March 25, 2004
Other
Question from Ontario, Canada:
I am 18 years old. I have type 1 diabetes. I get recurring itchiness in my vulva, and I get a bit of a white film in the area, and, for example, a white cheese-like film develops around my clitoris. It dose not seem bad enough to be a yeast infection. It is mostly just itchy, and gets really bad when I have been in class all day. It also makes sex painful. I had the same problem at time of diagnosis. When I was in the hospital, they did do a swab, but according to the test, I did not have a yeast infection. I have had this problem several times and it does go away on its own. However, it is bothersome and worries me.
Answer:
Until proven otherwise, I would still be worried about this being a yeast infection. Sometimes, growing yeast in the laboratory is a problem and is a source of test error. If you have not already, I would talk with your physician about a trial of medicine that can treat yeast infections. In people with diabetes who have yeast infections, their sugars can be elevated. This also needs to be addressed. It is not enough to just take the medication for infections.
JTL
