Is it normal, during the menopause, to have a personal itch? I itch from front to back but it's not continual throughout the day or night, it just happens randomly. I don't take HRT although I do have an under-active thyroid. I'm sure it's not thrush or BV and I can't find anything to help me.

Yes, this can happen as falling oestrogen can affect the balance of the friendly bacteria in the vagina and bowel, which can also affect the surrounding area.

This can make the skin more sensitive to things such as the shower gels or soaps that you use, and also if you use certain kinds of toilet paper - most are bleached and have other chemicals in them which could irritate the sensitive skin in that area.

Try switching over to pure organic soaps or shower gels, and unbleached toilet paper and see if that helps.

Washing powders and fabric conditioners can also be a contributory factor as can the man made material in knickers so you could try getting pure cotton ones. These also help the area to 'breathe' and that can cut down the irritation as well.

You could also try applying pure Aloe Vera gel sparingly to see if that eases things.

Eileen Durward