Possible Causes of Chronic Genital Itching

Q: I stumbled across your website in search of answers to our 4 year-old daughter's chronic genital itching. For almost 2 years, she/we have battled numerous UTIs, yeast infections, and other feminine itching. We notice that the symptoms are at their worst after she's been swimming in a pool. She does drink the water even though we have desperately discouraged her from doing this. Is it possible to be internally allergic to chlorine? There is obviously much more to the story than what I have told you. If you need more details and you think you may have any insight for us, please let me know.

Dr. Donnica: Most people have skin or respiratory sensitivity to chlorine, it just depends upon their level of sensitivity and their level of exposure. It does not have to be ingested to cause this effect; skin exposure is enough. It is possible that this may be contributing to her "feminine itching," but unlikely that it has any effect on the UTIs or yeast infections.

Do you remember whether the yeast infections came before or after the UTIs? Yeast infections are a common complication/side effect of antibiotic therapy, the mainstay of treatment for UTIs. The most common cause of UTIs in a 4 year-old girl is improper wiping habits after using the toilet. There are also other causes, including everything from allergies to laundry detergents to anatomical variations. These are all issues you need to discuss with her doctor.

I hope this information helps.

Best regards,
Donnica Moore, MD
President, DrDonnica.com

Created: 10/25/2003  -  Donnica Moore, M.D.