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I can't have an STD...so what is this??!?!?!
Okay, I've only had sex with one guy. It was my first long term boyfriend, and were both virgins. We used a condom about 80% of the time, so yes, there were some incidents we didn't use protection. But neither of us had an STD.
We broke up about a month and a half ago, and a week or so ago I started getting these symtpoms:
My labia, clit and the lining around my vagina are VERY VERY itchy. But it doesn't burn. And by using Vagisil on a daily basis, it keeps the itchiness away so I even forget about it. It's also kind of red and irritated looking. I have a brownish discharge, and even though I already had my period at the beginning of this month, I've been getting cramps that come and go through out the day.
Any help with what this could be?? I'm 17 years old. And yes, I did tell my mom. She said it could be soap irritation, so I stopped scrubbing "down there" but it hasn't helped. I have a regular doctor's appointment on Thursday, but I was just hoping for some advice before then.
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Sounds like a yeast infection. You'll need to see a gynecologist or a nurse practitioner who can give you a prescription. You can also get medicine over the counter, but you want a diagnosis before that she you know for sure.
A topical application of yogurt can really take the pain away in the meantime.
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Virgins can very well have STDs, by the way. I won't rant on about that, but it's extremely possible. Not to get into a mess, but, I, myself, had a STD when I was still very much a virgin. If you don't have medical results to prove you're STD-free then you don't really, truly know. Virgins can very well grow up with an STD all of their lives, passed on through innocent contact with an adult (very common during diaper changes), and never think their symptoms really mean anything. They may grow up saying, "Oh, I get these bumps every now again and it's completely normal," and never, ever say anything to a partner about it.
This is likely not to be a yeast infection. Yeast infections don't cause cramping. Yeast infections usually don't have discharge colored brown, red, or anything other than an off-white.
Bacterial vaginosis (BV), a bacterial infection within the vagina and outer parts, can very well cause all of these. If left untreated for a longer period of time it may be accompanied by something called pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID would be more responsible for abnormal discomfort, pain, cramping, tubal blockages, and, in later stages, complete infertility.
BV mimics a yeast infection in that it can cause white, clumpy discharge, itching, and irritation. A lot of people end up treating themselves for these symptoms with over-the-counter yeast infection creams. This actually ends up worsening the problem. The seriousness of BV is unlike a yeast infection. A yeast infection won't damage the body, especially long-term, and is just rather uncomfortable. BV can cause life-long damage, pain, infertility, and a whole load of health complications when left untreated. You can hide the symptoms of itching and irritation with yeast infection creams sometimes but it doesn't mean you're curing anything at all. As a matter of fact, a lot of women who do this sort of thing wind up giving themselves a yeast infection, too!
Yeast infections don't cause cramps.
Yeast infections don't cause colored discharge.
You need to see your doctor. Seriously. The brown discharge could actually end up being from stress or hormonal changes as you're growing. The cramps could be from a pulled muscle, a uterine fibroid, a urinary tract infection, or an ovarian cyst. I'm not saying you "definitely" have BV or PID but I'm saying you seriously need to get this looked at because sometimes what you may think isn't so serious can wind up being pretty darn frightening and lead to reproductive damage.
As a last "possibility" you could very well be pregnant. A lot of women have early-pregnancy cramping and brownish to reddish discharge. Pregnancy also can cause yeast infections, would account for itching and irritation.
We can only take a stab in the dark what might be "wrong" here. We don't have medical equipment to examine you online. ;) I hope your doctor gets this sorted out and you get the appropriate treatment for whatever is going on.
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The advisers on this site are not doctors so we cannot make any type of diagnoses. The fact that the Vagisil is holding whatever it is at bay says you may need to have a stronger prescription type medication o clear up the problem. Most likely some form of yeast infection. Time to make a call to a GYN for an appointment and examination.
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You probably have a yeast infection, which is an imbalance of bacteria in the vagina. It's normal, and not an STD.
Unfortunately, as you've let it go on this long, you need to see the doctor to confirm it's a yeast infection, and to make sure it hasn't spread, and to decide if over the counter medication is an option for you, or if you need a prescription.
Don't go and get an over the counter remedy until you've spoken to your doctor, but a yeast infection is the most likely culprit.
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