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[CLKD]

Jane_w - do read the 'bladder issues' and 'vaginal atrophy' threads on the Forum. Make notes ;-)

When I feel that nipping sensation as the spincter shuts of the flow of urine I take 'nurofen' 2 capsules 3 times a day for 2 days.  Stops the nipping!

[Jane_w]

Thank you, yes I have been reading through all of it! More than a bit overwhelmed by it all tbh.. and somewhat shocked and terrified that I'm never going to feel any better!

[Haydo]

You will feel better.  This time last year I could hardly walk any distance or sit down without pain, I couldn’t even drive my car - the doctor said it was the worst case of VA she’d seen, not helped by the delay in being seen because of lockdown.   Long story!

I should clarify, my GP prescribed the vagifem for me but wanted me to see a consultant as I was still struggling so much, despite trying loads of different ointments and creams externally.  I think, with me, it just took so long to sort out as it was so bad to begin with.  A year on it is much more manageable.  I am waiting to see a vulval dermatologist to see if there can be some more improvement made.  I also take a probiotic which is proven to reach the vagina (Optibac for women) which does help as well.

[Jane_w]

Thank you... its good to know that... I've used probiotics before which helped when my digestive system went haywire in perimeno so I have been taking the optibac probiotic for women for a month now as I think they will probably be good and Id recommend their other probiotics so hope this might help a bit... I hate to sound so sorry for myself as I can see how long it is likely to take to get this sorted with something that works for me and I'm in awe of everyone here..
I just feel like this has hit me like a train and I'm a bit shocked tbh. Nice young  Dr managed to suss it out before me though (in denial!) and all from phone consultations where I thought it was 'just' another uti, so I'm quite impressed by her. Thank you again.

[Haydo]

Sounds like your GP is on the ball so, hopefully, you will find the right treatment for you sooner rather than later.    Mine kept prescribing me treatment for thrush and antibiotics for UTIs initially which, I now realise, was just making things worse.   I have learned a lot from this site.  Let us know how you get on. 

[Jane_w]

I will indeed update as and when! I think I was just so desperate for the estriol to work (and it sort of did apart from the fact that something in it burnt like hell!) and facing the fact that this is a chronic  condition that will need lifelong management has suddenly made me feel daft (for not realising & acting sooner) and incredibly, crushingly old and useless. But i'm reading all these stories of how everyone is doing what they can to get the treatment that works for them and it is a real education. What a great resource this is.

[Fran.H]

Hi Jane W. I am also 54 and have recently been prescribed Estriol cream and like you to begin with it was great but now it’s not! Feeling very irritated down below and it’s really getting me down. I saw a great GP who was very sympathetic but she has been off work sick and I don’t want to see a different doctor and also feel like there must be much more important patients who need to be seen instead of me as this isn’t exactly a life threatening condition. Can I ask if you have made any headway since your last post here? Or have tried any other treatments? Not sure whether to persevere with this cream or to ditch it altogether ?!

[Jane_w]

Hi Fran. I'm waiting to hear from my GP as she wanted to double check me for an infection before we decide a next course of action so still waiting for results ...but, rather oddly, since ditching the estriol nearly a month ago I have gradually improved and now feel a lot better. This is strange. I had been using the Yes VM water based but also stopped using that a couple of weeks ago as I wanted to see if it was definitely helping or hindering... it seems it might have been the latter. I really don't know what is going on (maybe it was 'just' an infection but that is very odd for me & might well be related to underlying dryness). In the meantime I've been taking the optibac probiotic for women and just bought another supply of that as I figure it can't do any harm and might be helping. I've also been using Nessa Vagina Victory Oil which is lovely and seemed to help to put out the estriol fire, externally at least! I don't know what to say about whether you should ditch the cream but it aggravated me way more than it helped me. Hopefully I will speak to Dr next week to see where I go next, but for now I feel sort of (cautiously) ok.. Good luck.

[Yecart 777]

Hi
I am not sure if I have Vaginal Atrophy , but I have a doctors appointment this week.
Does it feel like something in the vagina opening as well as soreness ? I cant feel anything at all.....

Many thanks

[CLKD]

Bounced for new members

[Gynaikeíos]

Hello my friends. I am looking for some reassurance please about VA/GSM (will there be a 4 letter name for it ever?      ).

👋 to ladies who  are  new. If you have not had it long,  keep with your medication and find the right combination of pessary and or cream because it takes a while to get the condition manageable. It does become manageable. I am almost a year into treatment and thought I would never get it right, but it is now manageable   

The reassurance is about still having uncomfortable feelings just before starting my period (Life is interesting. I am 57 and still in peri-menopause . MM has a thread for older women who are in peri). It is not my usual period pain.

I feel that the VA is affecting my cervix on the first day of menstrual flow. For me, the tight feeling up high returns, so my questions are, is this true that my cervix is still not quite flexible enough?
Should I put some extra Estriol high up? Or should it only be moisturiser when my period start between my twice a week application of Estriol?

Thank you for taking time to read, and to reply.
With best wishes
X

[Tiddles]

Iovet the past 5 years I've tried everything including GP prescribed ointments, pessaries etc Truth is the over the counter creams designed for the sexually active market ie to accompany condom use are as effective as anything aimed at peri and post menopausal women  and if you pay for prescriptions, they're also cheaper. Don't be embarrassed . Just browse the condom section of Superdrug and go for it. In-knicker comfort restored.

[joziel]

I thought I'd just add my story here in case it helps anyone.

This was actually the symptom (vaginal dryness) which made it incredibly clear to me that I was low in estrogen. And caused a light bulb to go off in my head. Which eventually led to starting HRT.

I had been feeling occasionally scratchy/sharp/****ly discomfort there but very intermittently. I couldn't see anything wrong at all. I thought maybe I had thrush so I treated using Canesten. But it was still there a few days after finishing. I read online that I could do 2 courses of Canesten before going to my GP, so I did another course. Still didn't fix it...

I went to a GP I'd never seen before, expecting an exam. She gave me a self-swab to go and do in the toilets at the doctors surgery. I don't know if I did a good job with this, it was kinda hard in the cubicles! The swab came back normal and didn't find BV or thrush.

I was falsely reassured at this point and decided I'd been imagining things and didn't do anything further for a couple of months. Then things got worse and I decided there was something going on... By now I'd realised it could be low estrogen/vaginal dryness after doing some googling and reading online.

I went back and saw another GP, again expecting an exam. This GP gave me Vagifem and said she didn't want to do an exam immediately because it might hurt me and she wanted me to take Vagifem for 3 weeks and then go back and she would take a look. (How many more times would I have to psych myself up for a pelvic exam that never happened, I wondered....).

So I went away and started the Vagifem. Things got a bit better but because the location of my soreness was on the outside in my vulva, the Vagifem wasn't really getting anywhere near there. I had a video consult with a Newson dr to start systemic HRT at this time and she was happy to prescribe me some Ovestin as well, for the vulva. This really helped.

I also bought some YES products. I used the YES VM internally on the nights when I didn't do Vagifem (with Ovestin externally) and the YES OB every morning. It was quite a routine.

I went back to the GP after 3 weeks on Vagifem and the exam was so comfortable, I didn't even realise she was doing it. I thought she had given up because she couldn't get the speculum up there - only for her to say she'd had a look and blah blah... And I realised the estrogen had made me so comfortable up there!! (I did think my smear test last year had hurt more than usual but I hadn't realised that was a sign of low estrogen.)

The GP said I was a little red and irritated on the outside and she added the Ovestin to my NHS prescription. So I am now on Vagifem 2x weekly and Ovestin the same nights and the other days of the week, I use YES OB every morning. I don't use the YES VM internally at the moment.

I also got some pelvic floor dilators because I realised all this is about 'use it or lose it' and I wanted to go confidently into smear tests and pelvic exams, knowing that they wouldn't hurt me. So twice a week, I use a dilator up there for 10 minutes. It scores zero on the sexy charts for me. Now I am also on testosterone and have my libido back, I just have to fix my relapsed sex life with my long-suffering husband and replace that with a penis 

[Hugsneed1958]

So happy for you I had same problem but after examination said was grade 1 bladder prolapse which had ages but convinced all back ache and dry stingy feeling low bladder cramps is because need to up my vagifem and use ovestin outside I read some put vagifem in every night  or need to do a 2 week reload 2 times a year to boost estrogen levels up again.but I used to do 2 week some time 3 but now doing every other night for 3 weeks and yes V.m.cream .it has improved as regards cramping pain so hoping that this is the thing I need. I had a hystorectomy 22 yrs ago then had pelvic floor repaired where Anchor it to backbone with mesh 2 years after hystorectomy.  I thought that be it but 2 years later on examination said had mild prolapse of bladder and rectocyle. As they still feel same and no other symptoms of prolapse that had before hoping it will stay same with kegal exercise and so on.she sent me for gyny/urologist appointment just to check but long wait. Good job not severe prolapse last time I had to be catheratised to pass water because of pelvic floor prolapse. T.M.I. sorry ladies but we need to talk to know what happens to us after hystorectomy but should add not all. Anyone any advice on bladder pain and success with vagifem. Have to say on useing vagifem never as yet had bladder infections. Long may they be around to use.. they are safe as systemically small amount absorption. Many thanks 

[Hugsneed1958]

Girls - vaginal atrophy can imitate thrush symptoms.  So continue with the appropriate VA treatment, if necessary every night.  Sometimes ladies require two Vagifem at the same time, it's such a small amount of active ingredient.  Candida thrives on sugars all the way through the digestive tract, I use LIVE yoghurt [Greek] when I have niggles which mayB thrush - which 4 me is itching really high up in the vagina. 

Your GP is checking the lining of the womb but if she doesn't want to prescribe until the results are back, ring and ask her to request an urgent appt. Bluesky ?

2 stop the need2P sensation I take 2x'nurofen' 3 times a day to ease the spincter as it shuts off. 

Nowt is TMI ;-). Every experience can be read, taken on board, shelves until required ........