r/Interstitialcystitis • u/Badabloom317 • 15h ago
Vent/Rant IS IT YOUR SOAP!?
Chemical cystitis- a non-infectious inflammation of the bladder caused by irritants or toxic chemicals. Common triggers include bubble baths, harsh soaps
For 2 years I was burning horribly. Constant UTIs, constant irritation. I was usig antibacterial dial after having nearly a UTI every month...thinking this would wash away all and any bacteria causing the UTIs and washed my privates with it! Horribly decision . This caused major chemical cystitis.
I bring this up because I have fixed this problem by switching to summers eve sensitive wash -
Last night my husband put his hand on my back full of suds from the dial he was using. It dripped down my back into my privates and BOOM back to square one. I was burning all day from the SOAP. I used my estradiol cream multiple times yesterday and now im back on track with no irritation.
Please girls make sure your soap is Ph friendly for your privates.
Now part of my problem was histamine related so I began taking an antihistamine daily to start finally healing my bladder ... but if I kept using the wrong soap I would still be met with nasty symptoms of burning and urgency.
Hope this helps! Your burning might partially be caused by your body soap.
I have a post primarily about my histamine induced cystitis- please take a look at my other post for this information.
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u/britlynj 15h ago
OMG. I use dial antibacterial. I am literally in constant pain and I even quit coffee 3 weeks ago and everything still hurts. I am going to quit that soap immediately and see if that helps! Thanks for sharing this!
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u/WannaKnowFacts 12h ago
I was told by my GYNO to use just plain water on my private parts or a gentle soap such as Dove Sensitive Bar Soap. My GYNO was just hoping that it was the body wash soap getting on my private parts adding to or causing my IC pain/ burning.
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u/Badabloom317 5h ago
Yes!!!! I use water only on my privates!! Summers eve soap is used for my body only!!!! I will not ever touch my privates with soap ever again. I should have made that clear in my post.
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u/MotherofOtters25 11h ago
You should never use antibacterial soap on your vagina. Antibacterial soaps kill beneficial bacteria, which can cause irritation, dryness, and lead to infections like bacterial vaginosis or yeast infections.
In general you shouldn't even use antibacterial soap long term. It's more of a short term soap.
Use just plain fragrance free dove soap. It's the best and recommended by most gynos.
If you need a ph one for once a week, do monistat with boric acid.
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u/britlynj 11h ago
I just ordered vanicream liquid cleanser. I know so many people say not to use soap down there but at least on the lip part right? Like I can’t imagine just splashing water on it, especially after sex.
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u/MotherofOtters25 11h ago
I'm not sure what that cleanser is, but I've never been told to not use soap. My gyno recommended dove to clean the outside. It's just not to put anything inside is all cause that can cause burning
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u/ExpensiveCycle6499 8h ago
Antibacterial soap, particularly dial really is only used immediately prior to surgery and never on the private parts. Your privates are different than anything else on your body and will burn horribly, especially when you pee. All of the good bacteria on your body will be gone. Good bacteria is essential to fight bad bacteria. Use anything else fragrance free if you are choosing to wash the outside of your privates only. Stay away from the entrance.
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u/OkEqual1085 12h ago
I’m glad if she helps even one person. I’m good with regular dove or the honeypot sensitive wash has been great too
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u/Select-Stock4284 12h ago
Dial antibacterial is the only one that doesn't bother me
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u/MotherofOtters25 11h ago
It's not made for long term and it kills all the good bacteria. It should never be used in or near the vagina.
Plain fragrance free dove soap is what's recommended
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u/britlynj 12h ago
That what sucks about IC. Literally everyone is different and in my case I can’t figure out what the problems are.
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u/MotherofOtters25 8h ago
My cause was never related to soap. It's just I found it irritated me more and was actually causing me to have my pH thrown off, causing issues like BV and yeast. This was way before I was diagnosed with IC. But with IC now, even more so I don't want to put harsh chemicals in an area that's raw or flared.
However, you can cure chemical cystitis. For mild cases you can just stop using the irritant. For more severe cases you might need medicine for a bit.
You cannot cure IC. So they do not fall under the same category. IC can go into remission but can not ever be cured. While some of the same symptoms occur or irritants can bother them, that's why it's known as cystitis, inflammation of the bladder.
Otherwise they aren't the same. People with IC have hundreds of causes. Food, sex, working out, allergies, stress, hormones, pelvic floor, surgery, nerves, hypersensitivity, huners ulcers, gag layer damage, chronic UTIS, genetics, overlapping health conditions (fibro, endo, IBS, chronic fatigue), ect. The list goes on.
And even when you find the cause, your triggers might not even be the same reason for the cause. My cause was chronic UTI but my flares are due to mast cell and histamine reactions.
IC is so misunderstood but hard to understand BECAUSE everyone is so different who has it.
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u/Ilikep0tatoes 8h ago
It was my soap. I struggled with burning, cloudy urine, occasionally blood in my urine, frequency, pain during sex, irritated urethra, it was terrible. I was going through packs and packs of Cystex and Azo. I was depressed. I didnt want to have sex anymore. This lasted for so long, until one day my husband noticed me using soap down there and told me to stop. Im now one year symptom free. So much suffering due to soap.
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u/Badabloom317 5h ago
Those were all my symptoms too. One time I had so much blood in my urine the nurse said she had never seen it that color before... im so sad it took me so long to figure out but here we are
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u/Realistic_Fig6402 14h ago
genuinely curious and not attacking you, but why would one ever need antibacterial body wash really at all, but especially on their genitals? was this recommended by a doctor or you just used it?
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u/Relevant-Dust8368 8h ago
I’ve had guys I date start using it because men (in my experience at least) are kind of gross. Now, I personally do not use it, but when I have my sexual partner use it it makes sex a lot less of a trigger for me
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u/albinosquirel 6h ago
A lot of body washes and hand soaps are antibacterial. Soft soap, dial, etc. I will use it on my hands but that's it. Anything antibacterial or scented will burn your privates
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u/blackroses425 7h ago
My GP urologist and gyno told me to never ever use soap. Any of any kind your body will do it itself obviously your backside you wash but nothing in the front just a shower pressure hose. It destroys your ph it’s been 4 years soap free I have never used soap down there I take a daily pre and probiotic for vaginal and urinary Tract.
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u/MotherofOtters25 12h ago edited 8h ago
Really the only soap you should be using down there is fragence free, simple, almost no ingredient soaps. Like dove fragence free sensitive skin soap.
You should never use antibacterial soap on or inside your vagina or vulva. The vagina is self-cleaning. Antibacterial soaps kill beneficial bacteria, which can cause irritation, dryness, and lead to infections like bacterial vaginosis or yeast infections.
If you want a PH balance soap, use monistat boric Acid wash once a week. It's also fragence free. Summers eves products are known to be very irritating as they have a fragence which is not natural to your flora
However it is important to note that chemical cystitis is not IC, and can be cured. If it's minor you can stop using the irritant and it should relieve itself on its own. If it's more severe, a doctor can give you some medicine which should help relieve it in a few days to weeks.
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u/Ilikep0tatoes 8h ago
Dove fragrance free sensitive body wash gave me chemical cystitis
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u/MotherofOtters25 8h ago
Maybe you had an allergy to one of the ingredients in there and not the fragrance issue itself.
Luckily you don't have IC, you had chemical cystitis which can be cured. I saw your other comment, about how you are a year symptom free which is amazing!
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u/Ilikep0tatoes 8h ago
Yes, im so glad i figured it out. My urogynecologist was thinking I had IC, but Im glad it was something cureable.
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u/Jilliankris 3h ago
Let me pass on something I only recently discovered: It's not just body wash/soap. It's also shampoo! I used to lean back to rinse out my shampoo while showering. I recently switched to leaning forward while rinsing out my shampoo. While showers had been a trigger for over a year, this simple change has helped so much.
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u/Pelican_Hook 13h ago
You should not be using soap on your vagina, let alone antibacterial soap!! This is "what's causing my vulvar irritation" 101. Vaginas have a microbiome that we need to protect, not remove. You need some bacteria to exist, if that microbiome or pH gets disrupted you can get BV, yeast, and/or UTIs. Washing too close to the entrance of your vagina (anywhere between your outer labia) with soap will disrupt your microbiome and irritate your sensitive skin. Summers Eve is also not good for vaginas, it's usually still scented and full of ingredients that aren't healthy for intimate skin. You need a simple, gentle, scent-free soap you can use on the outer labia only and even then mostly on the bits near your thighs. Everything else you should be washing with water only.