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[Minusminnie]

Yep.  Each box of ovestin has a long plastic applicator

I just use boiled water in a beaker to clean each end then leave to dry.

Been trying to think of a use for the old applicators as I start a new box. Any ideas ?
I saw Covid test kits broken appropriately in half for plant labels.

[CLKD]

Mine go into recycling.  It's what to do with the tubes of product 

[sheila99]

🤣 ….maybe it should be !

Dip it in boiling water? 😂

[Wrensong]

I was prescribed Vagifem for best part of a decade & got on fine with them.  Along with a little estriol cream applied externally (& systemic HRT), they have been a Godsend, keeping me in comfortably good condition in the absence of ovaries, uterus & cervix, for which I'm very grateful.  In the past year or so, Vagirux or generic estradiol pessaries have been dispensed instead, no prior notice, no explanation & I haven't felt the need to question that.  I have been fine with all of them in terms of effect, but find I do have to be careful not to drop the tiny pessaries while trying to fit them into the applicator, which can be a bit fiddly.  I also prefer the blue Vagifem applicators as I've found the slightly spindlier white ones sometimes stick into the soft vaginal wall if I'm not completely attentive with insertion & I never have that problem with Vagifem.  I also preferred Vagifem because of not having the faff of washing & drying the repeat use applicators at the end of the day when I barely have the energy to stagger into bed, but that's offset by the virtue of not wasting so much plastic.  I kept one Vagifem applicator out of my last ever box (wish I had thought to keep more) & now reuse that in preference to the white ones to avoid the discomfort of an accidental stabbing to wake me right up before I go to bed  .

See how you get on with them; I think very likely you'll be fine.
W x

[Minusminnie]

🤣 ….maybe it should be !

Dip it in boiling water? 😂

  

[Minusminnie]

Has anyone tried using an Estriol applicator to push out an Estradiol pessary ? Possibly for those using both estriol and estradiol.
I've not tried it but at least the pessary would be sat inside the top of the Estriol tube maybe with a bit of estriol cream to help adherence.

[Wrensong]

Good suggestion.  I just tried it for size, Minusminnie.  The Estriol applicator (at least for the weaker, 0.01% variant), unfortunately isn't compatible with the Vagirux pessary though.  The tablet/pessary just lies flat in a shallow depression slightly below the top of the applicator tube with the plunger fully depressed, so that there's nothing to push the pessary out.  Sorry, not a very clear explanation. The plunger doesn't extend far enough to expel the pessary is what I'm trying to say.  The pessary just sort of sits, as if in a nest in the top of the applicator.  Good idea though, as the Estriol applicators are nicely rounded, sturdy & blunt, easy to use, with little chance of a cack-handed, skewed spearing of the sort I somehow managed to inflict!

[Wrensong]

I'm thinking of buying a box of Gina for a supply of the blue applicators to keep & reuse with the Vagirux/generic estradiol pessaries I'm now routinely prescribed.  Thank you Witches Cat - I hadn't realised Gina had individual applicators like Vagifem.

[Minusminnie]

Good suggestion.  I just tried it for size, Minusminnie.  The Estriol applicator (at least for the weaker, 0.01% variant), unfortunately isn't compatible with the Vagirux pessary though.  The tablet/pessary just lies flat in a shallow depression slightly below the top of the applicator tube with the plunger fully depressed, so that there's nothing to push the pessary out.  Sorry, not a very clear explanation. The plunger doesn't extend far enough to expel the pessary is what I'm trying to say.  The pessary just sort of sits, as if in a nest in the top of the applicator.  Good idea though, as the Estriol applicators are nicely rounded, sturdy & blunt, easy to use, with little chance of a cack-handed, skewed spearing of the sort I somehow managed to inflict!

Thanks for experimenting just sorry that hasn't worked.
I've just looked at my Estriol 0.1% applicator and the white plunger pushed down does reach the end.  If i had a estradiol pessary i would experiment myself with that one but i'm just using estriol for now.
It's all fiddly i've annoyingly shot the cream out before time somehow on occasion. 

[Joaniepat]

For those who don't like having just the one applicator, there is a "generic" version of the estradiol tablets that comes with single use applicators. Sometimes I am given these instead of Vagirux. It is made by Sun Pharmaceuticals. I should think it is possible for a GP to specify "estradiol tablets with single use applicators" as  anyone with dexterity problems wouldn't be able to use Vagirux. Even I end up dropping the occasional one on the bathroom floor. I would imagine these Sun Pharmaceuticals ones are way cheaper than Vagifem. I'd suggest asking your GP to prescribe as suggested above, or speaking to the pharmacist.
JP x