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[Joney]

No pun intended!  Ya gotta laugh though to stop yourself from going mad.  I am 54 and have done a posting in the new members part of the site.  I stopped taking HRT 4 weeks ago.  All is well but I've had some strange symptoms down below.  Firstly my groin area has been sweating!  What evil is this!  Never had a problem with that before.  So you know where the “wings” are on sanitary towels, well my undies have area of sweat on them recently and the weather isn't even that hot. I have to change several times a day.  No dampness in the centre of my undies.  What is worrying me is that this may be a sign of the dreaded vaginal atrophy.

I also smell different.  I am urinating more, and have to get up twice a night to go to the toilet (on HRT it was once a night).  I “feel” damp down there but there is no discharge.  I took a mirror out and had a look and things have definitely shrunk.  Nobody tells women this stuff, it is a conspiracy of silence.

My question to those of you in the know is does this sound like vaginal atrophy?  Should I worry about my ever decreasing vagina if it is not sore?  Is it progressive and irreversible and if so should I nip it in the bud by asking for Vagifem or similar?  I don't want to ignore it if can advance to a position where damage has been done that could have been prevented. 

[Tinkerbell]

Yes that sounds like VA, watery clear discharge is a sign of it, as is shrinkage, you need to get treatment asap. Why did you stop HRT?

[Whatsupwiththis]

Hi.  Many ladies have gone through what you describe.  Vagifem is frequently prescribed to prevent UTI's and to prevent further thinning of the urethra as well as helping with bladder issues.  You may want to discuss the options with your GP and see if Vagifem is right for you.  Good luck.

[VavaVroomGone]

Hello!
I'm a fellow sufferer. 
I'm 59, and VA has been the worst thing about the menopause. Mine only started this summer with loads of UTI's and now the feeling of constantly wanting to pee. Miserable.

Eventually my many visits to GPs resulted in being prescribed Vagifem which I've been using daily for nearly 2 months. I've still suffered from the feeling that I want to pee all the time so I'm now on Everol Conti after having a clear ultrasound scan. I hope it works as I'm really down about it all.

It seems most people have success with just Vagifem so do get on it!

Also check out the book - called something like Me and My Menopausal Vagina which you can get on Kindle for 4 quid.

Good luck 😊

[Sheanie]

It does sound like VA, Joney. And I would get right onto it now before things get any worse if I were you. I didn't/don't have a watery discharge, but a visit to the hospital last year for a Mirena to be removed was a painful nightmare because of VA shrinkage. The nurse gave up in the end and sent me to my GP for Vagifem, warning me I'd most likely never have sex again but consoling me by saying there were other things I could do! Say what?!! 57 and that's all over?    My GP prescribed Vagifem and also recommended masturbation (to improve blood flow and relax muscles). Hmmmmm.... on doctors orders then!  So I bought a few bits 'n' pieces from Love Honey and..... A year later, I'm using Ovestin 3 times a week plus YES vaginal moisturiser and following my doctor's orders! The Ovestin was recommended by a consultant as it can also be spread on the outside of the vagina. I think some women find it messy, but I don't have a problem with it. And it's worked. I've also looked into various treatments (The Mona Lisa Touch, fat/filler injections....), but I don't feel I need them right now.... and maybe never will. I'd have to research the risks and benefits very carefully before going that route. Good to know these options are available though.

It's weird writing on a forum about something so personal. But that's what everyone does here, often in the hope it'll help others. I was devastated last year when the nurse told me it was the end of all that for me.  I'd been on a bit of a break, but I never thought it would last that long! I hope this might help anyone else who gets the same doom and gloom diagnosis!

[Kathleen]

Hello ladies

I stopped taking HRT almost three months ago and noticed the beginnings of vaginal atrophy within a few weeks. Even on HRT I needed to pee at least once in the night but that was my only symptom at the time. When the more extreme symptoms began I had soreness, dryness and itching but also a feeling that everything had shrunk and I felt slightly ' open'.  I couldn't get a GP appointment so I experimented with using coconut butter on the outside, especially near my episiotomy scar which I had become aware of after almost thirty years!

The thing is ladies my 'bits' feel a lot better now. No more of that 'flapping in the breeze' sensation I had earlier and I am not sore and don't feel particularly dry either.  I have no way of explaining this improvement and it may not last but I thought my experiences were worth a mention. I should add that I still need to pee every night but that is my only problem at the moment.

Hopefully this is helps ladies and wishing you all well.

K.
 

[Joney]

Thank you all for your responses.

Kathleen I may try the coconut butter.  Just a bit scared that it might introduce rogue bacteria in the area.

Sheanie, what a story.  Good grief, to be told that you might not have sex again at 57, wow!  I will follow up your tip and your doctor's recommendations.   

VavaVroomGone - I hope you get your VavaBack, it is miserable isn't it.

Whatsupwiththis and Tinkerbell - I think I'll get myself down to the doctor.  Tinkerbell I stopped HRT to see if I'm ok and I am except for the VA.  I was getting migraine with aura so would have had to go on patches and with current shortages of HRT I was worried about limited selections so thought I'd stop HRT and see how it went.  This decision may be reversed if I don't get to grip with the VA but if Vagifem does the job then I might be fine.

[Joney]

I got some Vagifem from the doctor today.  I hope it helps. The applicators aren't very good for the environment though are they although I guess the manufacturers don't want to be sued by women if they used reusable ones and they weren't cleaned properly and introduced bacteria.

[CLKD]

However I use applicators with 'ovestin' and wash them in soapy water 

Get it sorted ASAP.  Do read the threads on bladder issues and vaginal atrophy too.  Make notes 

Use the medication every night for 2 weeks at least.  Also take a pain relief 3 times a day to ease symptoms.  VA mimics repeated urine infection-type symptoms really, really well!

[Joney]

So here's an update.  It is definitely VA.  How can it happen literally within weeks of stopping HRT! It wasn't a symptom before I started HRT a year after my last period. The Dr said my urine showed signs of infection and it was sent off to be tested further.  I rang today and the receptionist said my results came back as normal and no further action needed.  I suffered from cystitis in the past and knew this was different, no stinging.  I tried the Vagifem a few weeks ago and it caused uncomfortable feelings in my legs that were scary so I stopped.  So anyway I started it again last night and so far ok legs wise.  However I do have that horrible feeling of wanting to wee a lot more.  Do things get worse before they get better?

I have to confess that some of the posts here about hair loss and Vagifem have scared me quite a lot.  However I feel I have no choice but to try it and hope that I won't be effected in this way.  I can visibly see how much things have shrunk down there!  What I find hard to believe is how quickly it can happen!

I do wonder how my mother and women in the past dealt with VA and it makes me sad to think that they may have just stayed near to the loo and not had a sex life.  There must have been something they took, maybe moisturisers.

Wish me luck with the Vagifem and I would be grateful if somebody could let me know if the "needing to wee" symptoms got worse before they got better when starting Vagifem?

This VA stuff is such a shame, as apart from that I feel a lot better off the HRT.

[CLKD]

Yes - sometimes when I use 'ovestin' I have the need to wee the next day.  I take a pain relief which eases symptoms.

Some find that they need 'vagifem' nightly.  As well as 'sylc' or 'yes' products.  Maybe keep a note of how you feel ?

[Bluebell]

Hi ladies, I'm going through the same as you with vaginal atrophy - I have had it for the last six years.🙇🏼‍♀️
 I've been on Vagifem for a few years now - sometimes alternate days then when I have a flare up I use it everyday. I have a flare up at the moment. I have bad cramp down below, needing to wee all the time, lower backache. I'm waiting for an appointment for a scan and having bloods done on Thursday.

Meanwhile the doctor has suggested I change to Estring instead of Vagifem.

 I've just looked it up on the net and the possible side effects have scared me.
I'm not on HRT and six years post menopausal...and it says that using oestrogen on it's own can cause all sorts of things. 

Any of you ladies out there use Estring? I would be really interested to hear what you think of it before I see the doctor on Thursday 🙏🏽😳
 

[shrosphirelass]

I started vagifem a few weeks ago because of dryness, no other symptoms and it seemed to irritate me. I started to want to go to the toilet all the time and felt generally uncomfortable and then the burning started. May have been coincidental, but nurse changed me to estriol.  I also had an issue with it staying put. Been on the cream for a week and so far it's ok, some issues with it falling out.
I guess different things suit different people. Don't know if is better to continue for 3 months or change if there are issues.

[CLKD]

Put the name into the search box  .  Make notes 

[Hurdity]

Hey there girls - do not read any horror stories about vaginal oestrogen on the web or anywhere - they are simply not true. It does not cause hair loss - I established from the manufacturer that this is sloppy writing on the part of the US commercial site. Please do not be sidetracked into thinking there are important or serious side effects either. The warnings given in the product info are the warnings about full HRT and most of the medical info has now been updated to this effect - saying the side effects etc are for systemic HRT. The amount absorbed from Vagifem is MINUTE!

Joney - please ignore all the scare stories and look at the evidence. Anecdotal reports (what people say) do not establish cause and effect, but the trials do - and give a likelihood of whether something will happen or if it has been reported as a side effect. You do not need to use a progestogen with Vagifem becuase the amount is so low. It does not count as oestrogen only. This applies only to full HRT.

Estring gives a higher amount of oestrogen locally to the womb than Vagifem but no progestogen needed. Yes I agree when I use Vagifem more frequently I get more urgent need to empty bladder on the day I use it. I haven't gone for Estring because I also use vaginal progesterone cyclicaly as par tof my HRT and don't really want them it at the same time although I do use Vagifem when I'm doing the vag Utro!

As always every woman has to be vigilant about bleeding etc and report anything untoward.

Hurdity x