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Got Candida. Having Constant Itching And Irritation In Genital Area. Should I See A Gynecologist?

Posted on Tue, 4 Jun 2013

Question: Can i speak with gynecologist. I wondered if you could help me out. My Mother is to embarrassed to go to a doctor, but for awhile I thought she had candida, but not completely sure though, as when she would eat sugar she would get minor irritations in her armpits and genital area and itching. She seemed to get a handle on it and it would come and go depending on the sugar intake. This all started about 3 years ago,and it has gotten worse. For about the last 4-5 months she has constant irritation and itching only in her genital/anal area now and no matter what she has tried, it is not going away, it even has changed the pigmentation on certain areas down there as well which has turned dark in color. There is no odorous discharge, just very itchy and swollen from scratching. She is 60 years old and been menopausal for about 5-6years now. She is a very health conscience person and does not eat processed foods and sugars and is of a normal weight.
She also is not on any types of drugs and takes quality supplements. She takes nothing for low estrogen and believes if she eats right her body will produce the right hormonal balance. She wonders though if this could be that she really is low in estrogen and wonders about the bio identicals would help her. She just doesn't know where to turn. She seriously needs some direction...please help if you can give some advice. Are you a gynecologist?
Thanks so much,

Answered by Dr. Rhea Chanda (1 hour later)

Hello,
The symptoms that your mother seems to have suggest that she may bacterial vaginosis,may or may not be added to candid infection.After a woman achieves menopause, due to hormonal imbalance there may be itching,discharge etc due to lack of the good vaginal flora. The hormonal imbalance causes the vagina to lose its protective flora thereby giving rise to vaginosis. Now there are a few things to note here. First get her blood sugar checked. If its normal,make sure her diet is controlled. Next start her on some probiotics that help balance the vaginal flora. The discolouration of the skin is due to the lack of estrogen. Also using some topical estrogen cream may help alleviate the dryness,hence the scratching. You might need a doctor's prescription for that. I do suggest that you mother see a doctor for that.
Hope i could answer all your questions.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Rhea Chanda (1 hour later)

Right now she just started using about a week ago,a natural progesterone cream. It says to massage it into smooth skin areas like wrists,arms,thighs. Should or can she use it in her genital area? Would it hurt to use it there? Its from Source Naturals. I read up on the vaginosis and she does not have these symptoms of any odors,fishy smell. How can she increase her vaginal flora? Do you have any suggestions for the probiotics, she currently has a new bottle of it, but has not taken it yet. It has 70billion cfu and is acid and bile resistant with 10 strains. If her estrogen is increased will this eliminate the discoloration. What do you think of the bio identicals? Any other inputs you have are very welcomed. Right now she uses calmoseptine and aquaphor for the intense itching...it helps but she is so sore from the itching....any other suggestions to relieve itching. She also is using all natural feminine pads and soaps.
Thankyou so much...

Answered by Dr. Rhea Chanda (5 hours later)

First,progesterone cream wont help much,in my opinion. EStrogen cream however,may help and can be applied in the vaginal mucosa.Vaginosis deosnt always have fishy smell;that happens in infected cases.There are several probiotcs like ECOFLORA available in the market. They may be available under different trade names. They will help balance the flora. If she has something already,use it. Dont worry about the darkening of the labia,thats a natural occurence and happens with age. I dont recommend using calmoseptine/aquaphor because these ointments are better used on irritant skin and wont help irritant mucosa.Also using soaps and feminine pads should be avoided because they will irritate the mucosa. Just was with plenty of water. Apply mild estrogen cream topically on the mucosa ony at nighttime. Start the probiotics twice daily.Any synthetic applications must be avoided. Even underwear,soaps,pads,etc may cause itching etc so make sure that isnt the cause.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Rhea Chanda (26 minutes later)

I forgot to also mention that she has incontinence which is why she needs the feminine pads, but like I said they are made with cotton, so there are no other perfumes etc. Can she get the estrogen cream online? She doesn't know what else to do right NOW to stop the itching...are there any other helpful products besides calmoseptine/aquaphor as this is the only thing she found to relieve the itching..she doesn't know what else to use as her skin is so raw from the itching. She can't go without pads and underwear, which from what you are saying isn't helping the itching. You have said what to avoid, but it doesn't give us the answer of what to do right now for the itching until she can get the estrogen cream and start the probiotics. She needs relief now and we pray that the other suggestions will work in time. What did you mean by synthetic applications...did you mean synthetic estrogen? I'm sorry..please help me understand. What other symptoms does vaginosis have?
Thankyou again...she is desperate for help.

Answered by Dr. Rhea Chanda (22 minutes later)

Vaginosis occurs due to bacterial imbalance in the vaginal flora. causing the vaginal mucosa to become dry and sensitive to many products like soap etc. One keeps scratching the vaginal mucosa until it appears red and raw.Upon parting the labial folds the area will appear red and angry. With repeated itching,minor traumas may be caused on the mucosa and if soap,creams etc are applied there ill be a birning sensation.You hadnt mentioned that she has urinary incontinence. Rest assured, incontinence can cause irritation of the skin/mucosa and aggravate the itching. If thats the case,then she need to visit the doctor and get treatment for that. Unless the irritation is stopped,no amount of creams /probiotics will be successful.You have to treat the cause. Since thats the case,pads haev to be used so make sure they are as simple as possible.You might be able to get the estrogen cream online but i guarantee that it will be authentic. Nowadays, not all drugs online are good quality. Anyway thats upto you. By synthetic applications i mean soap,perfumes,synthetic underwear etc. Most drugs are not natural nowadays. You need to get her to see a doctor immediately so that her incontinence can be treated. If it continues,she wont get relief. Meanwhile start the probiotics she already has. Keep the mucosa lubricated with cream.,as and when you get it.Some antiitch creams like vagisil etc might help but not long term. If the incontinence doesnt stop,there will be excoriation of the skin and damage to the mucosa.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Rhea Chanda (26 minutes later)

I guess the last question I have is how does a doctor treat incontinence? I should also mention that the raw areas of itching are from the anal area all the way above the clitoris area and on the two large skin folds near her inner thighs. This is why she thought the chemicals in regular pads was an irritation. She has been using the cotten pads for about a weeks now..with little relief. She keeps herself very clean down there after urination and changes the pads very regularly. which may or may not be causing more problems. I will tell her to only wash with water for now. The dark pigmentation is also around the anal area, sounds like it doesn't go away? Can she insert a probiotic capsule into the vagina, would this help or not.
Thank you...

Answered by Dr. Rhea Chanda (18 minutes later)

Incontinence can be of different types. She has to be examined to determine which. Usually medications help with incontinence. What you have described is excoriation of the skin and yes,that probably occuring due to the pads since the skin is contact with the soiled pads for long periods. Probiotics are meant for oral use and not vaginal.Wash with plenty of water and keep the excoriated areas lubrication. You can apply Calmoseptine but only on the skin are and not the mucosa. Aloe vera and calamine lotion should also help.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Rhea Chanda (2 days later)

As a Dr., can you prescribe the estrogen cream for her. In the meantime, can the progesterone cream that she already has, be applied to the area around the vagina, would it hurt to do this?
Thank you again for your help....it has been very helpful.

Answered by Dr. Rhea Chanda (57 minutes later)

The progesterone cream wont help. Estrogen is the hormone that decreases after menopause hence, the supplementation. But it cannot be prescribed online. You will need to get a written prescription as per drug guidelines.

Note: Revert back with your gynae reports to get a clear medical analysis by our expert Gynecologic Oncologist. Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar