vaginal discharge - thick white, not a yeast infection - aff

I have had this for about 5 years now. I have the white discharge and bad itch. The only thing that really helps the symptoms oddly enough is taking primerose or spearmint capsules. Maybe some others can try this and see what kind of response you get? Anyway, this leads me to believe that maybe this is hormonal (my hair is also thinning) or that this is thickening the tissue down there so that it doesnt itch. By the way, I BELIEVE this all started maybe a month after receiving oral sex...

Thank you so much for posting. I also got this a week after oral. And I also lost a lot of hair. At first I thought it was stress from all of this, but now I am thinking it is from the infecting organism, such as H. Pylori. That can cause vitamin deficiencies, and so much more. Please check for H. Pylori. I will also be testing for this. Thanks again and please let us know.

Thank you so much for your reply! That is very helpful information. Yes, there are theories about H. Pylori being transmitted sexually. After a year of suffering with this and tons of tests, many of which I requested on my own after much research (all being negative), I began to think about the organisms that reside in the mouth. H. Pylori was my first thought since it does damage to epithelial tissue in the intestines, which is similar to the tissue in the vagina. And after searching, I saw that there are theories about this. But I guess unless you have a burning vagina, there is not much incentive to really get the bottom of it. It also causes chronic inflammation which would explain many of the symptoms we are having. Also, the increase in lactobacillus. Lactobacillus exist to fight unwanted organisms which are doing damage. It is logical that they would overgrow (lactobacilliosis/CV) in order to attempt to kill the pathogen and restore the vagina to its normal state. It would also explain why most people say they got a little better with an antibiotic, but then it came back. Because there is a bacteria, probably H. Pylori, which is susceptible to the antibiotic, but the medication simply wasn't strong enough to kill it. H. Pylori requires triple therapy for an expended time for complete eradication. Also, partners should be treated to prevent reinfection. And H. Pylori is not one of the bacteria tested in the vaginitis panel. One thing is for sure, there is some type of pathogen there, we just don't know what it is. No amount of vitamins, or baking soda douche is going to kill such a strong bacteria. 

Thanks again and please keep us posted! Adriana

Have you been tested for this? Or have you had anything help? I don’t have any burning or itching, I only have super thick discharge that dries me out with a sour swell and taste. I’m so depressed and have tried every home remedy in the book.

Hello,

If you don't have any burning or itching, then it's probably not this. But it could be. We are still trying to figure out what it is. I think most of us have irritation and burning where the discharge touches the skin. At least for me, that is a major part of this. Have you had all the tests done and everything is negative as well?

I have taken these medicines, in this order, trying to troubleshoot. 1 diflucan, flagyl, ciproxin, doxycycline for 28 days, penicillin for 2 weeks. I gave a couple months between each medication. None helped at all except the penicillin. It cleared up about 95% with the penicillin the first week and I was shocked and ecstatic. However, the second week it gradually came back. But it wasn't as bad. And the prickly "cuts" feeling inside never came back. So it must have healed something during these 2 weeks. I also started taking a probiotic called PB8 as soon as I finished the Penicillin, as I saw it recommended to someone by a doctor. I have taken 2 each day for almost 2 months, and I do believe that this is holding it back. However it is still there. Little discharge, irritation and very little swelling. Obviously there is something wrong.

There are bacteria that are not included in the vaginitis panel. Many actually. None of the aerobic, such as strep A and B and staph, are included, nor mycoplasma/ureaplasma. So I'm sure there are many others that I haven't discovered yet on my research journey. To my knowledge, I have been tested for anything that could be considered a vaginal pathogen.

BV is considered as Gardnerella. But we don't know how many other anaerobic bacteria there are. Maybe they only test for Gardnerella. When I ask, they just say, if there is anything there, the test will find it. But that's not true. H Pylori and other bacteria are not tested for in those tests. Most doctors are just on autopilot. Doing the standard tests and not making much of an effort to think and analyze.

For example, prevotella spp. seems to have many likely characteristics that could be causing our symptoms. I don't know if they even checked for that in the tests.
Here is an excellent article. Actually this site is exceptional. It states in the article: "Prevotella can produce collagenase, neuraminidase, deoxyribonuclease, haparinase and proteases."
Apparently some of these can irritate the epithelial tissue. It is also found in the mouth which might explain why some of us got this infection after oral. I'm currently leaning toward this or a similar anaerobic bacteria as the cause.
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Recently I have read that several women who were suffering with BV for months and even years took Clindamycin and had full a recovery, even when flagyl and other medications didn't work. Apparently, Clindamycin is a commonly given medication for vaginitis. I think at this point, we will only be able to do a "shot gun" type of treatment, as individual tests are difficult and expensive, and more importantly, there are probably pathogens that have not yet been recognized by the medical community, hence our continued suffering. I will try the Clindamycin next as soon as I can get it. And if that doesn't work, then Augmentin, which makes me extremely nauseated and sick. I hope I wont have to resort to that. Then there is always the brutal H. Pylori treatment of 2 or 3 medications at once. That kills even the strongest of bacteria.

(I was recently tested for H. Pylori via stool sample, and it was negative. I'm not sure if I could still have it vaginally though, since there is no test for that.)

I will keep you all posted as soon as I know anything valuable. I will never forget to post here if something finally works or I discover what has been causing this, I promise.

Sincerely,
Adriana

Can you tell us which antibiotic she gave you? Thanks!

Which antibiotic was it? We are dying to find a cure for this. Thanks.

Thank you, Adriana for posting so much information! I will follow this here and read it with great interest. I have some new information myself. Try to post some day soon!
Katy

IT IS A GLUTEN SENSITIVITY! STAY AWAY FROM GLUTEN. NO DOCTOR WILL TELL YOU THIS BC THEY DONT KNOW OR DONT CARE TO EXPLORE. AVOID GLUTEN FOR A WEEK AND TRUST ME

Hello!

My problems have been going on for 7 months now. The tests were all okay, no sexually transmitted diseases, no yeast, no bacteria. In short, over the half a year, I visited almost 10 doctors. Mostly I experienced misunderstanding, humiliation, no one could understand ... This story is actually very long.
My symptoms are: constant burning at the vaginal opening (usually the whole day, but ok at night), strange discharge (thick, slimy, sticky, irritating, sometimes white, sometimes yellowish, sour smell, very sore feeling all the time). I hate that discharge, it does not come out, but sticks in my vagina opening and irritates my skin.
One doctor diagnosed cytolytic vaginosis, another doctor diagnosed vulvodynia - I believe that both are partly correct, but not the root cause of the problem.
Now in May (2018) my vaginal analysis showed that there is a bacterium called Klebsiella Oxytoca. Was this bacterium root cause? Or did I get it some time later some doctor’s office? This analysis (the bacteria search from vaginal secretion - I do not know how it is in English) was done repeatedly earlier, but in the past it was always OK. Maybe a lot depends on the doctor who is taking the sample?
Anyway, Augmentin was prescribed to me (875 mg 2 x daily). I did not dare to start right away because I have digestive problems along with vaginal problems. I have loose stools in mornings and bloating. I think it’s SIBO because the gastroenterologist did not find anything else through the analyzes. There is no SIBO test in our country and they probably will not treat it either. I have a Helicobacter too, but the gastroenterologist considered it to be insignificant…
I tried to treat my vagina with a medicine called Donaxyl (dequalinium chloride). Otherwise, this drug is called I think Fluomizin. Did not help ... using it was painful and burned even more from the outside.
After that I went to a doctor again and the analysis showd now that there is no bad bacteria!? But the symptoms were still there. Therefore, I think you can not believe the analysis...
I tried all sorts of natural things (coconut oil, oregano oil ...). Nothing ... My vagina is not like mine anymore. This constant burning drives my head just crazy. I am afraid that the doctors do not notice, and I have actually kind of serious illness ... such thoughts come to my mind all the time ...
Now, however, I started taking Augmentin. I do not know if it will help. It's only the second day.
I have the same guy for 18 years. I love him so much. We had a very good and spontaneous sexual life in the past. Now it's missing. We have been in intercourse, but after that I have burning sensation in vagina opening. The skin in the vagina opening is soooo sore.
And in the old days, I did not even think that I have a vagina. I miss those days with all my heart.
Let me know if you find a solution! I will too!
Katy

I forgot to add, I have done Clindamycin 3 days treatment. Vaginal suppositories - did not help me at all. After this treatment, this Klebsiella appeared.

Hi Katy,

I'm so sorry you're going through this. I completely understand your pain as I experienced the same severity of your symptoms for a very long time. I, too, have seen so many conventional doctors and specialists and no one seemed to be able to pinpoint what it was or where it was coming from. I've had the same vagina for 30-something years and there was no way that itching, burning, thick, sticky discharge was "normal".

As I've stated in my previous posts, I'm almost certain this is diet and digestive system related. It wasn't until I cleaned up my diet, eliminated inflammatory foods (for me they were dairy, sugar, gluten, alcohol) and started incorporating probiotics and other supplements to heal my gut, that I began to experience relief. I also found a knowledgeable functional medicine doctor who has helped me along this journey of healing.

Although I'm not cured (I still consume foods I know will make my itch and cause inflammation - they taste so good!) I'm a lot better than where I was a year ago. I no longer itch, I still have some discharge, but it's not as thick and pasty as before (it's more silky, like watered down lotion), and I don't have the burning sensation anymore. I can have sex again and generally I feel better all around. I believe that once I heal my gut, this will no longer be an issue for me.

I commend you on holding off on taking the antibiotics because it destroys the beneficial bacteria in the gut and causes all kinds of problems as you can see. I used to have the diarrhea and bloating you described as well even without taking antibiotics, but I thought it was just a part of getting older. I had no idea that I was dealing with leaky gut.

You may want to consider going on an elimination diet for 30 days and get a good quality probiotic to restore your gut health. See where things are in 30 days and then go from there.

Best wishes to you {{HUGS}}

Yep, I've been saying this. This is tied to our diets. As long as I stay away from gluten, dairy, sugar, grains and alcohol, my symptoms are lessened.

Hi Phoebe,

Thank you for returning to this forum. I will also do so periodically, and of course as soon as I find out what this is. As I have always said, I think you and I absolutely have the same thing. Just as you, the discharge has become thinner, and more smooth, creamy white. And it's not as irritating as before. I usually forget that there's a problem until I look down there during the day and see the discharge pooled up in the opening. But there is still definite redness and slight swelling where the discharge has been sitting. I shower again at night and then sleep, and when I get up, it's almost normal pink, but as the day goes by, the redness and irritation begins again.

For me, this began a week after a traumatic incident that caused extreme stress, anxiety and upset. And then on top of it, the chronic anxiety of the vaginal infection which has been ongoing to this day. I'm wondering if that may be correlated. I read that extreme stress can affect hormones, lowering the progesterone. And low progesterone can cause discharge and vaginal irritation. I will be testing for all hormone levels soon. I will also get PCR of all tests that are available.

The greatest sudden reduction of symptoms was when I started the Penicillin about 4 months ago. I was just really relaxed when I started it because I thought I had finally found the answer. (which was, if it's cytolytic vaginosis, kill the lactobacillus that are overgrowing to get everything back in balance). I also could not even tell I was taking an antibiotic. I had no adverse reactions whatsoever. The first week it cleared up about 90% and then the second week it was coming back slightly. But it never came back like it was before and has maintained the same level as it is now. I also started taking a probiotic (PB8) at that time, as soon as I finished the Penicillin. So it could be that I was just so much more relaxed, positive and optimistic, which reduced the symptoms and then the probiotic has helped to maintain it. Or it could actually be an unknown bacteria that was susceptible to the Penicillin and probiotics, but was not able to be completely eradicated. Or maybe it's all stress and anxiety induced. It's just so mind-boggling and frustrating to not know exactly what is causing this.

I think the leaky gut and diet may very likely be correlated, but I still don't think it's the actual cause of this vaginal problem.

Phoebe, did you happen to have a stressful event or were you under a lot of stress right before this happened? Have you had the hormone panel tests?

Thank you,
Adriana

Hi Adriana, I'm happy to hear that you've experienced a reduction in your symptoms. That's awesome! What a relief to find something that has worked for you, even if it's not a cure just yet. I hope things continue to get better for you :)

In response to your questions, I manage my stress pretty well. I wasn't under any unusually high amount of pressure or stress prior to this happening. If anything, the anxiety and frustration came when I couldn't get rid of my symptoms and determine the root cause of what was going on. Itching, swelling, and copious amounts of discharge despite your best efforts to keep it under control would stress anyone out I'm sure.

For me, this is related to my digestive health so that's all I am able to speak on. I've had the metabolic panel and hormone testing done and my numbers were a little off. With leaky gut, the body has difficulty absorbing and assimilating nutrients needed for proper functioning. This has had adverse effects on my endocrine system. I am supplementing with vitamins for thyroid support while I continue to heal my gut.

I'm expecting this to take some time, but I'm better off today than a I was a year ago and I no longer have the itching, swelling or burning that I used to have. Now if I can just get everything back into balance so that my body isn't producing too much of the good bacteria (lactobacillus), I'll be all set. For me it's staying away from inflammatory foods and populating my gut with diverse strains of bacteria with fermented veggies and quality probiotics, and taking supplements to heal and seal my gut.