my crotch has been injured from riding

[butterflysaddle]

Thanks for the welcome!

And yes, I have a Terry saddle. I have had several professional bike fits. Think I'll request another one and just be honest with the guys at the shop about what my problem area is.

What should I do about the Chamois butter/Monistat stuff? What should I be putting in my shorts?

[butterflysaddle]

Also, is it possible to take too much acidopholus? I'm afraid I may be taking too much.

[Biciclista]

i don't put anything into my shorts except me. I do use chamois butter directly where I need it the most.

by "take acidophilis?" you mean orally. No, it's a food. i don't think you can take too much,well gallons of it?

[Lakerider]

I was having alot of crotch pain. I now have an "easy seat" and love it. Nothing touches the crotch!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Butterflysaddle-
At the risk of getting disagreed with....I'm going to suggest to you that perhaps you would benefit from eating more fresh fruits and vegetables and more protein in your diet.
When I was in my 20's I used to get lots of female problems including stubborn recurring yeast infections. My gynocologist kept giving me medicines and acidophilus etc, but it would keep coming back.
I went to a different gyno doctor- a very very OLD German woman doctor. After listening to my complaints she had me write down what I'd eaten for the past week as best I could. I had been eating mostly junk and processed convenience food. I was also smoking and drinking too much, which made things worse.
She then gave me a huge lecture about how my body would never be able to fight off these infections on its own until my diet improved a great deal. She gave me strict orders to eat 3 fresh fruits and 3 fresh veggies every day, and a certain amount of protein as well. She really laid into me and scared me into following her instructions! After that my yeast infections and other gyno problems went away and I think I've gotten one since then (I'm now 55).

In any case, I just thought I'd mention it as another weapon to battle yeast infections. Don't underestimate the health power of lots of good fresh produce and protein!

[shootingstar]

Butterflysaddle-
...When I was in my 20's I used to get lots of female problems including stubborn recurring yeast infections. My gynocologist kept giving me medicines and acidophilus etc, but it would keep coming back.
I went to a different gyno doctor- a very very OLD German woman doctor. After listening to my complaints she had me write down what I'd eaten for the past week as best I could. I had been eating mostly junk and processed convenience food. I was also smoking and drinking too much, which made things worse.
She then gave me a huge lecture about how my body would never be able to fight off these infections on its own until my diet improved a great deal. She gave me strict orders to eat 3 fresh fruits and 3 fresh veggies every day, and a certain amount of protein as well. She really laid into me and scared me into following her instructions! After that my yeast infections and other gyno problems went away and I think I've gotten one since then (I'm now 55).

In any case, I just thought I'd mention it as another weapon to battle yeast infections. Don't underestimate the health power of lots of good fresh produce and protein!

Very interesting, Bleeckerstgirl on how much whole foods (or eating foods closest to their natural state) can affect a women's internal functioning. A great message to spread to many other women.

Butterfly: Some of us are abit different in what we wear/do when we cycle for our own comfort. Do you always cycle with padded shorts/tights? If it's a shorter distance, you may not need to wear them, but must change panties after each ride.

+1 about making sure the saddle is properly positioned.

I agree about not wearing tight shorts or pants tight in the crotch after you ride. My jeans, dress pants and walking shorts are not skin tight in the crotch. I've wondered how some women can stand it, with super tight jeans..

[malkin]

I know people who swear by their vinegar drinks. Buy the health food store kind "with the mother."

[colby]

Butterflysaddle-
At the risk of getting disagreed with....I'm going to suggest to you that perhaps you would benefit from eating more fresh fruits and vegetables and more protein in your diet.
When I was in my 20's I used to get lots of female problems including stubborn recurring yeast infections. My gynocologist kept giving me medicines and acidophilus etc, but it would keep coming back.
I went to a different gyno doctor- a very very OLD German woman doctor. After listening to my complaints she had me write down what I'd eaten for the past week as best I could. I had been eating mostly junk and processed convenience food. I was also smoking and drinking too much, which made things worse.

I've heard this, too - eating a diet heavy in yeasty bread (especially white bread) and sugars just feeds yeast infections, encouraging MORE yeast to grow than you normally want to have around, and feeding it with lots of sugar. I think I saw it on "You Are What You Eat" where she of course takes a super-radical approach of diet change for 6 or 8 weeks, but I think some subtle changes might be a little easier to stomach.

[butterflysaddle]

You ladies are great with the advice!

I always wear clean shorts and always wear the padded shorts (mountain or road bike rides). I eat so many fruits and veggies, some would be disgusted to learn I like shredded carrots cooked in with my oatmeal. I could use more protein, though. I don't eat beef at all.

Do you guys think I should try Monistat and Chamois Butter or one over the other? I'm afraid the Chamois butter will hold in moisture making me more likely to get a yeast infection in the first place.

[Crankin]

Monistat and Chamois Butt'r have 2 different purposes. The Butt'r is for lubrication, to reduce friction. I would not recommend putting it on your girly parts; there are lots of threads about this.. I put it on my rear or in the crease of my legs. However, i have replaced it with Body Glide.
Monistat is for curing yeast infections. Are you talking about the cream that you can use on the "outside?" I use that AFTER a ride, when i am freshly showered, only if I am having a particular problem. You shouldn't be using the Monistat that is used internally every time you ride!
In the spring, I have sometimes have this issue. I get a UTI from riding a lot, ramping up my miles. Then, the cure for that gives me a yeast infection. Last year I had a BVI (the worst), too.
So, this year, I upped my yogurt intake in March. I had to use the external Monistat cream for a week or so; I thought i had an infection, but I went to the doc and it was just "itching." I am hyper vigilant about getting right out of my shorts; I ride with a group once a week and I always bring shorts to change into if there is a lunch at the end. No one else does, which surprises me. I wash my shorts in hot water and hang to dry. Things have been much better.
And I second the suggestion that it might be hormonally based.

[Triskeliongirl]

2 things to consider are saddle height and width.

I was having a terrible time on my terry butterfly, because it wasn't wide enough for my sit bones, so even with the cut-out, my soft tissues were supporting my body not my sit bones. Then, I had it a tad too high, so those tissues were getting sawed at with each pedal stroke. Not pretty.

For me, the solution was a Brookes Finesse Saddle, adsjuted so the nose is level, but that means the rear is quite a bit higher.

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Other stuff that has been mentioned like diet and hygeine is important too. For me, I got way less UTIs once I got my blood sugar under control. If you have sugar in your urine, that will encourage bacterial growth. I do swear by chamois butter, and even though I am pre-menopausal (or peri) estrogen levels do decline with age so I find it helps to use a vaginal estrogen cream once a week. Ask your doc to check your estrogen levels, and see if your soft tissues show signs of weakening estrogen.

[beccaB]

Back in the 80's it seems to me, that every time I went in the bike store the chamois shorts had real chamois in them, meaning the kind of sheepskin that comes from real sheep. I haven't seen any of those recently, and I wonder if it would help? I don't even know if those are made anymore, or if it would be prohibitively expensive. It seems like a natural material would alleviate some female issues. Also, I try to not get any soap directly onto that area when I shower, just because it might get irritating. I did a century yesterday, and I used chamois buttr for the first time. I think I am probably less chafed than I might have been, but I still fell like someone dragged me through the sand! Not on any real important parts, but where my underwear seams are hitting it today.

[sundial]

For me, the solution was a Brookes Finesse Saddle, adsjuted so the nose is level, but that means the rear is quite a bit higher.

Is this on your zippy bike? I am having problems with my Brooks Flyers S on my Roubaix. It seems that my zippy bike geometry means less comfort in the saddle. I've got the nose tilted down a wee bit( about 2 mm from level) and I feel the pressure on my wrists now.

[sarahspins]

An obvious question... are you wearing clean shorts every time you ride?

Also, don't discount the hormonal possibility just because you're younger.... as our hormone levels change during our cycles, it does leave our parts somewhat more susceptible to infections and with a lesser ability to heal if they already have one.. so your body may just not have enough change to catch up before it basically deals itself another blow (estrogen levels drop just before your period, and stay low through the first part of your cycle, so if you notice it getting worse around that time, it may be why). Estrogen supplementation may help, and it's something worth asking your doc about if nothing else seems to be helping.

I'm only 28 and I've had to use estrogen to fix things down there (not cycling related, but I was still miserable!).. so it happens