r/VaginalMicrobiome

Persistent vulvar burning with no visible symptoms looking for advice
Hi everyone, I’m hoping someone here has experienced something similar because I’m really struggling to understand what’s causing this.
I’ve been dealing with external vulvar burning for quite a long time. The burning can sometimes also affect the area around the anus. What’s confusing is that I usually have no visible sores, blisters, pimples, rash, unusual discharge, bad smell, or other obvious symptoms.
I’ve had periods where the symptoms completely disappear for weeks or even a month, and then the burning comes back.
Some things I’ve noticed:
The burning can be worse after urinating and washing/cleaning the area.
Tight clothing can trigger or worsen it.
Plain water sometimes seems to irritate me, especially the water where I currently live.
Warm water or a sitz bath can sometimes make it feel better.
I don’t currently use feminine washes, douches, scented products, or other products on the vulva.
I don’t have pain during sex.
I’ve previously had testing that didn’t show an obvious infection.
I’ve tried antifungal treatment before, but I’m not sure that an infection is actually the cause.
Sometimes medication/creams seem to make the burning worse rather than better.
I’m planning to see a gynecologist and would like to have appropriate testing done rather than continuing to randomly treat for yeast infections.
Has anyone experienced persistent vulvar burning with a completely normal-looking vulva and no sores, blisters, discharge, or odor?
What ended up being the cause for you? Did anyone eventually diagnose something like vulvodynia, nerve irritation, contact dermatitis, pelvic floor issues, or another condition?
I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences, especially if your symptoms came and went like mine.

[supprimé]

Hey I'm 28f..I'm having vaginal boils whenever I'm highly stressed...is there anyone who faces a similar issue..it's so painful.. doctor gave me antibiotics whenever it happened.

But is there any permanent cure for this...I just don't want to go through this☹️Im getting this boils every 3 months(obviously in everyone's life there will be some sort of stress in every quarter right..it can be work related or family related)...and it takes a week for cure

so I’m someone that has struggled with reoccurring yeast infections. I feel like I got a hold of them for a year and then out of no where I’m starting to get them again. I already took fluconazole. I got tested for everything but syphilis and HIV which I have an appointment to do Wednesday. today my discharge had a yellow tint to it which is freaking me out. I’m using boric acid as well and my discharge is still coming out like this. I’m at lost for what to do really. Ill be scheduling an appointment with a gyno Monday but idk how long that will take. but any advice or clarity maybe anything to calm down the anxiety😪

-imagine linked in the comments

For 2 years at least I have been dealing with this chronic yeast infection but it wasn’t until last month that I became very ill.

I feel like this yeast is colonizing me.
And activating my immune system so bad that I have chronic inflammation and bad anxiety. It even caused me a uti which makes sense why I have had shivers for a whole month. On and off pelvic and flank pain. Discharge.

There was a point that it I felt like oral thrush. Ear aches. Sore throat.

My belly button had yeast! Crusting and foul smelling with watery discharge and red inside.

My hair has seb derm.

This can’t be normal.

Anyone else with chronic uti symptoms but most of 99.9% of the time it’s not a uti. This is the first time they actually say it was a fungal uti and yeast infection as well.

I want to start off by saying how disgusted I was by this and wasn’t sure if I should post. But I want to put this out there in case it happens to anyone else.
Two months ago I went an a trip to Europe and noticed brown discharge with a metallic smell literally the day before I left. I messaged my PCP and they basically said to monitor it and it could be BV. Once I was back to schedule an appointment and if symptoms developed to go to urgent care. I get back and learn my gynecologist is leaving the department so I see a nurse practitioner. She does a BV swab- says she’s using the smallest speculum they have. This is about a month ago. The brown smell and discharge continue. At this point I’m at my wits end. These are my only symptoms. Period comes and goes as normal. I should mention the nurse practitioner was over an hour late to my appointment and was clearly rushing to catch up. Said it was just ovulation related spotting and that “these things start to happen at my age”….I’m 34. Fast forward to 6 days ago and I finally see a new gynecologist and she performs a Pap smear and is like “oh you have a retained tampon in here”
I’m horrified. This never even crossed my mind as a possibility. I have used tampons since this all started and had sex so I guess it kept getting pushed up. I thought at first maybe this was from my last period which ended a few days before this recent appointment. But it’s almost a week later and everything is back to normal down there.

I’m going back to have another exam to make sure things are healing (she said there was inflammation and my pap was bloody) and see if there’s anything I can do to help myself heal. Honestly the body is amazing and like I said the symptoms immediately subsided. All of my tests came back fine (pap smear, hpv, stis) and I even did an Evvy test and am waiting on those results.

All of this is to say if anything seems off and you use tampons just check. I never thought this would be a possibility and NEVER for that amount of time. I realize I’m so lucky that it didn’t develop into TSS. I hope this post helps anyone in the future who this might happen to. It DOES happen and more often than you’d think. 🖤

(Also if anyone has advice- I’m considering following up with the NP who saw me to tell her about how she missed this. I feel like she should be informed in some way. Or maybe reported since she wrote me off so quickly and didn’t consider a pelvic exam)

I have almost had a UTI every single month since November of 2024. These are all real infections too. I never took an antibiotic for a UTI without a susceptibility report- My bladder was so inflammed from all the antibiotics I would reinfect instantly. Then I stumbled upon a reddit post talking about histamines within the bladder causing burning and urgency. I was so fed up with the constant infections.. my poor gut has suffered too. I finished my last antibiotic on July 3rd, 2026. I began taking a zyrtec every morning when I wake up along with my Uqora supplements and a hibiscus cranberry supplement... my burning and urgency has subsided. I feel like I have my life back. Zyrtec every morning has actually changed my life. I have seen 3 urologists in the past 3 months and they all insist on a cystoscopy.. I am not doing it. They have insisted on ANOTHER antibiotic to be taken before the procedure to prevent a possible infection.

I am visiting these doctors to avoid ever having to take another antibiotic again after taking nearly 25 rounds of antibiotics in two years and they have the NERVE to try and prescribe another one. I understand that they think they need to "find out" why I've been having so many infections but I know the reason- when all of this started i trusted a urogyno who kept prescribing metronidazole for BV. She prescribed 4 rounds of this- it never worked. It only flared up my poor bladder to OBLIVION . This was extremely irresponsible of her. And sadly for me... sent me on a path of infection after infection FOR TWO STRAIGHT YEARS.

I know people wave the white flag for cystoscopies. I understand that there can be scar tissue or a tight bladder neck- whatever. I am not risking another infection and blasting my body with more antibiotics because a urologist wants to stroke his ego- I asked for hydroxyzine or something of this nature to help with the inflammation and burning. One urologist prescribed hiprex (which i did not take because I read on here that it possibly makes IC flare) and wanted to do a cystoscopy. The other two would do nothing to help me until I did their cystoscopy. I saw one urologist after i had started taking the zyrtec. He was so curious as to how i figured out that this drug would help me. I told him I learned it on reddit. He then insisted on a cystoscopy AND a CMG and prescribed two antibiotics and sent me to his scheduling room . I was asking him for hydroxyzine because the zyrtec sometimes makes me retain urine and i was looking for another suitable med. I left feeling utterly broken and shocked that he could look at 3 pages of scripts on a pharmacy letterhead and prescribe even more antibiotics. This list of antibiotics i brought to him was not just a list of scripts they filled. It was a list of infections that wreaked havoc on my life and my body for weeks at a time- I felt violated and pushed into a corner. I feel there is no reason for an invasive procedure like this to feel better. And behold- I figured it out myself.

(I also avoid MSG, citric acid, artificial dyes, chocolate, and too much sugar) (I also try and limit milk and cheese as these seem to lead to increased inflammation)

So far, I am symptom free. When I was on my journey a post like this would have given me hope. I hope this helps.

Hello everyone, I am in need of advice and help. I am married to my husband and have been for almost a year. We are exclusive, I am 100% sure he is faithful. But he keeps getting yeast infections. It’s got to be from me, but I have no symptoms.
He is uncircumcised which I know has to do with it, he is a very cleanly man and we clean up with baby wipes or a rag with water after.
What can I do to help?
EDIT: also to say we have both had labs done and are both clean of STDs and STIs

Can't get rid of BV after six months.

I want to preface and apologize for the long text. But I'm truly desperate and willing to try anything at this point.

Hi everyone, I’m 18F and have been struggling with recurring BV and yeast infections for about six months, and I’m genuinely at my breaking point.
It started after having sex with my partner in a bathtub that had bath products in the water. About a week later, I developed yellowish/green discharge, itching, and discomfort. I was worried about an STI, so I went to urgent care and was tested. They initially prescribed metronidazole and fluconazole while waiting for the results. Everything came back negative except for yeast, so I was told I could stop the metronidazole.

About three weeks later, I was still having symptoms and went back. This time I tested positive for BV and was prescribed metronidazole and fluconazole again. I completed the full course, but my symptoms continued.

I eventually saw a gynecologist who examined me but didn’t swab me. He said he saw irritation and signs of yeast and prescribed an ointment. It actually helped, but the symptoms came right back afterward.

Since then, I’ve been stuck in the same cycle of being diagnosed with BV and/or yeast and being prescribed metronidazole and fluconazole, only for the symptoms to return. I eventually saw another physician and specifically asked for more extensive testing, including mycoplasma and ureaplasma. My testing once again showed BV and yeast, and I was told mycoplasma also came up. She said it was common in women and didn’t recommend treating it. I believe I was given metronidazole again and two doses of fluconazole a week apart.

Nothing has given me lasting relief, and I’m desperate to figure out what is actually causing this instead of continuing the same treatments over and over. I’m also worried that either the diagnosis is being missed or the infections aren’t responding to the medications.

This has taken such a huge toll on my mental health and confidence. I constantly worry that other people can smell me in public, and I’m scared to get close to someone because I don’t want to be intimate while dealing with this.

Has anyone dealt with recurrent BV and yeast infections like this? If so, what testing or treatment finally helped you? I’d especially appreciate advice on what I should ask my next gynecologist to test for because I really want to advocate for myself and get to the bottom of this.

Hello, im looking to start boric acid because i think my microbiome is not in a good state, this month I feel quite irritated and it got worse after swimming. I think the chlorine did not do well for her. It never used to be an issue but the past year everytime i swim she dosnt like like which is shame because i love swimming.

My question is, I heard its recommened to use a probiotic and I want to use the one you insert inside, do I start this after finishing a course of boric acid?

Also are there any producr recommendations for the UK?