# what is wrong with my yoni~ GRAPHIC DETAILS



## koalove (Apr 18, 2007)

So I have had, for years, a little tiny split in my skin right above my clitoris, that pops up a couple of times a year. when i was younger I always thought it had something to do with periods (where was the education?!) since i got it right before my period every few months. It lasted about a week. Last december i got it as usual but it stayed 2 months. I was tested for everything under the sun and no diagnosis could be made. i was sure it was herpes but after not being heald by the anti viral herpes meds, the doc said it wasnt that. eventually it cleared up with vinegar and water, and yeast cream, even though i tested negative for yeast and had no unusual discharge. So heres the description~~Its like a little paper cut. 1/2 inch long. same spot every time and it itches and burns. When it lasted for 2 months, the skin on my yoni became very itchy and inflamed, red, a little swollen and very raw looking. the skin was sort of shiny looking. the irritated area slowly moved around~ it spread downward, but the little cut stayed the whole time. it occasionally bled. the skin around the split becomes sort of whitish and pasty, like theres a little film or something. theres maybe a little extra discharge but nothing note worthy or smelly. So its back again and im scared that it will happen again but mostly i wan to know, has anyone else ever experienced this??? what is this little cut? ive been to a handful of gynos and none can seem to diagnose it. 2 midwives ive seen dont have a clue what it is. please help me help my yoni!! thanks!


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## supakitty (Mar 6, 2002)

Someone really needs to consider Lichen Sclerosis as a possible diagnosis.

Oops, wrong link!

Fixed:

http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info...lerosus_ff.asp


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## koalove (Apr 18, 2007)

Wow ive never heard of that. I looked at some pics of it and some look similar but theres no scaring or crusting or pus filled papules. i wonder how thats diagnosed and why nobody has ever mentioned it to me in the past at a dr. appt. thanks for that link!


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## Braann (Feb 1, 2005)

Do you use disposable pads/tampons or cloth? I used to get the same little cut thing. it got progressively worse, to where I was having the same itchy, burning rashiness. Then I switched to cloth and I have not had a problem with it anymore.
I hope that helps!


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## ASusan (Jun 6, 2006)

lichen sclerosis popped into my head, too.


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## watermamma (Dec 29, 2003)

It really does sound like lichen sclerosis. You will not always have scaring or changes in structure in earlier years. Mine was caught fairly early and a hallmark of the condition is years of sufferering and misdiagnosis by repeated doctors.

I am using the standard steriod cream (5 percent) and am having wonderful relief - I am normal again! Ther is hope and don't let some of the internet stories scare you.

Please see your doc or even better a vulva specialist. One site that I found helpful was www.members.tripod.com/~shanmd/lichen.html. Good luck to you and hope you find relief soon!


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## Amila (Apr 4, 2006)

I have GH and sometimes it resembles a papercut or split in the skin.


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## koalove (Apr 18, 2007)

Do you think this is what it could be even though it is usually short lived (except for that last episode) and only happens a few times a year? It used to be almost every month when i was younger but now its just a few times a year. For those that have had it, can you get it wothout having those little white blister things described on the websites?


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## supakitty (Mar 6, 2002)

Could it possibly be herpes lesions? Usually they are very painful but itching can also be the only presenting symptom. Was that checked already?

-Laura


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## koalove (Apr 18, 2007)

yes, i tested negative for herpes and yeast. the gyno told me to go see a dermatologist. It also lasts much longer than herpes ever does, and never has the inital small blisters. How would one test for bv? i wonder why the gynos never suggested that? urgh, its so frusterating! i dont want my yoni to have issues!


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## koalove (Apr 18, 2007)

amila~ what is GH?


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## supakitty (Mar 6, 2002)

It doesn't sound at all like BV. It really does sound like lichen sclerosis. I can't tell you how many doctors will miss this diagnosis because they just don't think of it.

-Laura


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## koalove (Apr 18, 2007)

so supakitty~ do i just go to the gyno and ask them to do a biopsy? what if she says no, i dont think thats what it is? do i demand it? can i demand it? what is the biopsy like? ive hav my cervix biopsied in the past but the skin of my yoni? ouch!!! do i have to have an active problem at the time of the biopsy or can it be done any time? the more reading i do the more i agree. that last long lasting "attack" ended up also giving me little tiny cuts around my anus also that bled sometimes. is that consistant with the symptoms of LS?


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## ASusan (Jun 6, 2006)

My lichen sclerosis cleared up, I think.

It was DX by my gyn. He sent me to a specialist, who I saw 4 mos later, and who said he didn't think I had it, but prescribed a steroid anyway. (or maybe my gyn prescibed the steroid, I can't remember anymore) I used it. However, during the 4 month wait, I was taking plaquenil for lupus. I read on one of the links posted above that plaquenil is used to treat lichen sclerosis.

I also started acupuncture during the 4 month wait. SOMETHING - plaquenil, acupuncture, steroid, Chinese herbs... - helped the lichen sclerosis go away.


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## Amila (Apr 4, 2006)

Genital Herpes


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## koalove (Apr 18, 2007)

doh! right. sorry. gh=genital herpes. ill file that one away! thanks


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## ReadingMama (Mar 13, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ASusan* 
My lichen sclerosis cleared up, I think.

It was DX by my gyn. He sent me to a specialist, who I saw 4 mos later, and who said he didn't think I had it, but prescribed a steroid anyway. (or maybe my gyn prescibed the steroid, I can't remember anymore) I used it. However, during the 4 month wait, I was taking plaquenil for lupus. I read on one of the links posted above that plaquenil is used to treat lichen sclerosis.

I also started acupuncture during the 4 month wait. SOMETHING - plaquenil, acupuncture, steroid, Chinese herbs... - helped the lichen sclerosis go away.

Wow, happy to find this thread. Right now my diagnosis is vulvar dystrophy -not otherwise specified, but my gyn thinks it's most likely lichen sclerosis. I have no labia minora, just two white lines that don't rub off. He said I have a little clitoral fusing too. I have developed some tiny painful tears in the "rim" at the top of my labia majora this past year. I'm sure it's due to lessened elasticity of the skin due to the probable LS. It does feel like a papercut and occasionally there is a tiny smear of blood. I also have the redness and irritation and sometimes itching of the vulva due to having vulvar dystrophy. Steroid cream is what's recommended, but it burned when I used it, so I stopped...

I am so glad to hear that Plaquanil is used for LS because I just started it 3 months ago for Crohn's arthritis (Crohn's is autoimmune.) OP, do you have any autoimmune diseases? (I also have sebo-psoriasis.)


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## Village Mama (Jul 22, 2004)

Just as a possibility to put out there...I have psoriasis that presented in this way. Do you have any other skin related issues anywhere else on your body?


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## supakitty (Mar 6, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *koalove* 
so supakitty~ do i just go to the gyno and ask them to do a biopsy? what if she says no, i dont think thats what it is? do i demand it? can i demand it? what is the biopsy like? ive hav my cervix biopsied in the past but the skin of my yoni? ouch!!! do i have to have an active problem at the time of the biopsy or can it be done any time? the more reading i do the more i agree. that last long lasting "attack" ended up also giving me little tiny cuts around my anus also that bled sometimes. is that consistant with the symptoms of LS?

Sorry for the delayed response, I am in Maine on vacation. To answer your question I think if you mention the possibility of a biopsy then it makes it evident that it's what you want and most HCP's would be foolish to ignore that. Your symptoms sound like LS but could also be other problems that would be diagnosed by biopsy.


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## NoliMum (Jan 18, 2007)

Oh my GOD I thought I was the only one.

I have not had any blisters or anything, just those tiny little papercuts, like the skin just split a little. I have not had any bleeding. It itches like crazy but doesn't hurt. And once in awhile I will look down and I have some thickish discharge, but no foul odor or anything- usually the discharge only lasts a day or two at a time.

I've had this happen to me maybe a handful of times in my life, from before my periods began until now, at 24. This is the first time it's happened in a LONG time, although I have had several unexplained episodes of itchiness in the last year.

I don't have insurance, so the last time my yoni was checked for anything was during pregnancy, 2.5 years ago. I tested negative to any STDS they checked for, and haven't had a change in partner since.

Oh I also have a couple dime-sized dry patches on my arms that are hardly visible. Related?


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## SleepyMamaBear (Jun 5, 2005)

omg the last post sounds just like ME! seriously, is this lichen?


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## NoliMum (Jan 18, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *NoliMum* 
Oh my GOD I thought I was the only one.

I have not had any blisters or anything, just those tiny little papercuts, like the skin just split a little. I have not had any bleeding. It itches like crazy but doesn't hurt. And once in awhile I will look down and I have some thickish discharge, but no foul odor or anything- usually the discharge only lasts a day or two at a time.

I've had this happen to me maybe a handful of times in my life, from before my periods began until now, at 24. This is the first time it's happened in a LONG time, although I have had several unexplained episodes of itchiness in the last year.

I don't have insurance, so the last time my yoni was checked for anything was during pregnancy, 2.5 years ago. I tested negative to any STDS they checked for, and haven't had a change in partner since.

Oh I also have a couple dime-sized dry patches on my arms that are hardly visible. Related?

But then I read this, and I don't have any of these symptoms:
_Lichen sclerosus et atrophicus (LSA) is a chronic skin disease characterized by white, flat papules with an erythematous halo and black, hard follicular plugs. In advanced cases, the papules tend to coalesce (blend) into large, white patches of thin, itchy skin.

Lesions often occur on the torso and, almost invariably, in the anogenital (relating to both the anal and the genital) regions. In the latter case, the disease is called kraurosis vulvae._


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## ReadingMama (Mar 13, 2007)

Nolimum,

I don't have the symptoms you just posted either-although I do have normal looking skin that is whitish in two areas. There are no "plugs" or anything black at all. I do have the reddish irritation with some itching, but the only pain I have is upon penetration. My gyn just told me that my vaginal opening is narrowed due to scar tissue (most likely from the constant inflammation)-so that explains that.

The thing to remember about lichen sclerosis is that it mostly happens in older (peri- or post-menopausal) women. It does occur in younger women sometimes, but mostly in older women. So the probability that it's something other than LS is high, IMO.


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