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[harli]

a

[MsBlack]

A couple things to follow up on--I can't say much 'for sure', but your story gives me some ideas.

1. Have you looked into this lactational vaginitis through la leche league or a lactation consultant? Might be one path to start down, for some insight.

2. Your vaginal ph is definitely not sufficiently acidic. Whatever it was before the antibiotics, it is all wrong now and you can address that in various ways. I'm thinking that even if this isn't a yeast problem, per se, that you would still benefit from looking into systemic yeast and altering your diet along with other things to shift your ph to a more normal measure. I suspect that you will get more vag yeast, with the vag ph you have now--and that ph is greatly contributing to your issues if not the entire cause. If nothing else, you could start taking a high-quality probiotic, and also use plain yogurt in your vagina and/or insert acidophilus or other probiotics into your vagina.

I suggest a plain yogurt that is devoid of all sugar in any form, and that also does not contain any additives (beyond extra milk solids, anyway--no carageenan, extra fiber, etc).

You might post this in the BF forum, and also Birth and Beyond, to hear more insight from other mamas who have dealt with this.

[harli]

Thank you Ms. Black.

When I was dealing with the yeast infection and for a while after I was taking acidophilis vaginally. I stopped because the probiotics seemed abrasive and I wondered if that was maybe causing the problem. I am however still taking probiotics orally.

I have been on an altered diet since the end of June now. Very rarely do I eat sugar, I've cut down on carbs and have increased my veggies intake. Is there something else I should be doing diet wise? Also any ideas on what I can do to bring down my pH? And more importantly what else besides AV can cause the pH to get that high? The past few days I've had a problem with ALL my mucus membranes. I'm wondering if the pH problem is the same for all of them.

I will cross post and thanks for letting me pick your brain.

[mwherbs]

I might start with something like calendula oil or saint john'swort oil, for healing and then yogurt applications
Consider getting some labwork done CBC and a blood chem panel and ANA test and maybe c reactive protein too. I would want to rule out some type of autoimmune stuff

[somelady]

not a birth professional but I have been told I have an atrophic vagina due to nursing. I'm 21 months pp, no af, and we still can't dtd really due to it hurting. That's really the only symptom I have though (of that, I also have some pain when sitting, but I think that's due to scar issues)

The regular gyn prescribed a month's worth of estrogen cream on two different occasions, which only made the sitting pain worse. Then I went to a pelvic pain specialist, who has me on the cream and tablets, and told me I should expect it to take months to get better.

I don't know that cutting down on nursing is going to help though. My ds has been nightweaned for 5? months, and I quit pumping at work 9 months ago, so he's generally only nursing 2-3 times a day and still nothing, and it still hurts.