I've had an itchy and burning vulva for at least a couple of weeks now. The itch went away for a day but then I masturbated and it came back. It's bearable, but even so it's highly annoying. I've been checking myself down there--vulva looks red but not so red, no discharge, no strange lesions except for two VERY small white lumps that look like minuscule whiteheads, but one has been there for a long time. No odor. I haven't had sex recently so no STI (unless I got them from sitting at a bathroom) and no pain when urinating (actually urinating helps relieve the itch). Gyn says it's irritation, gave me nappy rash cream, but I'm, you know, willing to listen to any advice. It's hot here (like, hot weather), I haven't shaved (could my own pubic hair be irritating me?) and I'm cutting down on the use of soap. I haven't gone to GYN because I have been solving problems with ovarian cysts with him and am also working with therapy for anxiety (could that be a cause too?) and therapy for a pain in my lower back. I'm willing to listen to opinions before GYN. Help?
It could be the beginnings of vulvodynia. In which case you need to be very careful that it doesn’t get worse. Does your vulva feel painful to touch?
Not really, only left side and it's more like burning.
saw pictures though and their lesions look white. Mine are not discolored.
Update: it moved to the left side and it feels like there is some sort of eczema skin on that side. Problem is I can't see a thing.
It doesn’t have to be white, mine wasn’t at first, and more silvery.
The burning is a classic symptom of vulvodynia. But it get worse when touched. The test is to get a cotton bud and touch it on the affected area. If the touch is felt as pain (the burning gets worse) then the nerves are hypersensitive and hyperactive. That is Vulvodynia. However, there is provoked vulvodynia where touch is sensed as pain and unprovoked where there is the burning sensation all the time. Vulvodynia will get worse with prolonged sitting, sex and exercise. You really should avoid sex and masturbation as this can make it worse.
There is nothing visible with vulvodynia
I touched it with a bud and it feels more or less the same. I have to say, though, that I trimmed my pubic hairs so I could see more clearly my vulval skin and that seems to have helped relieve the burning a bit.