To be absolutely furious at bloody incompetent GP?

[ItchDrivingMeInsane]

I am menopausal and have had itchy bits for about 6 months now. Tried absolutely everything and despite being on HRT thought I probably need a topical oestrogen gel.

It is driving me insane, I am sore and often bleed down there!

Went to see female GP, was examined and told atrophy present but she wanted me to try a hydrocortisone cream first as it may be dermatitis. I tried to argue a bit and say can you just give me the oestrogen cream to try but she said I’d need a referral to a gynaecologist. I tried to talk about NICE guidelines but she wasn’t having it. She made an appointment for two weeks later to see how steroid cream had worked.

That appointment was rescheduled as I was told she was going to be off sick so I had an appointment with a locum male doctor. I told him the steroid cream had slightly reduced the itching but it was still continuing. Again asked for oestrogen gel but he wanted to examine me again. I refused as said lady doctor had said atrophy was present (really didn’t want to get my bits out again!) at last appointment so surely that should be enough but he said she hadn’t put this in my notes.

He said he’d send a task for another appointment to be booked with her when she came back after sick leave.

That was 2 months ago. I was told that another appointment was not booked and I need to call in to get an appointment on the day on the two days a week that she works. Been trying that for a few weeks but all appointments are gone by the time I get through!

I honestly am fit to lose my shit tomorrow.

AIBU that I should have just been prescribed what my symptoms matched and according to NICE guidelines?

Also agree that it has helped me enormously. No more UTIs. No more lower pelvic aching for no apparent reason. No itch, no dryness, no feeling shrivelled up. Don't find it particularly messy tbh as you're only using a tiny amount and you insert it high up using an applicator. And the small amount of discharge is well worth putting up with for the benefits it brings. Fully expect to be using this for the rest of my life - once you have stopped producing your own oestrogen which has caused the atrophy, you are suddenly not going to start producing it again.

@ItchDrivingMeInsane my Dr just gave me the oestrogen cream when I asked, no exam.

Women really are treated appallingly by so many on the NHS. Especially depressing when it's female GPs being so unnecessarily unsupportive.

I get your point with the rest of your comment, but it’s not about “bothering to write notes”. Each GP wants to make sure they are prescribing for the right thing. Clinical medicine is subjective and each GP will do things differently, hence wanting to check.

Because it’s an online service and you don’t expect the same level of medical attention when you essentially self-diagnose. I would also assume that because those doctors haven’t seen the patient, they wouldn’t be liable for missing signs of any other gynaecological conditions that could be causing discomfort. There is probably also a disclaimer to visit your own GP or a right not to prescribe if there is anything in the questionnaire they are unhappy with and you’s be referred back to your GP. They don’t have to exclude other more serious conditions before prescribing because they don’t have the same responsibility or accountability a GP does when someone is sitting in their surgery.

I'll look into it.

I tried them and they didn't agree with me. The only thing that I seem to be able to tolerate is KY.

I'm on HRT, but it doesn't seem to be quite enough - Femoston 1mg. It did work for a while, but the last of my own hormones have obviously run out. Currently waiting for gynae appointment. (I have other symptoms as well. Had a D&C two years ago, but was told to go back if the problem reoccured.)

I thought itching was thrush?

Itching can be thrush. But it can also be caused by decreasing hormones which makes you dry and uncomfortable.

This was 100% your fault for not letting the GP examine you. How could they judge if the hydrocortisone cream was working if you didn't let them examine you (with a chaperone of course)? For this reason YABU and wasting NHS GP appt slots ontop of that.

Vaginal atrophy where the skin of the vulva & vagina thins & tears, causes UTIS, frequent need to wee and can lead to the clitoris disappearing affects around half of all menopausal women

I had no idea what it was when I got it & thought it was thrush at first…

Just to answer your question regarding how long a gynaecology appointment takes....my referral was sent off last July. I'm still waiting.

And I thought that repeated UTIs was just one of those things. A GP should be able to spot it very easily. An atrophic vagina has tissue which is pale and shiny. A woman with thrush has tissue which is red and swollen.

Mine was sent in January, I was seen at the start of April- it varies hugely by area, it seems.

YANBU OP. It’s a cream ffs not a life time prescription to class A’s. And I also agree… I don’t like getting my vag out at the doctors funnily enough, once is enough!!

Wow, that's a huge difference. I chased up with my GP practice last week, they looked into it and said if I hadn't heard anything before 21st May, I could chase it up then and see where I was on the list. Starting to think I've been forgotten

I’m in the middle of something like this I think and am having amazing trouble getting a gp appointment but that’s another thread.

Iv been diagnosed with early menopause and taking hrt.
Can I ask though my symptoms are on labia majora rather than the minora though.
very very itchy although try not to itch it. swelling and bleeding (prob from scratching while asleep) change in texture of the skin to wrinkly and puffy. Although this is combined with very sensitive and very very dry labial minora.

sorry everyone TMI!! Does this sound like vaginal atrophy? I’m obviously not trying to get a diagnosis over the internet but until I can see a gp I was wondering if this thread sounds familiar to what I’m describing and is being discussed.

good luck op, you shouldn’t have to go to Superdrug or wait a year to get some relief!

There is no need for women to be referred to a specialist gynae for something like Vagifem. This is standard stuff. @ItchDrivingMeInsane I would go back to your practice and ask to speak to someone privately about what has happened and that you still need to resolve this. Can you see someone asap. Be factual but your aim is to get yourself sorted as opposed to assigning blame at this stage. I had Vagifem prescribed with no one looking at me and I'm on HRT. I was having UTI issues as well. Vagisil is cooling for the itch too but is a temporary solution.

For this reason YABU and wasting NHS GP appt slots ontop of that.

No woman should be castigated for refusing an intimate medical examination by a male doctor that she was not expecting.

And I'm beyond tired of the suggestion that we should be fawningly grateful for, and protect the NHS. We pay for it, and it hardly structures itself as a model of efficiency.

Because it’s an online service and you don’t expect the same level of medical attention when you essentially self-diagnose

They are still licensed doctors who are signing off on a prescription, it's no different.

The fact is that low-dose oestrogen cream is a very safe treatment and not just giving it in the first instance, never mind two examinations and a gynae referal, is utterly ridiculous.

In the meantime try changing your toilet roll!! I all of a sudden developed a reaction to most toilet rolls and can now only just Andrex gentle. Worth a try

This website states this:

Women already taking systemic HRT can only buy Gina if they have previously had similar vaginal estrogen or their GP has confirmed that Gina is a good option for them.

It’s not intimate though. The doctor spends no longer thinking about one patient’s vagina than the next patient’s tonsils!

I made a lot of points but you pick up on that one only.

If the cream was totally safe you could buy it OTC without needing an online doctor to sign it off.