Vaginal Irritation / Burning Sensation

[stephb]

I have been using dilators for years, but only recently I have had a sort of stinging / burning sensation from using a dilator, not while it is inside but afterwards. My vagina felt itchy for a few days (no other symptoms) then eventually felt normal again. I then tried the dilator again and the same thing happened. I’m not sure what is causing this. Has anyone had this experience?

[mazemelissa]

Hi Stephb,

My first thought was to rule out an infection of some kind, maybe a low level yeast or bacterial infection can cause vaginal itching.

My other thought was about your hormone status, any change in hormones? Birth control, perimenopause, menopause? Lower levels of estrogen in the vagina can also cause itching and burning and supplementing the vagina/vulva with hormones can be really helpful.

I might also consider switching lubricants, and see if that changes anything for you.

Hope this helps.

Melissa

[recessivegenequeen]

All great suggestions Melissa! I’d definitely go to a doctor or gynecologist and rule out a yeast infection or something like that. In terms of lubes, I think water/silicone blends like Sliquid Naturals Silk is excellent and might work for you. I don’t recommend water-based lubes myself as they dry out so fast.

[stephb]

Thank you very much for your responses. It turned out to be some kind of allergic reaction to a new lubricant I was using as the problem stopped when I changed lubricants back to the one I was previously using.

[recessivegenequeen]

That’s great news! I have had issues and gotten UTIs with different/cheaper lubes so that is definitely a common problem. So glad you figured it out!

[Cathleen Kneidl, RPA-C]

So glad you were able to figure that out. All lubes are not created equally! The most common allergic reaction is to the silicone lubes because of their synthetic components. Glycerin and propylene glycol can also cause issues because of the higher osmolality (the given concentration relative to water) of the product. If the osmolality is high, the lubricant might pull water from the cells (e.g., the cells that make up the lining of the vaginal wall), causing the cells to shrivel, and this can lead to irritation.