Dead vaginal skin cells - how long?!?

[MsSlightyConfused]

I’ve been using Replens for a week. I’m in the bath. My vagina just expelled (at quite some force) what can only be described as a fountain of dead skin cells. I mean, some of them were really quite large. All floating about my bath water.

I’m stuck between finding this hilarious and gross.

I don’t have a huge dry vagina issue. No itchiness or whatever, but sex can’t last as long as it could a year ago. I’m ‘too young’ for menopause but have been experiencing perimenopause symptoms for a couple of years.

How long do I have to battle through the grossness of this before it stops??

Oh my, I don't have any advice but thanks for the heads up. I hope someone comes along who can help.

Replens is not the best thing to use if you have vaginal dryness.
It is a surface moisturiser and is not meant to change the actual cells of your vagina. I know that all the top meno consultants recommend YES over Replens.

I've never used Replens. I went straight to vaginal estrogen which is extremely weak and can be used by almost anyone of any age right up to 90+.

If you are having peri meno symptoms then you are not 'too young' for menopause (I don't know what you mean there!) Dry vagina occurs in peri and post meno women from any age - some women have very premature menopause in their 30s.

when you say sex doesn't last as long, I don't know what that means. Do you mean you get sore and have to limit penetration time?

I'd suggest you talk to your dr and ask for vaginal estrogen. It reverses the changes rather than putting a 'coating' on it.

‘Too young‘ as in I’m 40 and if I tell people I’m perimenopausal they tell me I’m not - drs included. My mum was 50 when her menopause was totally over but then perimenopause wasn’t a thing, was it? She’s not here to ask now.

Sex with my current partner would last any from 1.5 hrs to 3 hrs not so long ago. Although circumstances have changed and we don’t actually have the time for that anymore!! But now 30 mins or so (ish, I haven’t timed it) and I get slightly uncomfortable but actually my partner can get very uncomfortable and raw.

I will call the dr and ask

I don’t have any other ‘dry vagina’ symptoms though

@JinglingHellsBells I thought YES was the same thing as replens - surface moisturiser. Is it not?

I had the same issue as you OP and stopped using ‘Replens’. I now use ‘Yes’ moisturiser which was recommended to me which I get on prescription and I find really helpful. You can also buy ‘Yes’ online or in some chemists.

Blinkin' 'eck- a 3hr sex romp . Must be a super stud!

Replens and yes are similar but different formula.

My advice is you see a dr and one who knows about bloody peri meno .

You can be peri meno at any age- there is no 'right' age.

Vaginal atrophy gets worse. It won't improve with replens or yes.

Dry vagina is a bit of a misnomer. Many women start getting burning wee, sore, itchy bits, shrinking clits, shrinking vaginas, unable to hold their wee......prolapse.....it's all urogenital atrophy.

Well I do seem to have very frequent UTIs. And now I think the extra moisture levels from the replens has given me thrush.

I knew a couple of years ago things were changing because of increased moisture, constant thrush, darker / lighter periods. I went on the mini pill and that seemed to keep it in check. Until now.

Being a woman sucks

I’ve just had sex and ended up with my entire vulva and inner thighs covered in a mass of dead skin cells, which for some unknown reason were fucking black!!

On the plus side apparently I felt like Niagara Falls so I guess I did have a dry vagina.

But I can’t cope with this dead skin cells business. This is not conducive to a good sex life.

Can anyone tell me if they’ve had any side effects with YES?

Black? That sounds like old blood. Very dry vaginas can actually bleed as the cells are damaged during sex.

You need to talk to a GP and get this sorted. Don't dither- nothing to be embarrassed about.

Don't mess around with over the counter stuff.

If you are getting repeated infections you have genital atrophy and the treatment is either Ovestin or Vagifem, on prescription.

Thank you @JinglingHellsBells

Dr spoken to (unexpectedly male 🙈) and vagifem prescribed.

Hope it helps! :)

No side effects at all with ‘Yes’.