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What Are Vaginal Blisters?

Nicole Madison
Nicole Madison
Nicole Madison
Nicole Madison

Vaginal blisters are a type of genital sore that develops in the outer area of the vagina or inside the vagina. A woman might develop vaginal blisters because of a sexually transmitted disease (STD), but this isn't always the reason. In some cases, a person will develop this type of blister because of an allergy or chemical irritant, such as a soap or detergent that irritates the sensitive vaginal tissues. Some women might also develop blisters in this area because of an excessive amount of friction without a suitable amount of moisture in the area, such as when engaging in intercourse while also experiencing vaginal dryness.

Sometimes a woman develops vaginal blisters because of an STD. For example, an STD called herpes is often at fault when a woman develops a blister in the vaginal area. Such blisters can appear on a periodic basis, whenever the person has an outbreak of herpes, and can cause pain in the area — some people also experience burning and itching while the blisters are active. Herpes blisters are often filled with fluid, which usually will ooze out before the sores eventually heal. In addition to vaginal blisters, a woman with herpes might also experience fevers, develop headaches, experience swollen lymph nodes and have an abnormal vaginal discharge.

Soap can cause vaginal blisters if it is used by someone who is allergic to its components.
Soap can cause vaginal blisters if it is used by someone who is allergic to its components.

Just about any condition that results in irritation to the vagina has the potential to cause vaginal blisters. Besides STDs, this can include allergies and infections that are not typically transmitted via sex. For example, some people develop blisters in this area because of allergies to things with which they come into contact, such as soaps and scented feminine products, or underwear that has been laundered with a detergent to which the person is allergic. If a woman is allergic to latex and uses latex condoms, this could cause blistering as well. Additionally, a woman may have a non-sexually-transmitted infection caused by viruses, bacteria, or fungi that can lead to this type of blistering.

Detergent can cause vaginal blisters if it's used on the undergarments of someone who is allergic to its components.
Detergent can cause vaginal blisters if it's used on the undergarments of someone who is allergic to its components.

Some women also develop vaginal blisters after episodes of sexual contact. In such a case, the friction experienced during sexual activity can cause irritation, blistering, and sometimes even tearing in the area. For some women, this problem develops when sexual intercourse does not include a sufficient amount vaginal lubrication or when the activity is particularly rough. Women can also develop this type of blistering in the absence of sufficient vaginal lubrication in combination with condom use.

Nicole Madison
Nicole Madison

Nicole’s thirst for knowledge inspired her to become a TheHealthBoard writer, and she focuses primarily on topics such as homeschooling, parenting, health, science, and business. When not writing or spending time with her four children, Nicole enjoys reading, camping, and going to the beach.

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Nicole Madison
Nicole Madison

Nicole’s thirst for knowledge inspired her to become a TheHealthBoard writer, and she focuses primarily on topics such as homeschooling, parenting, health, science, and business. When not writing or spending time with her four children, Nicole enjoys reading, camping, and going to the beach.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

LoriCharlie

@sunnySkys - You forgot one other possible irritant: latex condoms. As the article mentioned, you can get blisters if you're allergic to latex. This actually happened to my sister, and she told me it was pretty scary. Ever since she switched to the non-latex kind she's been fine though, so it was a pretty easy fix.

sunnySkys

I've never developed blisters, but I am very sensitive in that area. I find that the best course of action is to avoid scented soaps and anything perfumed in that area, including scented feminine products (I've noticed a lot of scented pads on the market lately, and I think this a horrible idea.) Also, no douching and no using deodorant sprays down there.

If you avoid possible irritants, and don't get vaginal herpes, you should be able to avoid vaginal blisters.

eidetic

@Azuza - That sounds awful. I've had poison ivy before and I can't imagine having it in that area. At least poison ivy isn't permanent, unlike something like herpes simplex. The only way poison ivy will come back is if you expose yourself to it again.

Azuza
@Mor - I highly doubt you were having problems because the soap wasn't strong enough for the vaginal area. My gynecologist told me that the most that is needed down there is mild, unscented soap.

Anyway, vaginal blisters can be scary, but they can be caused by a whole bunch of things. I had a friend who had vaginal blisters and thought something was seriously wrong. She ended up having poison ivy. She had been doing some yard work, and didn't realize she touched poison ivy. She inadvertently touched herself when she went to the bathroom before taking a shower, and voila, poison ivy.

ddljohn

I have a vaginal blister that is causing me a lot of pain while urinating. I already saw a doctor and she gave a cream that is not helping.

Are there any home remedies that will heal this blister quickly?

candyquilt

@pastanaga, @simrin-- Let's not get people freaked out here. There are many different reasons for vaginal blisters aside from herpes. Plus, herpes blisters have a very distinct look and they show up along with other physical symptoms like fatigue and swollen glands.

It's not that easy to confuse herpes blisters with other kinds. You can look at genital herpes pictures and compare. I'm not saying that people shouldn't get tested for herpes when they have vaginal blisters. But it's not necessary to jump to conclusions either.

SteamLouis

@pastanaga-- That's true. And as far as I know there are multiple types of genital herpes virus out there. They all are capable of causing vaginal blisters but some of them are rare and are more difficult to diagnose.

My friend was recently diagnosed with HHV6 which is a different kind of human herpes virus. I think she saw about four or five different doctors, some gynecologists, some not, to get this diagnosis.

So a vaginal blister can be harmless, but it could also be due to a more serious problem and you might have to really go after it to find out what's causing it.

pastanaga

@Mor - The chances are that you might already have genital herpes. It's a lot more common than people think.

What generally happens is that you might get an outbreak right after you are infected, and then that's it and the virus never appears in an obvious way again.

However, you can still infect other people (which is why it's so prevalent).

Something like one in six people has it in the United States I think, and that's just genital herpes, not including the oral herpes which I believe is even more common (and can be transmitted to the genitals as well).

It's one of those things that's so common you just have to accept that you might get it at some point if you are sexually active.

Mor

@irontoenail - I had something similar happen to me except it turned out to be the soap I was using. I actually think it wasn't so much that it was an allergic reaction but that the soap wasn't strong enough for that area.

The worst thing about it is how painful it is. I wouldn't mind getting blisters on another part of my body, but considering how much friction that part is subject to, and how sensitive the skin is, it's just awful to have a blister there.

It really makes me want to avoid getting herpes, that's for sure.

irontoenail

I was having this problem a while ago and it was driving me crazy! I couldn't work out what was the problem, because I had tested clean for STDs and hadn't really changed anything else about my life.

In the end I went through every thing that touched my skin, like soaps, even shampoos and so forth, and changed them one by one to see what the problem was.

Nothing seemed to work until I finally changed the washing powder I'd been using for my clothes. Bam, suddenly the vaginal sores were gone.

I must have been allergic to something in the powder. I usually just buy whatever brand is on sale, and don't look at what it is, but I'll have to be more careful from now on. I never really thought about it, but the residue from washing powder is against your skin all day long. If you have an allergy to something in there it could really mess you up.

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    • Soap can cause vaginal blisters if it is used by someone who is allergic to its components.
      By: Bombaert Patrick
      Soap can cause vaginal blisters if it is used by someone who is allergic to its components.
    • Detergent can cause vaginal blisters if it's used on the undergarments of someone who is allergic to its components.
      By: DPimborough
      Detergent can cause vaginal blisters if it's used on the undergarments of someone who is allergic to its components.
    • Vaginal blisters can be caused by wearing wet bikini bottoms for too long or bathing in chemically inbalanced hot tubs.
      By: Rido
      Vaginal blisters can be caused by wearing wet bikini bottoms for too long or bathing in chemically inbalanced hot tubs.
    • Scented maxi pads and other feminine products can cause vaginal blisters in women with sensitive skin.
      By: kellyreekolibry
      Scented maxi pads and other feminine products can cause vaginal blisters in women with sensitive skin.
    • A woman with herpes may have headaches in addition to vaginal blisters.
      By: iko
      A woman with herpes may have headaches in addition to vaginal blisters.