Period related boils? What's going on?

I used to get boils around my underarms. It made wearing bras SUPER UNCOMFORTABLE. lately, I've been getting them on my waist line. And right now, I have one that developed on my bikini line. It's been painful to sit all day! It appeared yesterday...8 was just in the bathroom getting ready to get in the shower, and it popped. Imagine that, I'm on my period...

These are like period bump that some have occur on their face when cycle is near or do we just have them in varioys areas below mine every month inner thigh , usually only leaves a bruise if squeezed or agitated in some way, but since "period bumps" are relatively normal doctors arent concerned but if it becomes big or painful a hot tea bag will soothe it and bring it to a head to burst quickly.

It definitely does put my mind at ease to know that Im NOT the only woman suffering from this. because seriously just like freaking clockwork about a week before I start my period I am guaranteed to get 4-5 boils on my inner thighs and pantyline. what I use is Preparation H ointment. it brings it to a head within 12 to 24 hours. There is obviously some type of hormonal issue here. It may have not been studied but here we are with how many women having the same problem?I just want to know how to make it stop because its gross and there's nothing sexy about it. Luckily my Husband is understanding about it and not totally grossed out and repulsed by me when they flare up.

If the ovaries stay and only uterus is taken then you will still have hormones that are regulated by the ovaries! so ask dr about that.

Yes, ladies it seems to me it's the products we're using no certain brand either . You think about the chemical use to soak in blood by the grams what affect to our bodies . I've been there but the solution was i use tissue and no break out

I’ve had boils on and off for about ten years now. I’ve had them in my arm pits, on my love handles, on my butt cheeks, in my groin/panty line area, on my back, on the back of my neck, my chin, the top and sides of my nose, and on my thighs. I’ve even had a pilonidal cyst, and if you’ve never had one of those, pray that you never do. It has been four years and I still have tunnels in my butt crack from where it drained (it literally looks like something small tunneled through the skin—there are openings and everything). They cause purple scars that can sometimes fade over many months or years, and thus far I have gathered the following information: 1. They seem to be worse now that I am on a birth control with higher progesterone. When I was on Yaz and even when I had the Mirena IUD, I rarely got them. Now I get them all the time, every period, 5-7 days before, like clockwork. They can last anywhere from 2-12 days. 2. They are hereditary. 3. This condition is called HS (it’s spelled out in comments above) and there is basically no treatment or preventative measures you can take. 4. I got them a lot less when I didn’t wear underwear. 5. They’ve gotten worse as I’ve gained weight. Smoking, quitting, then smoking again, and again quitting again seemed to have no effect. 6. My go-to treatment is PRID and Boil-Ease. PRID is in a small orange tin, it smells like c**p and looks like something you would scrape out of a sewer, but it works. It is a natural drawing salve and helps to bring the boil to a head. The Boil-Ease is a topical pain relief. I never stay the night anywhere without these two items. The boils are most tolerable when I take Ibuprofen. (If you’re looking for PRID, I found it at Meijer in Michigan. I haven’t had to look for it in California yet, as I’ve had the same tin for four years. It lasts. I smear them both on a band aid and slap that on, removing old band aids before a shower and replacing them afterwards. Hot compresses or hot baths also help and are highly recommended, especially with Epsom Salts. I will be following this feed to see if any of y'all ever have any success with any preventative measures. My periods are bad enough and these are just icing on the already hellish cake, and they prevent me from having sex for like two weeks out of every month because “OH MY GOD YOU FORGOT NOT TO RUB AGAINST THIS RANDOM PART OF MY SKIN!” is not something my husband is keen to hear.

Ok.. ladies.. I completely know what you are going through. I finally saw a naturopath and his protocol is the ONLY thing that helped me. It's not an overnight process but I'll spell it out for you. You will need to totally detox your system. Here is what I did soak in a bath with 1 cup epson salt. During 3 days a month do an apple fast, yes that's right you only eat apples.. preferably organic.. I would peel the apples if I could not get organic, and I would blend them with water.. I have to say that 3 full days of only eating apples is not my favorite, but he explained that the apple pectin detoxes the body .. the first two days that you do the apple fast take a FULL tablespoon of organic virgin olive oil and the 3rd day drink a FULL cup of virgin olive oil.. this will flush the liver (where the toxins are stored). If possible do a colonic cleansing if not at least do a home enema. Whenever the boils appear drink a cup of olive oil, soak in a HOT bath with epson salt and take 2 turmeric capsules. I would get boils every month right when the British (red coats) arrived for over one year. Every month I would do the apple fast as described above for 3 days, and I would at least do 2 enema at home. I've now been boil free for 8 months. I hope this helps

It has nothing to do with hygiene, you have been getting them at such a young age I am pretty sure that it is Hidradenitis suppurativa, which is what I have. It is your hormones and there is no cure. I keep ranging from 4 to 8 boils at a time and have had them for 16 years. They will give you antibiotics which due help for a period of time but is not good to stay on them. Swabs can be done to depend on what bacterial infection it is from because there is also MSDS which is contagious. I have learned to lance them myself. I have also found it helpful to bath in apple cider vinegar with the "mother" which you can get at any health food store, campho-phenique which is for cold sores but helps as a numbing agent and dries out the infection, and PRID homeopathic salve "small orange jar found at walmart" that also helps as a numbing agent and helps bring the boil to a head to pop so the pressure will be relieved. It helps to keep large band aids to cover the wound because the more it is agitated the worse it will become. I am not a doctor, just have been living with the pain for so many years.

This has happened to me for a few years now. Not sure why it happens a few days before my cycle so I keep myself clean and be thankful when it burst. I also use ice for the pain it helps alot.

I am happy to c other woman is going thru the same thing mines come when I'm about to come on every month for a year now. And I'm just tired of it. Mines come between my vagina and my butt and I just got fed up with this whole thing I just don't know what's going on its scary to me

Same as you all have one now Hurts so bad how do I get rid of it

I got them in my armpit around my period. My dr says its mrsa and that it would go away with Bactrim. She gave me two rounds of it and it keeps coming back and now I have one on my vagina and it's so painful. I now don't have insurance but taking all those antibiotics didn't help anyways so why go back for more BS

Since I started menstruation at 9 years old, I’ve had a problem that I never even told my mum about. About a week before my period I get a boil on my vagina area that is very painful and gets bigger and bigger as the days pass.

Eventually it either bursts and releases pus and blood, or it just goes down. This will always happen by the time my period is over. Over the years it has come and gone, sometime being as big as an egg. I used to use a sterilised needle and prick it to get relief from it.

The skin around the area is awful, there is a lot of scarring

I’ve seen many doctors, they usually give me antibiotics, and tell me it’s an inflamed hair follicle, but this never made any sense to me because it was always around my period, which makes me believe it’s hormonal.  No-one has ever really questioned it further and folliculitis has been the reason written in my medical notes. A few years back a doctor told me to stop shaving as it was probably the problem.

I used hair removing cream and the problem still existed. The doctor then told me to stop removing hair full stop which I did and the problem was still there.

Over the past few months, there has been a big change.

3 months ago, the boil did not go down by the end of my period. 2 months ago another boil came up right next to the other one, and didn’t go down either.

I started searching online  for ideas of what it could be and a discussion on a women’s health site made me look into hidradenitis suppurativa. As I was reading the experiences from other women, I felt like someone had written my story down. I went to my doctor, and said I suspected this condition and that these 2 boils are very painful.

He said that HS usually appears in the armpits and he hasn’t heard of it being in the vagina area before. He gave me some antibiotics and sent me on my way. I didn’t ask him to have a look, as I still don’t like being examined by a male doctor.

Well I finished the course last week and not only were they still there, but they were now open wounds. It hurt to wear underwear, and was really really itchy. To top it off another one has started forming as I’m due on my period soon.

I managed to get an appointment yesterday with a female doctor and walked in with no underwear on, lifted up my skirt and asked her what the hell was going on! She had a look, and then said I have HS.

I nearly cried with relief, finally someone has given me a name. She gave me some strong antibiotics that will help the ones I have, some magnese sulphate paste to dress the area, and then I have to take a long term course of antibiotics to see if it will kill the bacteria that causes HS to form. I’ve been given 2 months to start, and if it works then I will have another 4 months of the to take. She was glad to hear that I wash and dry the area with a different flannel/towel as she said while the condition is not catching, the pus can cause boils in other areas too.

When I asked her what would happen if the antibiotics doesn’t work, she said surgery. That shocked me so I came home last night and started to research this condition.

There is no cure.

Apparently it is always mis-diagnosed (as I know) and people feel too embarassed to speak about it, so there has not been any real research done into why people get it.

I’m really upset that there isn’t a cure, but I have found some treatment ideas on some of the support sites I have found. I will work my way through them to see if they will make a difference.

This has got me thinking about the potential results of my back and neck pain. It feels good to have a name, but what if there is no cure? I still think knowing what you have is better because you can try treatments that are supposed to work for your condition and can have a support network.

Here is the information from the British Skin Foundation

What is hidradenitis suppurativa?Hidradenitis suppurativa is a chronic and stubborn disease centred on inflammation of the large specialised sweat glands (apocrine glands) that are found mainly in the armpits and groins. These areas show a distinctive mixture of boil-like lumps, areas leaking pus, and scarring.What causes hidradenitis suppurativa?It is still not clear why the apocrine sweat glands are affected like this in some people, but mechanical blockage plays a part. As the secretions cannot escape, the tubes containing them may swell up and burst, or become infected.Contributory factors include the following:Hormones are involved in the control of apocrine sweat glands and certainly play a part in the disease. Hidradenitis suppurativa affects women more often than men. It does not start before puberty or after the menopause. It may get better during pregnancy, but is often worse before menstrual periods. Some patients do well with hormone treatments (see below).Bacteria play a part too, but a variety of germs, and not just one special type, is found in the spots. It is not clear whether they cause the disease, or just flourish within it.There may be a link with acne.

Is hidradenitis suppurativa hereditary?Hidradenitis suppurativa sometimes runs in families, and some patients or family members may also have had bad acne, or a chronic abscess at the base of the spine (a pilonidal sinus).What are the symptoms of hidradenitis suppurativa?Hidradenitis suppurativa can be itchy, but is usually painful, and the lumps hurt if they are pressed.What does hidradenitis suppurativa look like?The severity of hidradenitis suppurativa varies from person to person. The main areas to be affected are the armpits, and the skin around the genitals – in the pubic area and in the groins. The skin around the back passage, on the upper buttocks and thighs, and below the breasts, can give trouble too.In these areas, the skin shows a variable mixture of blackheads, red lumps looking like boils, pus spots, cysts, and areas that constantly leak pus (sinuses). The abscesses can even burrow into nearby structures. As time goes by, more and more scarring appears.How will hidradenitis suppurativa be diagnosed?The diagnosis is made clinically, taking into account the areas that are affected, and the look of the spots. Your doctor may take swabs from the area to see which type of germ is present.Can hidradenitis suppurativa be cured?No, it usually persists for many years, but may disappear eventually. Treatment usually helps even though it cannot switch the hidradenitis off once and for all.How can hidradenitis suppurativa be treated?There are many ways in which your doctor can help you with your hidradenitis suppurativa. In general terms, early hidradenitis suppurativa is usually treated medically, whereas hidradenitis suppurativa that has been going for a long time may need surgery:If hidradenitis suppurativa suddenly becomes worse: This may be due to an infection with ordinary germs of the types that infect cuts and grazes; so antibiotics such as flucloxacillin may be used as a short course.Frequent episodes of this type, with proven bacterial infection, usually mean that you have a sinus or abscess (see treatments below).Suppressive therapy:

Antibiotics by mouth, taken are long-term, help to suppress attacks. The ones that are used are the same ones used for acne – such as oxytetracycline. They are sometimes put on as topical applications.Other anti-acne drugs such as isotretinoin (vitamin A derived tablets) may help too, but have important side effects and are available only from dermatology departments.For women whose hidradenitis suppurativa flares before each period, tablets known as antiandrogens can be useful. The usual one is cyproterone acetate, 50 mg taken on days 5-15 of the menstrual cycle in conjunction with an oral contraceptive called Dianette. It cannot be used for anyone with a tendency to have high blood pressure or to form blood clots.If the disease is severe, stronger drugs including oral corticosteroids may be used but all carry the risk causing of side effects.

Treatment of scarred sinuses and abscesses:

Persistent discharge or infection in the same site usually means that the medical treatments listed above will not work, and surgical operations – either to remove small areas of repeated inflammation, or wider procedures to take away all the diseased glands – are needed in some cases. In general, hidradenitis of the armpits does better with surgery than hidradenitis in other sites.

What can I do? If you are too heavy, you will need to lose weight.As with many other diseases in skin folds, friction makes hidradenitis suppurativa worse, and should be avoided.You should wash with antiseptic soaps or bath additives.

Girls I hope this helps

I was diagnosed with this and I have the same problem I used to get them in my groin as well as my armpits. They recommended a surgery to remove the glands for this infection. I got it done in my underarms and it is the most painful recovery because of how deep they have to go. But to much happiness I haven't had one since in my underarms. But the horrible recovery has consisted me to never have the courage to do it in my groin thighs and butt. Glad to see people talking about this. My OBGYN has never shown concern about it. It took a dermatologist to recommend the surgery