Burchers - welcome to MM. You poor thing, so many women suffer in silence over this and the treatment you are getting now will hopefully work it's magic over the next few weeks. You are certainly not alone with with this problem - lots of us get ongoing urogential atrophy problems and will need treatment for the rest of our lives. It may take time for you as you have obviously been oestrogen deficient for so long - be patient, expect some strange things like tingling and itching around your ‘lady bits' at first - this will be everything ‘waking up'.
The other moisturiser I like to use on a daily basis is called Sylk. I didn't like the mess of Replens so prefer to use Sylk and if the Estriol cream is messy and irritates then the alternative to this is Vagifem which is easier to use, so you can ask your GP for this if you don't get on with the cream.
The HRT patches is a very good idea as you are far too young to be oestrogen deficient and this systemic HRT will help to protect your heart and bones for the long term and will help to restore libido etc..
Bravo to your GP for getting you on the right treatment - sadly too many GPs are not up to speed on these things so have been lucky.
When you do feel ready to attempt sex again, it is vital you use lots of lubrication - many women like the ‘YES' products but I get on fine with Durex Extra glide or similar. Do give yourself time - it may take some weeks to get things back on track and systemic HRT patches may bring some side effects at first so report back to us for support if you are worried about this, however, side effects often settle within a few months. Let us know how you get on. DG x