Severe Vaginal Atrophy, Thrush and Sex

[WhatAGrippingLifeYouDoLead]

Posting here for traffic as am at my wits end Arghhhhhhhhh!!!! I am early 60's and have severe vaginal atrophy. I also have cancer so am unable to have HRT. GP has prescribed vagifem which has helped the sore dryness and made me comfortable on a day to day level - until I have sex.

Even with the vagifem, I am still too dry to have intercourse comfortably so need to use a lubricant.... but everytime we use it, I get thrush.

PLEASE can anyone suggest anything? We have had a rottent few years with a cancer diagnosis for us both, a house fire, a grandchild diagnosed with a lifechanging illness, DH father died, his mother has alzheimers, my father also has it (along with vascular dementia) ....it has seemed endless, and has put a big strain on our relationship, that we have had to work hard to overcome. I know sex isn't everything, but it is a glue that helps stick together the rough bits of life

I have another appointment with my GP but it's not for 6 weeks (FFS!!!) and I am totally fed up....so I thought maybe the combined experience of Mumsnet may be able to offer some advice

I have severe episodes of thrush and now attend the sexual health clinic for this as they seem to have a more long ten approach than my own gp, why not try giving your local one a call and taking some advice

Thank you hazyjinty01 - I'm sure it's the lubricant that is causing the thrush, so not sure a sexual health clinic would be able to help - though I'd be very happy to be told otherwise.

Have you tried medical lube? I order it from Amazon after I once had it given to me by a kind gynae, it's what they use when they need to do internal exams. I can find out the name if this is something you'd not tried?

No I haven't Dljlr what a brilliant idea, thank you, I would be very grateful for the name of it

Sexual clinics do deal with thrush - I usually go there when I need help with it as I can drop in rather than waiting weeks for the GP. TBH they are better with it as they see more cases.

You could try lubricating with Canestan cream? DH might not like it though

This is my life too. Vagifem>thrush. No vagifem> sex too painful. I swear lm allergic to sex in some way, my entire sex life has been one merry go round of thrush and cystitis.

Anyway, my gp offered fluconazole on a weekly basis. I couldn’t take it, as it interacted with another drug l was on, but canestan pessaries weekly do the trick. Could you try that?

Also sylk is a great lubricant.

I have the same problem and the vagifem causes thrush. Watching with interest.

I have trouble with lubricants but found that one called conceive plus didn’t cause me any issues - it’s much more similar to natural discharge. Obviously it’s designed for couples trying to conceive but if you can get past that weirdness it might be worth a go?

Sorry life is being rough for you at the moment, I totally agree that the least you deserve right now is a good shag

There’s a lubricant called conceive plus which is ph balanced and very, very gentle. It feels very natural to use and I haven’t suffered any ill effects at all from it. Obviously you don’t require its fertility benefits but it might do the trick? You can buy it from Amazon.

www.oncallmedicalsupplies.co.uk/optimum-medical-1120-sterile-lubricant-jelly-5g-sachet.html?utm_source=froogle&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0_CVkNLa2gIVR7DtCh3TMQ_qEAQYAyABEgIn4PD_BwE

This is what we use at work - don't know if it would work for you any better as it is individual sterile sachets? Seems like there should be a ph balanced lube available though - might one of the ones designed to assist conception fit this brief perhaps?

X post with @Purplestorm83

crikey - I didn't realise that the vagifem could cause thrush ... that throws another conundrum into the mix. Can I ask those of you who get thrush when using vagifem, do you get thrush anyway, just by using it, or only if you have sex?
Thanks for all the suggestions

No advice but I’m well impressed you’re still up for some with all that stress going on.

All the best.

I get thrush just by using the vagifem yes. I am allergic to some lubes and not others. Think I'll give conceiveplus a go. On a day to day basis I'm fine without the vagifem but sex is then v painful. If I use the vagifem I get thrush within about 3 days.

I also have cancer which is the cause of all this hoo haa in the first place. It adds insult to injury that the treatment ruins one of the last few pleasures left to make you feel like a person rather than a patient.

Copied from the pelvic guru:- "Did you know that if a lubricant has GLYCOL in it (KY or Astorglide)…that’s a form of sugar and may make you more prone to yeast infections?" So that is interesting, I just looked at the lubricant we are currently using and it does indeed contain glycol.

Thank you all SO MUCH. I will try your suggestions and report back if that's not likely to be too much information

Have you tried using coconut oil as a lubricant? I've used it for years, it's a wonderful lubricant if you're able to use oil based.

So sorry Op, family descended.

It's called OptiLube, here's a link: www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B01EAQR1N8/ref=mp_s_a_1_5_a_it?ref=plSrch&keywords=optilube&dpPl=1&dpID=51mhggUiIKL&tag=mumsnetforum-21&ie=UTF8&qid=1524842800&sr=8-5

Really hope it helps.

YES water based lube
You can get it on prescription or amazon

Also weekly fluconozole tablets 👍👍

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4819835/

Some lubricants and moisturisers have a substance which forces moisture into the tissues and this can cause irritation to the cells. More natural ones like Yes tend to be better.

I found the oral thrush tablets combined with the multigyn flora plus helpful in the early days of vagifem. (stings a bit)

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05tpw79 Some good listening here. Heather Curries suggests you moisturise your bits, like you would your face

There is a procedure with lasers which some people with bad atrophy are trying called Mona Lisa touch. It is expensive and you need a treatment every year once you have had your first course.

General tips here:
www.menopausematters.co.uk/pdf/article-gsm-issue44.pdf
read Jane's ML report here:www.menopausematters.co.uk/pdf/magazines/issue48.pdf

sorry - clicky to janes article here: www.menopausematters.co.uk/pdf/magazines/issue48.pdf

Must add that Jane had a particularly bad time with VA and has made it her mission to make sure women know what to do about it.

are you sure it is thrush? It may be irritation. I have found Sylk very good, you can get it prescribed on the NHS or buy it easily. A lot of lubricants contain nasty chemicals which cause reactions, but this one is natural. I thought I had thrush all the time for some time until I realised it was dryness, not thrush. Vagifem and Silk work for me and have sorted all all the misery I was suffering from. I had constant cystitis before using them.

Sorry to hear this.
I second the rec for Sylk, also try replens.
Active cancer need not be an absolute contraindication to using topical oestrogen therapy so when you do eventually go back to your GP, perhaps ask them to write to your oncologist to see if it would be ok? After all, it is having a serious impact on your life by the sounds of things.
I hope you manage to get some success.

sorry I have just realised I've read this incorrectly - you're on vagifem - I think these are the pessaries? Perhaps you could try the oestrogen CREAM which you can liberally apply, you might find you get on better with that.

If jts thus is your partner being treated too? They could be carrying it and reinfecting you