Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => All things menopause => Topic started by: Teddington on February 16, 2020, 04:46:13 PM
-
Hi
I'm 55yrs... 8mths no periods
Had issues with vaginal itching but the thing that is getting me down and hard to deal with is this nagging bladder...no pain when I pee no burning just a nag in my bladder...been to doctors on and off also gyno...back on vagifem which im doing reload now for 10 days itching almost gone also starting taking betimga for bladder not sure if helping...?Also can bleed when anything happens in the bedroom...not often now with all this happening..since I turned 50 it's been pretty miserable can cope with most things with the menopause but this bladder thing...no UTI's..last wk spoke to doctor bout VA...he said that is more normal for post menopausal ladies down the line....can any other ladies tell me if they have experienced this without having wee infection or burning...these day my lady bits are alien to me....feeling miserable and down have read some other post on here but they are quite old now :( Thank you to any ladies that can give me any info x
-
Vaginal atrophy? We have several threads here, do read them. Once treatment begins 1 needs to keep up with it. Some ladies find that 'yes' or 'sylc' products useful along with VA treatment. To keep the whole area moisturised and less likely to dry out = itching.
VA mimics urine infection-type symptoms really really well! But once treatment sorts it, symptoms lessen. I find that taking a pain relief for 2 days helps.
-
CLKD
Thank you for reply I'm thinking the same on the lines of VA... why Doctors think you need to be well past post menopause for it I'm not sure..? I'm keeping up with the vagifem everyday for mth reload then advised to use every other day...also just purchase some YES...and muti-gyn im on day 10 of reload so hoping this will help,
Will look up the other threads on this.
Hoping this bladder issue will settle soon....shame no one teaches us about these things so we could prepare ourselves ready for the battle x
-
At least to recognise VA symptoms!
-
Hi Teddington. Sorry to hear of your discomfort. I'm just making sure you have had the bleeding after sex checked out as this is possibly a separate issue to the bladder symptoms.
Taz x :welcomemm:
-
Hello Taz2
Yes has been checked out nothing sinister.Also had bladder checked in last year and told all normal...had no problems for about 9mths...till couple wks ago the dreadful itching first then the constant nagging bladder....itching under control now but these awful bladder symptoms are hard to take constant dull ache nothing seems to stop it which I find very hard to deal with 😔
-
It will ease once the VA treatment begins to moisten the vagina and vulva areas.
Have you tried pain relief? I take two 'nurofen' 3 times a day until symptoms ease.
-
Hi Teddington, the trouble with VA is not just itching and dryness, the lack of estrogen means the pelvic floor weakens and then stuggles to support the bladder, this sometimes causes prolapse and a dull dragging ache especially when the bladder fills up. Vagifem should help with this but it will take a while, I also saw a physio therpist to help streghthen the pelvic floor with exercises.
-
Hi
I have been taking pain relief not really helped trying to stay positive..finding out what the cause is seems to be the difficulty doctors never really knowing what to suggest..always saying incontinence is more in line with menopause...but from what I have read on here it's more common thing...also I'm careful with diet and fluids
At the moment because it started few days after I had a bout of itching that it could be VA.
All you ladies seem to know alot more than the doctors as been or going tho it in different forms it's good to get advice and support which in thankful for 😌
-
Was it a cystoscopy you had for the bladder investigation and, also, have you been examined for bladder prolapse?
Taz x
-
Hi Taz
Iv had a few cystoscopy to rule out ic and anything else told bladder looks normal
Did pay to see pelvic floor therapist which no prolapse...I do have small fibroid but told too small to be a problem and been there yrs...feels like I need to find the answers myself which is frustrating and going tho menopause except the meno symptoms...this bladder nagging I have is the worst no burning or urgency or incontinence just this nagging x
-
Deirdre hello
How long did the vagifem take to help with your bladder symptoms I'm using every night at moment x
-
I had quite severe atrophy when finally diagnosed and also grade 2 prolapse so it took about a year of treatment before i felt comfortable. Im afraid its not a quick fix, it takes years for the estrogen to gradually deplete and then VA can come on very quickly with not much warning,. so its going to take a while building the estrogen back up. Also i was on too low a dose of just 2 vagifem a week so didnt really feel the benefit until i went onto 5 per week and Ovestin every night. If you can stay on every day dosage continually you should start to see an improvement over the next a couple of months.
-
Thanks Dierdre
Just getting some sort of diagnosis would be good feel like I have too find out everything myself..In your experience is this constant nagging pressure in the bladder normal for VA without burning and incontinence ? 😔
-
Hi
I'm 55yrs... 8mths no periods
Had issues with vaginal itching but the thing that is getting me down and hard to deal with is this nagging bladder...no pain when I pee no burning just a nag in my bladder...been to doctors on and off also gyno...back on vagifem which im doing reload now for 10 days itching almost gone also starting taking betimga for bladder not sure if helping...?Also can bleed when anything happens in the bedroom...not often now with all this happening..since I turned 50 it's been pretty miserable can cope with most things with the menopause but this bladder thing...no UTI's..last wk spoke to doctor bout VA...he said that is more normal for post menopausal ladies down the line....can any other ladies tell me if they have experienced this without having wee infection or burning...these day my lady bits are alien to me....feeling miserable and down have read some other post on here but they are quite old now :( Thank you to any ladies that can give me any info x
Hi Teddington I had some immediate relief when I started Vagifem. I had cystitis symptoms that weekend and they improved straight away. By the end of the initial 2 weeks, I had started to get relief from the dull ache in my left hip and groin which had affected me for several months. Prior to that i had been having recurrent UTI infections (or apparent infections which may have been early VA) for several years (since peri). After the first 2 weeks, I tried to drop to 2 a week because my GP was unwilling to prescribe more but the symptoms flared up again. Fortunately a referral to a urogynaecologist sorted that out. She told them that it was fine to use vagifem daily if needed.
about 2-3 months after starting, I began to notice that I was sleeping better. It hadn't occurred to me before that night trips to the loo were connected to VA (except when it was very frequent due to a flare up).
-
Some ladies need 2 Vagifem at once to ease symptoms. It is a very small amount of product so may take a while B4 it eases symptoms.
-
Teddington...I was well into post menopause (15 years) b4 I was dx'ed and it started with UTI after UTI. It takes Vagifem a LONG, LONG time to work but hang in there as it does eventually work. My GP said, in my case, may take a full year before 90% better but the bladder probs. got better after a few months. A wonderful NP explained all about the bladder and urethra in post menopausal women. The bladder and urethra thins out and becomes open to all sorts. Local estrogen seems to be the preferred method to strengthen the bladdee. Keep up with the vagifem and you will get it sorted.
-
During the first year i had VA and bladder prolapse the only time i was comfy was lying down, i struggled to sit anywhere and had to sit on a medical ring. Walking for any length of tine left me aching and sore. That was 5 years ago, it does get better and i live as normal a life as you can with VA now, even went horse riding this weekend. ;)
-
Hi teddington, I am in peri-menopause and my first symptoms were caused by VA, yes many gp's state this is only post menopause, but one thing I have found out from using this site is that's certainly not always the case. I now use vagifem everyday, and although the bladder problems and recurring UTI,s have stopped, I still get itching. I can't use any creams with oestrogen as they irritate me so manage this by using Actigel and Sylk.
-
Hi teddington, I am in peri-menopause and my first symptoms were caused by VA, yes many gp's state this is only post menopause, but one thing I have found out from using this site is that's certainly not always the case. I now use vagifem everyday, and although the bladder problems and recurring UTI,s have stopped, I still get itching. I can't use any creams with oestrogen as they irritate me so manage this by using Actigel and Sylk.
My recurrent UTI's definitely started when in early peri but I didn't know about VA then so didn't connect them. I wish I had known.
-
Katejo - your GP was negligent in not putting bladder 'infections' and the possibility of atrophy together!
-
I was 45 years old when virginal atrophy started. My first system of menopause. Coming up to a year of treatment, slowly getting better, but definitely two steps forward, one step back.
Interesting about night time and peeing, I didn't realise until I read Katejo post, I've gone from peeing three times a night to one, I can make it to about 3am until I have to get up :)
-
Lyncola - what you using for the atrophy?
-
Bounced