Over the past several months, my girlfriend and I have been struggling
with a frustrating irritation to our sex lives that has made it
difficult for us to enjoy sex. First, I should start off by saying
that for the first 9 months of our relationship we had an amazing sex
life, going for hours at a time, with no irritation, rashes, problems,
etc. to either of us. However, about 3 months ago we started to
encounter a problem.

Now, when we have sex, there is often an intense burning sensation on
my penis almost immediately after inserting into her vagina. This does
not happen every time we have sex, but it does seem to happen around
50% of the time now?.although, admittedly we have been having sex a
lot less often recently. The burning sensation always seems to occur
on 1-3 patches of skin directly under the ridge on my penis. She never
feels any pain. I am circumcised. Usually, I immediately go to the
shower to wash off the fluids from her vagina. My penis continues to
burn slightly for a minute or two until the fluids are washed off and
I can visually see, red irritated patches of skin. After this, there
may be some residual irritation (sensitive skin) for a day or two
after. Several times, the areas that were inflamed have changed to dry
skin several days after and I get flaky, crusty, dry skin. This does
not happen all the time, but sometimes. What is curious is that the
irritation always seems to be on the same 1-3 spots. It is also
strange that 50% of the time or so, there is no pain. Sometimes the
redness goes away in 30 minutes...sometimes it may last for a day.

I have tried to figure out the timing of these incidents. It seems to
happen more frequently in the week before her period and days
afterwards. However, I am not sure if this is observation is 100%
correct. Before I started to have this problem we would often have sex
while she was menstruating and there was never a problem with pain.
The condition basically feels as if at some times her fluids are more
irritable to my skin or my skin is more sensitive. Strange that it
seems to be in the same place. It feels like there may be a tiny cut
in the skin on my penis or an irritation that comes and goes?I?m just
not sure.

When she gives me oral sex, the saliva does not irritate the spots on
my penis. Sometimes the skin may feel a little sensitive on those
spots while she is giving me oral sex, but no real pain occurs until I
enter her vagina.

There is not chance of a new STD since we have been together a year
and never had problems prior to this. We have jokingly started
referring to my reaction to sex with her as ?fire puss? because that?s
basically what it feels like when I get inside. Never any problems
with pain in the urethrea, just on several spot below the ridge on the
penis. Any thoughts? Thanks.

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Request for Question Clarification by guillermo-ga on 12 Sep 2006 09:51 PDT

Hello Pdblushfon-ga,

I do not intend to answer your question, for I can't have any
conclusive answer, but to contribute with a possible way to follow. I
do it as a request for clarification instead of a comment just to call
for your attention. Unless I missed something, you didn't mention
whether you consulted a medical doctor. The symptoms you describe may
be consistent with HPV (human papilloma virus), an STD that may take
some time to show symptoms -- so you or your partner could have
acquired it before your relationship started, and become evident much
later. If it is so, you'll want to know and treat it fast, because it
may be harmless and relatively easy to treat if detected early, but
may be dangerous -- specially for the woman (bad C involved) -- if not
worked out in time. Also, there can be many conditions you and I never
even heard of, other than STDs -- such as allergies, or skin
conditions, etc. -- that an urologist could help you with. Wish you
best luck.

Regards,

Guillermo

---

Clarification of Question by pdblushfon-ga on 12 Sep 2006 10:19 PDT

Thanks for the comments on HPV.the symptoms do not seem to be
consistent with HPV infection as I understand it. I have experienced
HPV before and this is nothing like what I observed, felt, read,
ressearched, etc with HPV. Thanks

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Request for Question Clarification by sublime1-ga on 12 Sep 2006 18:25 PDT

I would consider the possibility that she has a condition which
is altering the ph of her vaginal secretions, such as Candida
albicans (yeast infection), or Trichomonas vaginalis or "trich"
(a protozoan). These can make the secretions acidic or alkaline,
respectively. You may simply be more sensitive to the presence
of the condition than she is, so a visit to the gynecologist
might prove helpful.

sublime1-ga

---

Clarification of Question by pdblushfon-ga on 13 Sep 2006 00:12 PDT

Thanks for the insight. Regarding variance in the pH potentially
caused by yeast or another organism: This is an interesting insight
and we will have it checked out. Could the pH (and therefore my
sensitivity to her vagina) vary according to her monthly cycle? Is it
at all possible that I have developed a natural sensitivity to monthly
variances in her pH and therefore her bodily fluids irrate me at
different times depending on her monthly pH fluctuations?

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Request for Question Clarification by sublime1-ga on 13 Sep 2006 13:37 PDT

pdblushfon...

Yes, the ph of vaginal secretions will vary over the course of the
monthly cycle. It is normally acidic, but can vary due to hormone
levels such as estrogen, and the presence of "good" bacteria. 
Douching, for example, can reduce the presence of these bacteria,
altering the natural ph and contributing to infection by unhealthy
organisms. Higher estrogen levels tend to acidify vaginal pH.


Prostate fluid is somewhat alkaline, which helps spermatazoa to
endure the acidic environment and survive the journey to conception.
Reduced levels of pre-ejaculate could also be a factor in increased
acidity during intercourse.

Let me know where this takes you...

sublime1-ga

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Clarification of Question by pdblushfon-ga on 14 Sep 2006 00:14 PDT

Very much appreciate the insight. I received advice from another forum
stating that it may be eczema on my penis and that I should try OTC
hyrdrocortizone for one week. Over the next ~2 weeks or so we will be
taking the following actions:

1. I will apply hydrocortizone OTC for one week.

2. We will schedule her a visit with a gynecologist to see if there is
any infection, inbalance, etc.

3. If neither of these actions resolves the condition, I will then
schedule a visit with a dermatologist, since we will have ruled out
that it is caused by an inbalance in her body and confrimed that it is
a condition of my skin.

We talked about this last night and our memory seems to confirm that
this tends to occur most often (if not exclusively) in the days before
she gets her period. Afterwards, it takes up to a week for all of my
dry skin to go back to normal. I will post here again in a week or so
with an update on how the condition progresses. Thanks again for the
insight.

---

Clarification of Question by pdblushfon-ga on 25 Sep 2006 04:04 PDT

We visited a gynecologist last week. After visual inspection, he said
that my girlfriend appears to have a mild yeast infection. He gave
both of us oral medication as well as a topical cream to
take...hopefully, this will clear the problem up! Will post more
information if the situation changes. Thanks.

---

Request for Question Clarification by sublime1-ga on 25 Sep 2006 15:18 PDT

pdblushfon...

Good to hear things are progressing well!

The way Google Answers works is that only one researcher can
claim the question fee by posting a formal answer in the box
which is available to authorized researchers (who all have
linked usernames).

With questions such as yours, we sometimes provide input and
await results from your feedback. In this instance it would
be best if you could name the researcher whom you feel was
most helpful in responding to your question(s), so that that
researcher can post an official answer.

sublime1-ga

---

Request for Question Clarification by cynthia-ga on 25 Sep 2006 15:24 PDT

Also pdblushfon,

Are you on any maintenance medications? Or do you take any drugs
intermittently? There is a rare and little known reaction to some
prescription drugs wherein an allergic reaction sometimes affects the
penis. The symptoms sound exactly the same --from the wife's view. It
happened to my ex-husband, we were married at the time, his Doctors
were baffled for quite some time, but it was resloved when it was
identified as a reaction to a drug that he took every couple months or
so.

My first thought is you should be using a condom. Who knows where
either of your skanky bits have been?

More seriously (though the use of a condom is a serious suggestion),
has she changed her grooming regime at all? More or less trimming,
using different depilatories, etc?

Finally, there are waaay so many pithy comments floating around in my
head now that milk almost came out my nose. I will ... fight... the
urge... to... make any of them.

*whew*

Appreciate the comment...however, surely you can recognize that some
people who have been in a committed relationship for over a year
choose not to use a condom.

Her grooming regime has remained constant. The outside surface of her
skin does not irritate my penis. The irritation occurs only once I
have inserted.

What method of birth control might she be using? Some spermicide's
might be more irritating than others. Are sex toys involved?

You may find this short thread to be useful
http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Urology/messages/31178.html

The symptoms are identical to yours, the jist of the doctor's response
"I would consider being tested for any infection. Things like a UTI as
well as gonorrhea and chlamydia can cause these symptoms. A simple
urine test can evaluate for these infections. I would also evaluate
the prostate via a digital rectal exam.

If infection has been ruled out, inflammation of the skin (dermatitis)
can be considered and treated with a steroid cream."

Thanks for the comments. We are not using spermacide, as she is
naturally well lubricated. Thus, it cannot be caused by friction due
to irritation with a lubricant / spermicide. No toys are involved.
There is no burning sensation when I urinate.

There is a simple solution.  Both of you should see medical Dr.s.  She
should see a gynocologist and you should see a urologist.  Not only
that you should go to each other's appoinments.  If you go to each
other's appointments then the Dr. will pay more attention to the
problem and you can answer any of the Dr's questions. (and both listen
to the answers)

Scubajim's advice sounds to me like the most sensible way to go, and
doing it right away, with no more delays. Also, an urologist should be
the first choice rather than a dermatologist, since the former is the
one who's trained about conditions that even when dermal, are very
specific.

So what did you find out?  My husband has exactly what you've
described here.  I've been searching for an answer to what it could be
but most of what I've found doesn't describe his condition because he
doesn't have painful urination or any of those symptoms...  He is
embarassed to see a dr. about this and tries not to let it affect our
sex life, however it does.  We've been exclusively with each other for
about 4 years now and we've both been tested, with negative results,
for STD's.

Did the doctors find out what was the cause?  I'm still trying to
persuade my husband to go in but if I present him with a possible
solution he will be more likely to go.

Hi Abikait-ga,

I'm sorry to hear about your husband's  - and your -  problem and hope
the postings to this question do help you convince your husband to see
a urologist.
That is the only thing that is going to help, and it is important that he does.
No need for him to be embarassed; the doctor will not find it unusual
that he has a problem; that's their business.

If you want an answer here on Google Answers, post your own question
with as many details as you can.

Hope to see you back, Myoarin