at least for a decade. It fused suddeny around the time my periods stopped at age fifty, then un-fused again when I became sexually active at age 57. At 62 it blew up in a boil and fused heavily and now I've given up on sex.

Hi Laura,  So sorry that you have joined this club.  Just a bit of info that might help you.  I had a ceasarian for my daughter yet I still tear on my perineum.  It is the most common point for Ls to cause tearing.  Having a baby normally would probably not have made much difference although I don't suppose it helped.

Glad you have a lovely husband.  I do too.  I have had this since a young girl.  we managed to have a sex life until only a few years ago (I am 58 now) At times we had to abstain but I would get things calmed down and then we could have some action.  It is not that easy but worth the trouble.  Plenty of lubrication before during and after.  The reason we stopped was due to diabetes not the LS and my husband's problems.  Since we stopped though things have closed a lot so I would recommend that you carry on trying to keep things working.  Use it or lose it as the saying goes.  Good luck.

Dear Laura

Please please don't go for a 'c' section for reasons I will explain in the interest of your next child.

I am sure you will be able to cure yourself. There is a woman in one of these discussions who has cured herself, using a herbal root....check through for this info by clicking all the LS commentaries til you find it... and I know someone else who has done so also she has written a book and its soon to be published. I'm following the principles and will be taking the botanicals recommended.

BUT preparation is the key. Firstly detoxing and getting your thyroid under control. TSH should be 1.5 or lower. The reason your GP and even Consultants refer to higher figures is because the 'normal' range is skewed. Ther are so many people about with hypothyroidism (low thyroid production...for various reasons. Visit the _____ as a resource). Also check out the throid sessions sean croxton 'underground wellness' on at the moment ....webinar. Got to go go will come back to you.

Love Marey XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back later

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Hi there Laura,

So sorry to hear your story and honestly Laura it is so similar to mine in so many ways except for the understanding partner which I unfortunately did not have. After the the birth of my first and only child my son, I too ,tore or ripped and they had to cut me and if I'm honest after nearly 24 years I've never really healed..and like you I was always fobbed of with canesten cream ..constantly...its only when I plucked up the courage to go for a smear test that I was putting off for soooo long due to pain..fortunately the nurse was so gentle and understanding...she referred me to a gyno so three weeks ago thanks to that luvly nurse and the gyno seeing me for it seemed like one minuet and instantly diagnosing me then and there all be it I do still have to go for biop in the next few weeks ....but all those painful years of not knowing what was wrong with me...Well let's hope Laura the luvly people on here will keep us both right...as I'm now menapausal and suffer from fibro-myalgia.......

So take care Laura and your beautiful little Italia , g.b.u. xxx

Hi Ladies,

I am 33 and have had 2 children.  I was diagnosed just last year after seeing drs and naturopaths who guessed that my vulva was shrinking due to low estrogen, caused by nursing my babies for almost 5 years straight.  I tore with my first delivery to the sides....just a little (DS had the biggest head the midwife has ever seen, yay) and the LS started around those tears.  Along with the genital itchiness, pain, scarring, and chages to the shape of the vulva/clitoris hood, I have extragenital LS as well.  Good news is that since I have it all over my chest and back I am able to begin UVA treatment, which I start tomorrow.  I'll post back sometime if it works.  

I am trying the paleo diet and have found that I have flare ups when I eat chocolate, especially cheap chocolate.  I haven't been too consistent so I certainly have to consider if it's more important to taste chocolate or have any kind of sex life with my husband and be comfortable in my body.  

I would have loved to have another baby.  I read somewhere that LS seems to clear up during pregnancy.  Second and subsequent deliveries are mush easier and I'm sure you could you a dilator to ready your outer vag for the process of delivery.

Here's hoping there's some cure in the works.  I'm expecially hoping the UVA therapy works and doesn't destroy my skin.