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[Di]

Hi Susan,
I do get the odd cramp now and again like everybody else and my hot flushes/night sweats had almost faded, but after a week of taking vagifem my hot flushes/night sweats were through the roof and then the leg/feet cramps were every night disrupting my sleep. I've never had flare ups of this kind over the last 4-5 years.
However, after stopping vagifem all these things stopped and returned to as before (except the VA). It just seems too much of a coincidence don't you think?
Maybe the VF10 will suit me better.

[jumpingju]

  It has become bad but as I'm not at all interested in sex it isn't bothering me!

[coffee mate]

got so dry you couldn't have got a matchstick up there. very good description susan.

[jumpingju]

Oh Susan, you made me laugh out loud, matchsticks huh!!! Oh dear, when I'm in the mood again how will I cope with that because after all hubby does have a huge member!!! (quote, unquote!!)

[Suzi Q]

Hi Match
hehehe love that
I get period pains with Vagifem hot flushes which I hadnt had for over 10 years came back with a vengence
I got sloughy legs up and down and slight cramps in them
It wore off after 2/3 months though I still get the odd flusheroonie
Id have taken anything to get rid of the infernal pain of AV never ending pain
Now I hardly ever think about the odl fanny anymore
Mind sex still hurts to enter after that as long as it isnt a long one Im fine
Mind Bobbles couldnt go long time now anyway hwehwhwhwhwhwhw I meant hehehehehehe

[carina]

Hello all
I have just registered but have been browsing this site for a couple of weeks now.
I am 65 years old, post menopausal, and suffering with vaginal atrophy.
I thought I had coped quite well with the menopause until about eighteen months ago when I started having vaginal pain that kept me awake at night. At first I was dismissed by my doctor, she told me there was nothing wrong and I had probably pulled a muscle!! Eventually, after many visits and several scans, I was told I had a dry vagina caused by lack of oestrogen and given ovestin cream about three months ago.
It worked quite well at first and eased my discomfort, but as I tapered off, the symptoms returned with a vengeance. I am now using it every night but am still very uncomfortable during the day and cannot sleep at night because of the pain. I don't really understand how a dry vagina can cause so much pain - I would welcome an explanation.
I am feeling very depressed and distressed about it all today - am I destined to feel like this for the rest of my life?  Is this something that will go away?  It is certainly affecting my quality of life.

I hope someone can reassure me that I can learn ways to cope with this.
I never even knew this could happen as you aged - talk about ignorant.  Why is it not discussed more openly?
From what I have read on the internet recently this is a huge problem affecting a lot of women at my time of life and yet I have never read one word about it before or seen one magazine article.

Thanks for reading and I look forward to reading any responses.
Carina

[Suzi Q]

I did a post about this August 2009
I dont know why its so painful but it affects every part of your life every day from start to finish
The burning throbbing suction pain the red vagina outer bits a feeling your sitting on a golf ball
The burning when going for a weee so you hold yourself out of fear cos oyu know
Every morning you wake up and say please god cos that few mins before you pee it seems ok then it starts again
You cant walk comfotably forget sitting its agony even water in the shower hurts
Sometimes Id get an Odd day when i was 90% ok and Id think thank god its going then in the morning it was back
Wanting to pee all the time coughing and the knickers got wet so shaming
I was on Ovestin and the mini pill it must have just stoped working the Ovestin would drop out the next day like it went in white glob
Feb 2010 I started on Vagifem with in 3 days those dreadful suction throb went totaly never come back ever
took another 3/4 months to work 95% its never the same and especially at the same time by bits started to shrink and retract fortunatly so far not inside but the outside is so teeny compared to how I looked 3 years
Give Vagifem a try Im so glad I did I dont know how long I could have stood it good luck xxxxxx

[Di]

Hi everyone,
I just wondered if anybody has been on hormonal cream or vagifem and successfully been able to use it then come off it without any symptoms returning with a vengeance?
I mean I don't understand how you can add estrogen to your body to sort out the dryness, then eventually be able to take it away and everything is ok. Has anybody found that this is the case or is it that once you start adding estrogen you can never stop because of the consequences?
Sorry to be a pain but its just something thats being going around in my mind.   

[Taz2]

Hello Di. Unfortunately the vaginal dryness and vaginal atrophy are caused by lack of oestrogen. Once you get into meno then the oestrogen dries up and it doesn't return. We are lucky that oestrogen creams and pessaries have been discovered I reckon as in the past women suffered dreadfully for the rest of their lives.

Vaginal dryness will return once oestrogen is stopped. Of course some women don't suffer badly from this effect of meno for some reason (I am not sure why) but if you are one of the women who does then, from my own experience, the only way to feel more comfortable and to stop the cystitis type symptoms and the painful sex is to use topical oestrogen.

Taz x

[Taz2]

You have got my share Larky - I am on Vagifem and full HRT but my cup size is still going down....

Taz x

[rebecca]

I was chatting with my doctor last week about the fact that I have put on a stone in weight (boobs also uncomfortably  bigger!) and could it be down to the Vagifem I had switched to.  She said that it was impossible to out on weight as the ingredients in vagifem cannot be absorbed in great quantities into the blood stream - not sure that I understood that statement but there you go............

Rebecca   

[carina]

Morning Ladies

Hope you are all doing ok.

I am in the depths of despair here, I am in so much pain and discomfort I really don't know what to do. Think I am feeling a bit sorry for myself but I am coping so badly with this. I don't want to live like this!

I think I could cope better if I understood why I hurt so much. Why does vaginal dryness cause so much pain, what is actually hurting.  I feel like I have a burning, throbbing pain deep in my vagina constantly.
The worse place to be is in bed, laying down is a real no-no. I haven't slept much at all the last two nights.
Sitting is a bit better but I tend to rock with the pain.  Standing is probably best but my arthritis limits the amount of time I can stand.

I asked for, and was given. a repeat prescription of the ovestin cream I have been using.
But unfortunately the chemist are unable to get any supplies so they told me to go back to the Doctor for an alternative.  So I made the dreaded appointment and prepared myself for questions and painful prodding.
However he just said I will give you something else and then spent five minutes looking through his book and tapping away on his computer and eventually gave me a prescription for Gynest cream. Didn't ask any questions, not even how I was getting on.

It appears Gynest is not as strong as ovestin, so if ovestin isn't helping I can't see how this one will, I can just see myself getting worse and worse. I haven't started the new one yet, still using up the dregs of ovestin, have used it now for 21 days solid with no relief.

Sorry for the self pity whinge girls but would appreciate some support here.
thanks for being here
Carina

[Bette]

Hi Carina
Just wanted to send you a  really!
From the ladies on here say, it sounds as if you need Vagifem rather than the creams. I think that some of them have progressed onto both that and then onto full HRT eventually. I'd say that you need to go back and ask for - well, actually demand! - Vagifem. Don't be fobbed off - no way should you have to live in pain. And you are not whinging! 
Bette x

[carina]

Thanks Bette

I needed that

Carina

[Suzi Q]

hi Carina
my lkife wasn't worth living with VA, it hit me like a bolt out of the blue. people think that its just painful sex and dont realise it is pain and burning 24/7 for an unlucky few of us 

I have ended up on Vagifem 25mcgs(dreading if they stop producing it and only produce the 10mcg's and full HRT (one tablet of Femoston a day) and it is a lot better but not 100%. Also can only bath in clear water no bubbles etc and have to swab myself with tissue in luke warm water and pat dry after peeing. Cant take any chances.

I would make an urgent appointment to at least get vagifem. One a day every night for 14 nights then twice a week for ever more (nothing cures it   , can only get it under control.

Try that for a while and if you want added protection try a low dose HRT after 3 months

Good Luck

xxxx

I know the pain of AV people do think its just sex so if you dont have sex no pain thats not it though
Its a constant burning pain inside and outside your lady bits little red marks and skin sometimes like sunburnt the hairs even tingle and feel uncomfortable the pain in your fanny like someones shoved a hot poker up there and the never ending pulse like suctiojn throbbing its unimaginable pain to anyone who doesnt suffer from it and I too had never heard of it and never thought at 55?