Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => All things menopause => Topic started by: Mrs Bennet on January 03, 2019, 08:46:11 PM
-
Hi ladies it has been a while since i have posted......long story short have had urine infection type symtoms for a few weeks now .....all dip tests come back negative.....after reading lots of threads on here realised it could be V A.....went to docs today and she confirmed this....prescribed Vagifem 10mcg but after googling i am now scared to use it....my Mother had post menapausal breast cancer at 59......my age now......she is ok & now 81 years old....i have exteme health anxiety which doesn't help my situation.....did explain to GP about Mum to which she said that such a small amount gets into the blood stream it is nothing to worry about....really am in a quandary but can't put up with this soreness pressure itch etc 😔 any advice gratefully received 😘😘
Ps.....5years postmeno and had overies and tubes removed 2 years ago 😊
-
Life has risks. I use Ovestin because I belief in Quality of Life. The idea of 2 weeks nightly use and twice a week means that not much will be taken up by the blood stream, as it is absorbed by the vaginal tissues.
4 me it was like razor blades up there :o and I could not have lived with those symptoms. I had breast disease in the 1990s. I never thought twice about using VA treatment.
-
Thanks for the swift response clkd.....razor blades 😳 oh my lord....not that bad thank goodness just this pressure and feeling like i need to pee really getting me down now.....guess i will bite the bullet and give it a go.....note to self say no to Dr Google.....but the vagifem leaflet doesn't fill me with confidence either 🙄 xx
-
Hello Mrs Bennet,
Go ahead and use the Vagifem. Don't be put off by the leaflet as most of the information in it is the same as for full HRT, so is not relevant for local oestrogen. I know it's daft, but that's how they do it! You will need Vagifem for the rest of your life, as symptoms return if treatment is stopped, so it would be as well to get started so that you feel better sooner rather than later.
CLKD is right about quality of life, and I should say that Vagifem is as near as one can get to risk-free; many of us have to use it every night as the dose of estradiol is so tiny. However, you may get on fine with the initial loading dose of two weeks nightly, then twice a week. If you find that doesn't do the trick, use it more frequently.
Best wishes,
JP x
-
Thanks for the swift response clkd.....razor blades 😳 oh my lord....not that bad thank goodness just this pressure and feeling like i need to pee really getting me down now.....guess i will bite the bullet and give it a go.....note to self say no to Dr Google.....but the vagifem leaflet doesn't fill me with confidence either 🙄 xx
Definitely try it! I have a history of recurrent UTI's/UTI symptoms. i wish i had found out about vagifem much earlier. I started using it in mid September. At the moment i am using it daily or sometimes alternate days if I have no symptoms in between. It seems to be working well but I need a few more months free of UTI symptoms to be sure.
-
I use ovestin which is similar for VA. I'very had UTI symptoms for ages now after being off hrt after bleeding. I know what you mean about the worry, but you can't live with those symptoms, well I can't. It may take a while to work, but probably nothing else will stop it, except systemic hrt. I can worry for ever, I know how you feel, but my gp said it's very safe, and I have no choice really.
-
Thank you so much for your words of wisdom 😘.........have decidedto go for it......just one otger thing that is a concern is that tge dreaded leaflet mentions if you have ever had a clot......well....after my gyny surgery I developed a pulmonary embolism 😳
which was successfully sorted with blood thinners the doc i saw today was not my usual so probably didn't
know about that. See what i mean about health anxiety 🤪 xx
-
The leaflet given in the topical estrogen box refers to the risks for systemic HRT. My meno specialist said Vagifem was equivalent to two oral HRT tablets a year and was not even a problem for people who had had breast cancer in the past.
My mother had a DVT when she was younger and was still prescribed topical HRT, but if you are worried you could run it past the GP.
Do try and use it, it's wonderful stuff, my life has been transformed by it!
-
Thank you Tinkerbell......decided to put caution to the wind and used the first pessery last night .....not cured yet 🤣🤣......joking aside i am still very nervous about using it but after reading all the advice on here i do feel a little more confident .....i will go and have a chat with GP next week and try to stop with the googling 😳!!!! I seem to always let my anxiety get the better of me 😘😘
-
Go for it Mrs Bennet. I was also put on Vagifem because of constant UTI's over a period of nine months. I have been using it for nearly two years now three times a week and (fingers crossed now) have not looked back. It took a savvy GP to finally ask the question why? to the UTI's and she also directed me to this site because of my worries. CLKD was the first of the lovely ladies to put my mind at rest as I too had a mother die of breast Cancer so please do use it and leave Mr. Google firmly in his box
-
Yes Dr google will drive you potty! Done it many times and then my partner comes in and I'm in tears and he says "stop looking things up!". it's hard to stop sometimes!
-
Thank you so much ladies i new i could rely on you to help put my mind at ease.....will soldier on and really try to stop the googling malarkey......🤗💐😘😘
-
Mr Google can throw up a host of 'what ifs' - so can the leaflets included in the drug boxes. I don't read either with regards health issues unless I am searching for a specific support group - i.e. diabetics, NAPS, Ovacome ...........
It is such a small amount up there that most will be a absorbed as designed. Also, a lot will run out ;) what goes up etc..
Let us know how you get on.
-
Thank you again .....yep will let you know how it goes 😘😘
-
Good luck Mrs Bennet and hope that the Vagifem sorts your VA soon :)
Hurdity x
-
Thank you Hurdity xx will post again in a week or so......😊 trying to be optimistic 😳 xx
-
My Facebook page for VA has many ladies who where nervous of using vagifem, once started & relief was found they wished they had started it sooner.
Unfortunately if left untreated VA can get really ☹️. The amount in local oestrogen is SO tiny.