Non-stop itching if I don't douche every 6~ weeks

[totalmessbelow]

Basically I need to douche about once every 6 weeks. If I don't, the area on the left or/and right of the vagina opening becomes extremely itchy for the next few days. Bathing doesn't seem to help much. Only douching makes the itch go away for the next few weeks.

I think it's the discharge from the vagina that is causing the itching, becomes the itching only occurs at opening of the vagina.

Oddly enough, there doesn't seem to be a constant smell when this happens. Some times it smells like cum, sometimes it's a bit fishy. Other times it smells like pee, like when someone pees on the toilet floor and leaves it there to dry up for a day. Once it smelled really bad. I don't know how to describe it but it just smelled really stale and awful. Thankfully that didn't last long. Several times it just doesn't smell like much either.

Has anyone else experienced this? Any suggestions on what I can do about it? I don't want to have to douche for the rest of my life 

[Cindy]

Go to the doctor for treatment for Thrush or something similar?

[Jenna Marie]

If it's external itching, there should be an external solution... but I second the recommendation for a doctor. It could be something as simple as a yeast infection. (Everyone has yeast living on their skin, but sometimes the yeast multiply uncontrollably and turn into an itchy uncomfortable situation, especially in warm moist areas. It's plausible that the runoff from douching might be accidentally killing off enough of them to relieve the itch for a while but not actually resolving the problem.)

[OU812]

I've heard so much conflicting (mis)information on douching. I can only relate what is practical for me.

My mother and I both need to douche on a daily or near-daily basis. Six weeks sounds like an incredibly long time to go without douching in my opinion. Our v's do not naturally secrete their own cleansing discharge. We need to help it along.

What works best for us both is a well-diluted Betadine mix (same as you use post-op. She used it long decades before I did.) If it looks slightly tinted, that's probably about right. There are really nice reusable bulb syringes on Amazon for under $10 each - just be meticulous about cleaning them before and after, and make sure they air-dry.

What doesn't work for my mother or I are white vinegar douches. Burning!! Also I don't believe it cleans as well. Betadine doesn't really leave any odor, either.

Before I got into the habit of douching daily, I was getting UTIs and hemorrhoids the more I dilated. I've read research papers describing how post-op v's actually contain 7+ yet undocumented strains of bacteria. The way I see it, if my mother needs to douche daily, there's every reason I would as well.

It's really easy to integrate douching into a shower routine. You can always use just a little bit of the betadine. (Also, goes without saying, but showering daily especially after bathroom functions is just a good principle for female health on its own!)

[Dena]

The last time I douched was about 34 years ago. In that time I had one UTI, possibly as the result of dehydration and one vaginal infection that was found while I was still healing from surgery. With my once weekly dilation, there is no odor other than that of the lubrication jelly that I use.