Vulvodynia -- painful intercourse -- could also be the culprit. “It involves inflammation of the glands in the posterior part of the vagina at the very base,” Ross explains. She recommends visiting your gynecologist for vulvodynia.
“If infection has been ruled out, we use hormone creams to help remedy the problem,” she adds.
Q: My anus is itchy. Does this signify anything?
A: It could be from hemorrhoids or a yeast infection, says Ross. It could also be the result of constipation, or even diarrhea with a lot of straining or wiping.
Q: I just developed a bump on my vagina. What could this be? What if I squeezed it and white stuff came out?
A: There are many glands and follicles in the area, so you can still get acne-type bumps there, answers Ross.
“You can get ingrown hairs, sebaceous cysts and certainly -- if white stuff comes out of it -- it could be a boil or acne bump. It’s always good to have it looked at,” she says.
Ross doesn’t recommend cutting into it or squeezing it out until you’re certain what it is, because most -- including pressure abscesses and inflammation of the glands around the vagina -- will go away with time, sometimes just by soaking them.
“But you should still see your gynecologist,” Ross recommends, “because it could be one of two conditions, the wart virus and another one gynecologists see called molloscum contagiosum -- a water wart.” Water warts are bumps that can be spread through contact. Although children primarily contract them through use of public pools and sharing towels, adults can contract them through sexual contact, she warns.
Q: I seem to urinate more often than my friends. Should I be concerned?
A: If you have urinary frequency, you first want to make sure you don’t have a urinary tract infection, advises Ross.
“The other thing that’s very common with women is called interstitial cystitis,” she says, “which is when you have urinary frequency without an infection. The doctor can rule that out by doing a urinary culture, taking your history and knowing how much water you take in.”
