Skip to the end for "too long; didn't read".
I’ve had this problem for the last eight years(I think), it’s been a long time.
I should start off by saying I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and anxiety, largely triggered by the CFS symptoms I experience, so I don’t move around a lot but doing things like going up and down stairs is a massive exertion.
I don’t know about you, but for me, being damp down there triggers something in my subconscious(or perhaps deeper than subconscious?) that makes me need to urinate, presumably because the obvious response to being damp down there is “I must be wetting myself”.
Needing to urinate more than usual = check for infection. There was no infection.
Then I was referred to the urology department and had various unpleasant procedures done. They didn’t find anything and so I was left believing I was slightly incontinent as a rare symptom of CFS.
After putting up with it for a few years I could no longer bare it and started doing some research and experimentation.
First I quickly disproved incontinence by taping over the urethral opening with waterproof tape. No reduction in moisture meant it definitely wasn’t urine. (It’s so obvious and simple, why don’t doctors do this firstly?)
Next I found people online talking about fungal infections down there causing excessive sweating. Tried applying some antifungal spray which seemed to help, so the doctor put me on Terbinafine antifungal tablets, but ultimately the spray only helped because the alcohol in it was drying my skin. So fungal infection was ruled out.
I was then referred to the dermatology department and formally diagnosed with hyperhidrosis.
I was prescribed some extra strong antiperspirant but all that did was sting.
I also tried Oxybutynin which just made my mouth dry and didn’t help.
By this point I’d worked out that the moisture/sweat was specifically coming from my ******* and inner foreskin. I bought an iontophoresis machine with the underarm axillary sponges and electrodes. It helped but zapping down there with electricity is nowhere near as fun as it sounds and was physically difficult. I imagined that treating ones groin region would be significantly easier with female genitalia, but since I was stuck with what I’d got I had to do the best I could. I cut down a flexible plastic trug so that I could sit in something waterproof fairly close to an electric socket in private(no sockets in UK bathrooms).
I also looked into getting circumcised since chopping off the bit excreting moisture seemed a logical step, but I was told I couldn’t have it done on the NHS(which is reasonable in all fairness).
About six months later I was, unrelatedly, put on beta-blockers which had the surprising effect of reducing the hyperhidrosis moderately, presumably the adrenaline making my heart race was also causing me to sweat. At this point the improvement was enough that I stopped the iontophoresis.
Sometime later I bought a set of new underpants and wore them straight out of the packaging without putting them through the wash. To my surprise I found the sweating decrease significantly!
Things then got worse again when I wore underpants that had been through the wash.
I thought, maybe I’m allergic to something. To further the experiment I bought thirty pairs of individually sealed disposable cotton underpants from Amazon, these ones specifically:
Men's Disposable Cotton Briefs (Pack of 5) - Super Soft Premium Quality Lightweight Single-use underwear Travel Hospital Spa Massage Sauna Salon Overnight Stays and Emergency Situations: Amazon.co.uk: Clothing
Though they are sold as disposable they’re actually really well made and can be worn and washed multiple times. They’re also made of thinner than usual material so they breathe nicely.
Things again improved significantly over the first few days of wearing them, and again worsened after wearing ones that had been through the wash. That way I ruled out an allergy to the fabric.
There’s clearly something in the washing process which is triggering the sweating. I’ve ruled out washing powder since we’ve used different types, and even some natural things called soapnuts, since I’ve had this problem.
I’ve long had, what was labelled, an allergy to dust, though I don’t know if it’s a specific type of dust, spores or something else floating around in the air. Because of this I have an air filter in my bedroom which helps with the congestion I experience.
I’ve experimented and found that hand washing underwear in just plain water and then immediately drying them in front of the air filter gives me around the same improvement I was experiencing with underpants straight from their packaging.
I asked the doctor if I could try an antihistamine and he put me on cetirizine which made my mouth unbearably dry, to the point that I had to stop taking them. I didn’t notice any improvement to the sweating or the congestion. It’s a bit of a puzzle and I don’t know if the cetirizine would have helped if I’d kept taking it.
My doctor suggested it might be sensitivity to a build-up of bacteria in the washing machine which starts growing on the clothes in the time between the end of the wash and when they get hanged on the washing line to dry.
However I’ve had some of my underpants washed in my grandparents washing machine which didn’t really seem to help.
Whatever it is it’s also in all my clothes, towels and bedding. I think this is why, even if I’m wearing underwear free of it, I still experience the sweating. This is further backed up by improvement I experienced on a short holiday, there my clothes would have still been contaminated but the bedding would not since it came with the holiday house.
I tend to treat my health as a series of scientific experiments, so I hypothesise, take notes and usually come to logical conclusions. I have an extremely good doctor who finds my notes useful, especially because I find it difficult to think clearly and speak.
Apologies for any spelling and grammar mistakes, I struggle with cognitive fogging which makes writing something like this a challenge. I’ve typed this in Word to use its spellchecker, so hopefully it’s not too bad.
That’s my story so far, I hope it will be of use to someone.
TL;DR: Check the groin sweating isn’t a bacterial or fungal infection, anxiety based or an allergic reaction. Iontophoresis helps but can be physically difficult down there.