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[cebe]

Hi I am new to this site but i am so distressed by my vaginal symptoms i don't know where else to go.  suffered for yrs with thush in my 40s/50s. now 64. last yr was diagnosed with va and used ovestin. continued to have discharge all the time i used it but assumed this was the cream and it did'nt stop the soreness it just helped for a few days a week. came off ovestin 3 months ago because of tender breasts (thankfully mamogram showed nothing) and since then have had water infection which needed antibiotics so have now got thrush. doctor said i could go back onto ovestin but i have been reading that ovestin can give you thrush so i'm now thinking that perhaps the white discharge i had while taking the ovestin was in fact thrush because the itching and soreness of va feels the same as thrush so if i do get it while taking ovestin i won't know.  I'm getting in a real state over all this because i don't know whether to start ovestin again but i am so sore i feel like crying. You cannot get a GP appointment its all done by email and she told me to just start using ovestin again. don't know what to do,any advice would be helpful. Thank you.

[Ayesha]

Ovestin doesn't seem to be suiting you and causing some confusion with the added complication of thrush.
What about Vagifem, a more of a slow release remedy but very effective in the long run and certainly not greasy.
You can buy it yourself under the name Gina if you don't want to wait for a doctors appointment.

When you get the thrush symptoms sorted if needed you can use Ovestin on the outer area alongside the Vagifem/Gina.

[CLKD]

Thrush - 4 me it is an intense itch high up.  4 me VA is like razor blades  up there - totally different feelings.

VA mimics repeated urine infection-type symptoms really really well 

There will be a discharge with putting anything into the vagina - what goes up etc..  Once Ovestin worked for me and the vaginal walls soak up the product = no discharge.

'vagifem' is another form of localised treatment.  U cannot buy 'gina' over the counter at boots unless you are over 55 and period free for at least 12 months.   Not as easy as the advert suggests!

Let us know how you get on.  You need a vaginal swab for bacterial conditions, thrush [which lives in the back passage and thrives on sugars] and perhaps use a moisturiser as well as vagifem.  It's a bit Trial and Error!

[Ayesha]

Just to confirm for any other ladies reading this, Gina is available for women over 50, including at Boots.
As cebe is over that age it won't be a problem for her.

cebe, do let us know how you get on as it's all trial and error when things are a bit complicated as in your case.

[CLKD]

Interesting reading the blurb on 'boots' = Gina  .  Doesn't say that in the TV adverts.

Let us know how you get on!

[cebe]

Thank you all for replying. This really is a distressing thing to have. I have just ordered 'YES' vaginal moisturising inserts and the gel for the outer area. I feel with all the soreness perhaps something natural will help. Will try it for a couple of weeks and if it does not help will try to see GP and have a go with Vagifem as the Gina is too expensive for me to buy. Just one thing I need to know about Vagifem is will there be a discharge because I don't know but I think the soreness I had with Ovestin came from the discharge. Thank you.

[CLKD]

Sometimes the soreness is due to the area being really dry.

The vagina will cleanse itself so there may initially be a slight 'discharge'.  Once my vaginal walls plumped up with regular 'ovestin', there has been no discharge of note.

The condition may be eaed with 'yes' though some find that irritates.  The suggestion is to use 'vagifem' a little way in to start with until the area is less sensitive.  Let us know how you get on.

[Ayesha]

Just one thing I need to know about Vagifem is will there be a discharge because I don't know but I think the soreness I had with Ovestin came from the discharge. Thank you.

The pessary is small and very hard and dissolves slowly, I personally don't notice a discharge from it and I find it not messy at all.
I hope you find a regime that suits because the stage you are at now is all trial and error and as you say distressing!

[cebe]

I have had results of swab and thrush has cleared.
Been using 'Yes' moisturiser inside and out for last 4 days and there is no dryness and the vulva looks normal but it is still very sore so don't know if its going to work.
Sorry to ask but do any of you know if there is a thrush preventative I can buy because with this soreness I can see me going back onto ovestin or vagifem but I've read that either one of these can cause thrush.
IF there is a preventative I don't know if it can be inserted on the same day as the ovestin or vagifem because I will be using one or the other of these everyday for 2 weeks and then twice a week. 

[Haydo]

You could try taking Optibac probiotics for women.  This keeps thrush at bay for me, which I was getting initially with vagifem.  I also use ovestin externally.  I’ve also found I’ve not suffered with thrush, despite two courses of antibiotics recently, which I’ve always got with antibiotics before.  Multi-Gyn Actigel is also very soothing internally and counters thrush and optimises the vaginal flora.  I used this regularly for some time for the first few months when I started taking the probiotics and use it occasionally now.