Vaginal itching severe?

Mary is right. You probably have some kind of vaginal infection. Yeast infection can be a likely culprit but so could a bacterial vaginal infection. Mary is right that as women age the vaginal tissue thins but also menopause and even premenopause causes the vagina to be drier than it was as we were young. Vaginal secretions are natures way of flushing the vagina and keeping it healthy as the secretions become less plentiful it can have the affect of allowing organisms to grow so, Mary, that is why you did not have a candidal infection until you were 50! MaryMacceo, it is probably somewhat the same with you, as you are 64. If you have never had these symptoms before, I suggest you go to the GYN for a diagnosis rather than trying to treat it at home. It is a little concerning to me that you are having bleeding though. Bleeding doesnt normally come with infection unless you are scratching enough to make the area bleed.Once you have a yeast or candidal infection you never forget the symptoms and you can treat it yourself but the first time diagnosis should always be done by a Dr or nurse practitioner/nurse midwife. Sometimes, it is more difficult if you have a bacterial infection figuring out whjat type you have and if it is bacterial, OTC yeast medications will not help. Plus MaryMacceo, if you have not had a PAP smear it is time, way past time, to have one. You may not want to do it if you have active infection going on because it may not be accurate because of the inflammatory cells that will show up on the cervix from the infection but once your infection is cleared you need to have a PAP!! Even if you have had a hysteretomy, you still need to have the vaginal walls checked for cancer cells!

It sounds like you have a vaginal infection. Usually this is something very simple as a yeast infection. You can buy over the counter Monistat, & they have a generic that is very cheap that works just as well. I would suggest that you should probably have this checked out by your doctor first as it could be a different type of infection. As we age, the mucosa of the vagina tends to thin which can cause pain & bleeding with intercourse. This can lead to an infection. I did not have a yeast infection until I was 50 years old so had no idea what was wrong either. The doctor can determine by checking it under a microscope. They also have a one use pill you can take for a yeast infection I believe it's called Diflucan(sp). It works great. But as I stated, you need to get to the bottom of the problem first. While you are there PLEASE get a pap smear. It is so important. I had a hysterectomy at age 21 & didn't get pap smears for years. The first one I had came back with pre cancer cells in the vagina.(Which is all I have left) So please do this for yourself. We carry yeast on our skin, & sometimes men can give it to you unbeknownst to them. My hubby is a diabetic & they have lots of yeast, so we are very careful. Good luck to you, & let us know how you are doing...