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[nella]

Hello everyone,

I'm Nella, I'm a new member here.
I am opening this thread so hopefully someone with a similar experience to mine can give me some advice.
My menopause started in 2011 and symptoms were quite manageable until July 2015.
In July 2015, out of the blue, I started having a constant, persistent feeling of having to urinate. Just the stimulus. I don't actually have the urgency to go to the bathroom. I "go" like 6 times a day at most. But I have this stimulus to urinate when my bladder is totally empty, always.
It only stops when I lay down in bed. The rest of the time, when I am standing or sitting, I have it all the time.
It is driving me nuts....
Because it's just exhausting.
At the same time as this symptom arised I also started having all symptoms of vaginal atrophy, and I did the mona lisa laser therapy for that. Those symptoms kinda are going away after my 3rd treatment.
But the need to urinate constantly (without actually doing it, if it makes sense) persists.
So I guess it is not one of the symptoms associated with the VA issue but something else....
I also have a stage 1 cystocele. All docs told me it should be asymptomatic but still.

I hope some of you can give me some advice or share their experiences. I am really exhausted by this!

Thank you for any help,
N

[20032003]

I have had a similar problem for almost two years. Mine, however, has to do with the other opening.... I have been to two doctors which have examined me and found nothing wrong in the area. Still I often feel the urge to go when there are only small pieces in there/not finished after I have been to the toilet. I have started to assume that the problem at least to some extent is in my head. In other words, something that  I have started to obsess about. But I don't know....

[limpy]

Hi Nella - What you describe does sound like VA. Many women have urinary discomfort which is mistaken for cystitis. Local oestrogen applied to the vaginal area will help a lot.

[babyjane]

Oh hello, yes I recognise what you mention and I get it more in bed at night.  I use Vagifem for VA but I was advised by the nurse that the urethra also becomes dry as oestogen drops and this causes discomfort which feels like the need to urinate.
The Vagifem keeps the VA under control but I also have Estriol cream for use externally to help with the dryness in the urethra and surrounding area and it does help with that.
I really know what you mean, it is like you really want to go but the feeling is not in your bladder but further towards the outside.

20032003 what you describe I find I get when my haemorrhoids flare up as the inflammation in the rectum can make it feel as though I need to go to the toilet. When I go to the toilet it also aggravates them and then it can feel like I still need to go when I have finished.

[gilaray]

Yep sounds like VA to me, I used Ovestin for a while and it went away

[CLKD]

You probably have the start of vaginal atrophy    so need to start treatment.  It should ease the feeling of the need to pee - 4 me that feeling also settles in my belly, like it's heavy and full.  Anything to relieve the symptoms has to be good.

20032 ……… have you tried drinking Actimel or similar?  For me slow transit is eased by 3/4 pots a day, it certainly encourages the digestive system to empty fully.  Otherwise I have small pieces left behind    - with the constant feeling of needing to empty the bowel.

[20032003]

Babyjane and CLKD: I think you both might be right.... I did take actimel, but only one a day (the drink variety), for a while. It certainly didn't hurt, but I wasn't perfect. And, yes, the specialist did find evidence of an old hemmoroidh on the right side a few centimeters in. And that is where I feel irritation and swelling on-and-off! Can that swell up intermittantly? Maybe with hormone surges?

[babyjane]

well mine can and do, certainly. I have ointment and suppositories to take them down when they do

[20032003]

well mine can and do, certainly. I have ointment and suppositories to take them down when they do

Unfortunately I find that the creams and suppositories hurt more than they heal these days. When it was really painful last winter the suppositories were wonderful, but now I usually just leave it be.....

[limpy]

20032003
Not all local oestrogen products hurt.
Gynest cream (think it's called Estradiol now) helped me a lot when I was having problems with VA.
It has a very low level of hormone, it's very unlikely to cause pain.
I didn't have problem with it and I've been allergic to antihistamines (Triludan)   

[20032003]

20032003
Not all local oestrogen products hurt.
Gynest cream (think it's called Estradiol now) helped me a lot when I was having problems with VA.
It has a very low level of hormone, it's very unlikely to cause pain.
I didn't have problem with it and I've been allergic to antihistamines (Triludan)   

Thank you, but I was talking about the hemmorhoid creams and suppositories...

[limpy]

20032003
Not all local oestrogen products hurt.
Gynest cream (think it's called Estradiol now) helped me a lot when I was having problems with VA.
It has a very low level of hormone, it's very unlikely to cause pain.
I didn't have problem with it and I've been allergic to antihistamines (Triludan)   

Thank you, but I was talking about the hemmorhoid creams and suppositories...

Oops sorry - I was talking about things likely to help VA hence problems with urination.......     

[20032003]

20032003
Not all local oestrogen products hurt.
Gynest cream (think it's called Estradiol now) helped me a lot when I was having problems with VA.
It has a very low level of hormone, it's very unlikely to cause pain.
I didn't have problem with it and I've been allergic to antihistamines (Triludan)   

Thank you, but I was talking about the hemmorhoid creams and suppositories...

Oops sorry - I was talking about things likely to help VA hence problems with urination.......     

I know. My fault, though. I shouldn't have hijacked the thread with my problems in the first place! A little confusing....

[CLKD]

 

[nella]

Thank you everyone for the replies!

I actually am at the second month of estrogen, I took the estrogen one month locally and one orally (it is a medication that can be taken in both ways). I took both progesterone and estriol.
I see all of you are agreeing about it being vaginal atrophy.... I am just discouraged because the laser therapy did ease the vaginal symptoms only but not the bladder ones. And the local estrogen did basically nothing. Sometimes it feels even worse.
I used a ton of meds though in the last months, so I'll need to check and write you down all I used. The estrogen was progeffik+colpogyn. I am outside the UK so I don't know maybe some of the medications you have are more helpful than these....
Any chance the stage 1 cystocele became symptomatic with the onset of VA?

Thanks again for the advice everyone.
N