Vulva and anal itching and burning

Hi all...

I had a complete hysterectomy about 2 1/2 years ago, no uterus, ovaries, cervix... I am not and have not ever been on hormone replacement therapy. I don't take any natural hormone supplements.

For over a year I have been having the WORST itching and irritation in my genitals and rectum. I don't really itch inside my vagina, it's mainly on the outside and right on the inside of my anus and vagina and the area in between. It all feels a little swollen and warm.

I thought all of this was due to hemorrhoids. I had 6 removed a few months ago. All that has healed up now (although I have a couple of nasty skin tags, they are next to go). I am still itching terribly!! I can't sleep!

I was wondering if this could be caused by a lack of estrogen throwing off the balance "down there". If I don't get some relief I am going to lose my mind. I already treated myself for a yeast infection...no help there. No creams help either. PLEASE HELP!!

Just a thought here..... have you been tested/treated for pinworm? It is very comon and easy to treat.

You said you already "treated yourself" for a yeast infection. Many yeasts nowdays have mutated and are resistant to the OTC treatments. You may need a different type of treatment that can only be gotten through your healthcare provider. (Or it might not even be yeast) You should confer w/ your doctor or nurse.

My doctor gave me Premarin creme and I used it for three days. I HATED using it because I kept feeling that it would give me breast cancer (after surviving endometrial cancer, enough was enough). So many people say it's safe, but it hasn't really been tested, so, for me, I just didn't want to take a chance with it any more. I now have a regimin that seems to work... though not perfect, it keeps my problem manageable. I use Replens every evening before bedtime. I use a dilator covered in KY Jelly every morning and when I get back from work at 4:00. I eat a lot of fiberous foods to keep my stool loose and avoid the hemorrhoids (I actually love watermelon as a natural diuretic). I go to exercise class every evening and I do Kegel exercises whenever I think about it. I know all this sounds extreme, but vaginal dryness is the only menopause issue I have as a result of my surgery and I'm battling it with everything I have. Good luck to you. I know, all too well, that this itching thing can make your life miserable.

I had a complete hysterectomy 11 weeks ago & am taking hormones. I've had the same vulva & anal itching that you described for about 7 weeks. I thought I had pinworms because of the anal itching but now I don't think I ever had them. I was treated for that & the itching continued. 8 weeks after surgery, I went to the doctor & was treated for a bacterial infection & a yeast infection at the same time. The itching still continues. I do have small hemorrhoids & I think they are responsible for some of the anal itching. Have you found any relief for the itching?

I was just treated for this myself and it was a fungal infection causing the anal itch and the vulva itching was due to the fact that my skin was paperthin due to lack on estrogen.
I was given premarin cream and a cream for the fungal infection and all cleared up in two weeks time.
I have since started bio-ident hrt but you really should go to the dr. as this is what you could have.