vaginal dryness / thrush / general fanjo problems - help!

[MadamA]

My flipping fanjo is driving me mad. I am 45, no major menopause symptoms so far except irregular cycle and recent vaginal dryness. For last couple of months have had annoying itchy fanjo, especially at night. Dont think it's thrush as am veteran recurrent sufferer and tho it feels similar its only-at-night time-ness is weird.

However currently have epiosde of fanjo itchiness which I think has turned into thrush - brought on by long walk up a hill in a pair of salopettes a few nights ago (is that likely?) Next day fanjo felt on fire. So, the question is do I have perimenopausal vaginal dryness which is incrasing tendency to thrush? If so what are the cures? Bought some replens yesterday but TBH doesnt feel much different yet. Am going to treat myself as if have thrush today but want some long term management ideas.

While I'm on the topic it seems to take me ages and ages to recover from thrush - one pessary / tablet never seems to be enough and invariably I have to treat again about a week later. And yes have been screened for other infections. Any tame GPs out there have good advice about this? My own never has anything sensible to say.

Many thanks

I found that I don't get thrush anymore since I started using a mooncup instead of tampons. Not sure if that is really relevant to your situation, but just thought it might help.

Thanks - dont use tampons but will have a think about mooncup, Anyone else a perimenoapusal dry fanjo sufferer?

Troublesome regular thrush can be a sign of diabetes, have you been tested for this?

Some GPs will give you a oestrogen cream or pessary to help with dryness if the Replens doesn't help.

I suffered thrush/dry fanjoness often and I realized it was the 'normal' condoms I was using, I now use latex free and problems have reduced greatly!

Thanks both. Not a condom user but yes my sister also latex allergic - ouch.

Not diabetic but maybe will go see GP.

ta very

So, the question is do I have perimenopausal vaginal dryness which is incrasing tendency to thrush?

Yep, sounds like it. very common. Your night time itching is classic for a senile fango.

Ask dr for local HRt cream such as ovestin or Vagifem- should do the trick much better than any OTC lotions and lubes.

Sounds like me last year, recurrent thrush that took ages to clear up, sore, dry fanjo. Put me right off sex. Horrible.
Now on HRT age 42 and no problems anymore.
I did have a mass of other menopause symptoms that I had just put up with. Some things just are not worth putting up with!

Poor you - dryness so much more unpleasant than I would have imagined, somehow. Yes, am owner of (early) menopausal fanjo here, and in the past year dryness has been a pain in every way - not had thrush but have had UTIs for first time since I can't remember when!

GP gave me Vagifem, which works beautifully - although sadly one has to take 'breaks', and it does wear off after a few weeks. Personally, I found the most common lubes stung like crazy, but Vagifem made me feel more comfortable on a daily basis, and made sex possible again.

I had this a few years ago, didn't want to take hormones so put up with it for months till I eventually found out I'd become allergic/sensitive to any kind of soap/bath products. Was fine once I stopped using them, the only thing I can wash my fanjo with is water. Mostly have showers but if I have a bath need to rinse off afterwards to get rid of soapy bath water or it stings and itches for hours.

Elibean have you aksed for Ovestin cream instead- it is a different estrogen to vagifem and can be used indefinitely without breaks- that' s the latest thinking.

No - not heard of it before, thanks for that! Off to GP in couple of weeks to discuss, so will definitely ask

Elibean- if you want any more info PM me as I use it and have done for 3 years- am under a good gynae who I see privately every 6 months.

Thank you.

I have no friends in RL who need it (yet) so reassuring to know there's someone out there I can talk to about dry fanjos!!

Glad I have my uses- my friends and I talk about it all the time.

The reason I offered info etc is that one friend was refused it on an on going basis by her GP- who knows nothing it seems- whereas my gynae did Camilla's op- so he is gynae to some of Royal family- so assume he knows what he is doing- and he has a different opinion on it.

Interesting! dd2 was delivered by the OB who delivered Leo Blair, so if I have second hand medical advice from Camilla's gynae I shall consider my nether regions well connected indeed.....

I was prescribed Vagifem. It was prescribed to use daily for 14 days then to use it every 4 days. It works really well for me.
Just found a similar discussion on another forum on this very topic.
www.menopausematters.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,13389.0.html

The "old" thinking was that you sed these things short term for say 3 months.
The newer thinking is that you can use them pretty much all the time- BUT my gynae says that if anyone used it constantly for years- say 2-3- he might want to do a vaginal scan to check lining of the womb.

I have a friend who used it for a few months and found it really helped then her GP pulled the plug and said "enough!"

You don't need to use it daily- the regime is once day for 2 weeks then once or twice aweek from then on.

Vagifem pessaries are much stronger estrogen than ovestin cream.

Ah, makes sense, as I don't have a womb, and I have been using them for about 5 years now.

I started to have this last year, I think a number of reasons but the nightime itching was horrendous stopping me form sleeping and on occasions would damage my labia with scratching in the night.

I did find taking Piriton (own brand version) at night helped