SOLUTIONS: Relieve Vaginal Itching

Natural remedies can help resolve this issue— once you know the cause.

- BY GINA WAY

If you have a vagina, you've no doubt experienced “the itch.” This squirm-inducing sensation can be really annoying and uncomfortable, but it is actually very normal. There's no shortage of reasons you might have the urge to scratch, and knowing some of the most frequent ones can help you avoid them.

One of the most common causes of vaginal itching is a yeast infection—in fact, 75% of women will experience at least one in their lifetimes.

“The vaginal environment normally contains many organisms, and yeast is one. When the natural microbiome is disrupted for a reason such as taking antibiotics or steroids, experiencing hormonal changes, or having elevated blood sugar due to poorly controlled diabetes, yeast can overgrow and cause an infection,” explains Alyssa Dweck, M.D., a board-certified gynecologist in New York City and the author of The Complete A to Z for Your V.