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[sunshinedaily]

Hi, wanted to give an update on my visit to private clinic in Swindon. Well, consultant very good,  really put me at ease. Told him about my terrible menopausal symptoms (no sex drive, v painful sex when I can bring myself to try, low mood/self esteem, grumpy, impatient, negative, bloated all the time, lifeless hair & skin, insomnia, luckily no night sweats - am on Venlafaxine for panic and anxiety and this seems to be helping with hot flushes. Anyway he talked me thru some of the other hrts and in particular Livial which I had heard great things about. I'm nearly on my 4th week of taking it and unfortunately it seems to be making me feel worse 😠. I'm even more tearful and moody and have been feeling REALLY low. I guess I should give it longer....was wondering what other ladies who are on/have tried Livial think? If I decide it's not for me he talked about trying Angeliq.  Does anyone have any experience of this one? TMI time...    Re. the painful sex he examined me and said the pain isn't due to dryness associated with the menopause. The pain is higher up in the cervix and he recommended a laparoscopy to check for possible c section scarring,  or endometriosis-  says both can cause pain during sex. The Lavial hasn't improved my libido I'm sorry to say. Sorry this is a mammoth message, just wanted to share my experience & hopefully get some feedback.  Thanks ❤ Sunshine Daily xx

[Dancinggirl]

Hi sunshinedaily
Sounds as though this meno clinic is good.
Probably worth having investigations to see if scarring internally is causing the pain, though I am surprised he hasn't given you Vagifem to see if it helps.
Im afraid ADs do suppress libido so this may be why the Livial isn't working.
When I tried Livial my libido improved quite quickly and i slept really well. Sadly for me it triggered acne which I really couldn't put up with - we all react differently to the various hrt types.
I think it's difficult to improve libido if things are painful. I haven't been able to have sex without some serious extra lubrication for a long time - I now use SYLK vaginal moisturiser daily, Vagifem 2-3 times a week -  And when having sex, I use Durex Play, Perfect Glide which is a super lubricant.
I personally didn't get on with Angelique - made my skin itch.
I did find Oestrogel with Utrogestan was good for libido but Utrogestan made me feel sedated and I got problematic spotting and bleeding - many women find this combo great.
I'm afraid HRT isn't a cure all and finding the right HRT is trial and error but you do need to give things at least 3 months to work its magic so I'd stick with Livial and get some lubrication to help with sex.
There are many things that affect libido and if you are feeling depressed ( which it sounds as though you are) then this won't help libido. Im afraid ADs are notorious for reducing libido so unless you come off this, libido may not return. I assume you have had talking therapy for your low mood and anxiety e.g. CBT? There are many strategies that can be deployed to help mood and panic attacks.
You must be post meno as the specialist is offering conti hrts but sometimes it's better to have sequential HRT and put up with monthly bleeds as progesterone can lower mood. However Livial acts in a different way to most hrts, so is less likely to give low mood - having said this, we all respond differently to these things.  Low mood and anxiety are common when meno hits and coping often involves many life changes.
Perhaps a talk with your GP about reducing and perhaps coming off the AD would be a good idea to see if it restores your libido?  Do you think you would feel better if your sex life were better? I personally think it's important for our confidence and self esteem to feel sexy.
Hope that helps DG x
Ps - I'm 61 and have been post meno for about 20 years and tried most HRT regimes. I'm still enjoying sex despite vaginal atrophy and bladder problems etc.

[Roadrunner]

Hello sunshine daily

Hope you don't mind me asking, but which clinic did you go to in Swindon?

RR xx

[peri]

Hi suneshinedaily

Well done you for sourcing the clinic, it's a step in the right direction to looking after yourself.

I agree with Dancinggirl re antidepressants suppressing libido, it's a fact that you may have to look at.  Also, that finding the perfect hrt is trial and error, but don't give up you're on the home straight now.

I trialled livial (tibilone) for 3 months and didn't get on with it.  It did help my sex drive but I couldn't tolerate how it made me feel (permanently sedated). 

It's only my personal opinion but from my observations on this site the regimes which seem most successful are the patches or gel.  I use evorel 50 and utrogestan (for progesterone) and I'm happy with this regime, it's been the most successful for me and I've tried quite a few different types of hrt now. 

Hope this helps and do keep us posted x

[Katia]

I am wondering about changing from gel and utrogestan to angeliq.  I cannot deal with the insomnia from the utrogestan.  I've taken yasmin which is the same progestegin as what is in angeliq and it was great.  It's supposed to be the best one for not causing bloating and it's good for skin and hair.

[sunshinedaily]

Thanks for your replies. No I don't want to be on Antidepressants but have suffered with anx/dep since my late 20s and am pretty scared to come off them.  I should try as I know they affect libido - although Venlafaxine is meant to be one of those affecting it the least.  Re Vagifem my doc did prescribe it for V Atrophy but it wasn't helping even after 6 mths.  The gynae at the private clinic seems to think that it's not a lubrication prob but further up beyond the cervix. I'm seeing a doc next week to talk thru a possible laparoscopy which will hopefully give a clearer pic of why I'm finding sex so painful. 😠  Once again thanks for your replies. I'm feeling a bit brighter today after a few bad days so I'm hoping the Tibolone is just taking a bit of time to settle in my system. The private gynae gave me a month's worth so I've got just over a week before another prescription is needed.  I'll keep you posted. Lots of hugs, SSD xx