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Hopefully someone has some advice. I have been riding for more than 20 years and now I can not ride anymore due to burning in my crotch area, skin around the vagina and in the area where the nose of the saddle meets skin. I am not sure if it is a yeast infection or not but nothing seems to help. Not riding has not really helped either. I have tried both yeast creams and cortisone creams with no real relief.
Any ideas are greatly appreciated.:)
How old are you? Seriously - we get "environmental changes" at menopause.
Have you been - dare I say it - to a doctor?
(I know women are divided into 2 distinct camps - those who go to gynecologists at the drop of a ... and those who give it a few more days/ a week or two/ we'll see what happens *next* month like me. But they have seen it all before - both "it" and the pathological phenomena. And maybe there is someone from TE in your area who could recommend one)
I'm no expert btw. My limits are parsley tea in great quantities or a clove of garlic "up there" (and don't forget the "tail" of embroidery cotton!).
thanks for the advice but at 35 I am not going through menopause yet. Yes I have been to my PCP who basically says "time off the bike" which has not helped. Any other ideas.
:confused:
at night i use a progesterone cream I got at GNC. you use it 3 weeks on, one week off.
I also use a teatree oil cream and soap with great success, either before or after a ride; and every morning when the skin is irritated.
HTH,
Two things to check are saddle height and saddle type. I rode with a terry butterfly for years and then had this problem. If the saddle is too high, your crotch is sawed over at every pedal stroke. Was the bike recently adjusted and perhaps returned to the wrong height? Saddles also wear out, break down, etc. I fixed the problem with a brooks finesses saddle. I found I prefer the firm support, but had to be sure to level the nose only which means the rear is higher than the front to avoid urethral pressure. Lastly are you using chamois cream (I like chamois butter, you can order it from TE).
I would DEFINITELY go to a gynocologist to have that checked out- might well be an infection of some type, and your PCP is probably not the most knowledgeable in that particular field.
I hate to ask personal questions but here it goes - are you by chance taking birth control pills? If so, they can cause the thin and delicate tissues in your groin/labia/vagina to tear easily and in turn cause pain and burning (my gyno likened it to hundreds of tiny paper cuts). It may not be a yeast infection but vaginitis. It might well be worth a trip to the gyno to have it checked out and diagnosised. It took me 4 different doctors to finally have my problem properly diagnosed. I now use an estrogen suppository every other night along with a prescription ointment that helps to reduce the inflammation.
Good luck and keep us posted.
yea I vote go to the Doc too. It is not good to mess with stuff down there.
I agree with all the suggestions to go and see a doctor.
Also, do not use soap to wash your genital area - soap is drying and can promote further irritation. My suggestion would be sorbolene and glycerine cream as a soap substitute.
What are your knicks like? Sometimes the chamois can get compacted with wear and instead of providing a layer of protection, it can act like sandpaper and chafe the area.
Also, might be helpful to take such info to the doc such as:
When in your cycle (pre or post ovulation, during your period, etc.) is this happening?
Could be hormonal changes that are causing it.
Just my $.02.
I would just like to say I'm glad I was not eating when I opened this thread (who could resist that subject line?). A HUNDRED TINY PAPER CUTS IN YOUR VAGINA?? Makbike please thank your gyno for putting that image into my brain, now I will never, ever escape it. I think I need to go lie down.
And never get on my bike again.
So our brains really are in our ....!
Gives new meaning to the concept "Micro-calligraphy"
Aren't you being a little thin-skinned?Quote:
Originally Posted by EBD
(oops poor choice of words maybe....) :eek: :D