Contraception related? Implant/injection

This is purely out of interest... Did anyone else start getting symptoms of vulvodynia and pain down there after having the progesteon only implant or injection??

No, but I definitely believe birth control/hormones plays a part. All my problems started after coming off the pill.

Hmmm, were you on progesteon only pill?

No I was on combined. After seeing a new specialist he suspects estrogen may be my problem, whether it be deficiency, too much, or estrogen sensitivity. Or a combination of estrogen and Progesterone. I have to undergo blood tests for every week of the month to see what my hormones are doing. I just started taking Provera (Progesterone) to make me get my period so I can start the blood tests. No period yet.

See I think mines all down to hormones but my gyna won't babe any of it! She did one blood test and said there was nothing wrong... Do you have to so quite a few to see if there is anything going on?

Really? One blood test?

I just saw a new doctor on Tuesday who believes it is hormonal related. My I have only had 3 periods since January. And I have other symptoms as well.

He is giving me Provera to take so I will have a period. Then I stop taking it when my period comes. Then, 7 days after my period starts I have to have a blood test, then 7 days after that -on day 14, then day 21 then day 28 to see what my hormone levels are doing, when and whether or not they are rising snd falling, whether I'm even ovulating or not ect. He said a one-off basic blood test will not show hormone imbalance, as the imbalance is often at particular times of the month ect . My symptoms are always worse leading up to and during my period. Even worse if I don't get my period.

Do you have any other symptoms?

Yes one! I'm seeing her again in September so I'll just say that it won't show up on one, doubt she'll like that ahahah

And mine is that I'm having to many they're really irregular and have about a week or two week break, that's only been this year though as my injections wearing off but my symptoms have got worse since my periods have been coming and going. When I was on my injection I didn't bleed at all but I'd have a constant burning pain and was unable to have sex, now my injection is wearing off my pain is worse before and after my period, my skin is physically sore at this time too! This is what makes me thinks it's hormones and yours sounds a lot like mine to be honest!! I think I need to find a different doctor! Your doctor actually sounds interested to sort your problems!!

Well there you go then! Obviously if you are having irregular periods like you are there is obviously a hormone problem, whether or not it is related to your V symptoms it still needs to get sorted! They need to see what your hormones are doing to try and sort them out.

Did your problems start while on the injection?

See, I am 26, I went on the pill at 17 to stop my horrible horrible periods. I had vomiting, fainting, diarreah, periods would last for 10 days and be so heavy they looked like chopped liver and were extremely irregular.

So, I was on it for 9 years. And while the pill made my periods regular and shorter, I'd still get diarreah and migraines and all that bad PMS biz.

It was when I came off the pill at the start of last year my problem started. I wonder if I have had a big hormone problem all this time but the pill has masked my symptoms for the past 9 years. My V symptoms started 1 month after I went off the pill.

It has taken 12 doctors to get to the one I have just started seeing. I pray that my tests will show something.

Have you thought about seeing a different doctor?

http://m.nativeremedies.com/ailment/symptoms-of-hormone-imbalance.html


Check out this link and scroll down to where you can click and view all the different hormone problems. Very interesting!

I'm going to address the hormone problem again when I next see her, she only did a blood test because I kept going on and on at her!!

I'm 17 now And my problems started while I was on the implant at the age of 14 because I was bleeding all the time and I developed an over active bladder and bladder pain syndrome, I had the implant taken out at the age of 15 and then they put me on the injection to stop my bleeding and my problems became worse and more noticeable and I thought if I came off the injection it would go but my body still hasn't gone back to normal and it's been almost a year since I stopped having the injection (stopped that at 16) so I think my hormones are still all over the place!! I have had my problems for two and a half years!

I wanted to post about my story to reiterate that there are DEFINITELY cases where VVS is caused by hormonal contraceptives, even when not immediately obvious.
I want to desperately encourage anyone who has VVS to come off hormonal contraceptives if possible.

In 2012, I had unprotected sex and took the morning after pill. I developed vestibule redness/soreness/itchiness. The clinic confirmed a Yeast & BV infection, explaining that this was common after sex (though I had never had any vaginal problems for years before). They also put me on the Pill (Microgynon 30). The infections cleared (tested negative) but my symptoms remained constant.

My symptoms extended beyond vestibule pain. I also had itchiness, redness & subtle inflammation of the whole vestibule (localised to this area), my vestibule skin started to tear during sex, get more inflammed & very regularly develop new infections (Yeast/Bacterial). I also had a lot of discomfort/itchiness in & around my anus.

Firstly, this made me question whether I had VVS because I didn't just have pain of the vestibule, as I kept getting infections too (now I understand that women with VVS are often simply more prone to infections & discomfort of the whole area).
Secondly, I assumed my VVS must have been caused by the infections (proliferation of nerves in the vestibule after infection), because the symptoms I had felt like they were permanent, that the skin itself was not normal anymore & seemed irreparable.

I didn't come off the Pill until mid 2013, when I had read more info about a link. I felt I should just come off it in case it might have been making anything worse.

The reality was (by my complete surprise and total elation) that within a month, my vestibule returned to completely normal and ALL other related symptoms also disappeared — the anal discomfort/itchiness & bring prone to developing infections.

I hadn't thought the Pill could be causing my VVS, because I had developed the infections before I started the Pill (I didn't consider at the time that just before I got the infections, I had taken the morning after pill which is a huge dose of progesterone). I also had no understanding of hormones & no idea how they could cause pain in a specific area of the body like this! Every doctor I asked said there was no way the Pill was relevant, which made me have little hope.

I believe there are 2 main causes for VVS — hormonal or a response to an infection. But there can be an overlap, and I didn't consider the Pill could be the cause because I kept getting the infections. But I was mistaken (and so were over 10 doctors & specialists).

I really hope this can help any women suffering.

As a side point, unfortunately, after being perfectly normal for 18 months, this year I developed infections (no hormones involved) and VVS has fully returned. I feel that my body has learned how it responded to infections when I was on the Pill, and now the nerves are irritated again = VVS

A2015