Vagifem or Ovestin?

[BlueLaces]

I'm hoping that someone with more experience/knowledge than me can offer thoughts...I'm 47, perimenopausal and think I have some vaginal atrophy. Only it's less my vagina and more my vulva and recurring UTIs. I have a smear test next week and am planning on asking the nurse if she'll prescribe topical oestrogen. My first question is can nurses prescribe it or will they refer me to my GP? Secondly, which is better, vagifem or ovestin? I'm sure I've read that one is more suited to external problems and one has a tendency to 'flake off' and emerge like little bits of toilet roll, which doesn't sound great!

I had dryness and tried vagifem first which didn't have much effect then was given ovesten which I've found much better as it's cream form. It's replens that does the lumpy discharge thing. Grim

I use both. Vagifem in vagina. Ovestin on vulva. Brilliant

Let the medics be your guide.
Estriol Cream with applicator is targeted estrogen which will bring massive relief.
Prescription only. Can use it for the rest of your life.
NB: Read the leaflet because there’s peanut oil in it so beware if allergic.

@Giveitall

Let the medics be your guide. Estriol Cream with applicator is targeted estrogen which will bring massive relief. Prescription only. Can use it for the rest of your life. NB: Read the leaflet because there’s peanut oil in it so beware if allergic.

Hmm- being cynical if you read all the posts here, some women were given Oestrogel for their VA!

Better to know what's what and ask for it.

@BlueLaces Ovestin is a cream and multi purpose- can be used internally and externally.

Vagifem is a tiny pellet and sticks to the vaginal wall. It doesn't help your vulva.

Sometimes a nurse may be able to prescribe- different surgeries have different rules.

As from next year one form of vaginal estrogen is going to be available over the counter, (not Vagifem but a different brand) and you can just buy it.

Thanks for all the replies and the clarification on replens - will steer clear!

@JinglingHellsBells You're right, I am feeling more inclined to trust myself with this. I spent my early 40s going back and forwards to the GP with UTIs for which no cause could be found. It was never suggested that it might be a symptom of being peri. However with hindsight, and tying it together with other symptoms, I can see that it was.

The reason I got put on HRT was due to crippling uti type pain but no infection. This triggered blood tests and the discovery I was peri menopausal. I use vagifem pessaries. But in case it's helpful to you my doctor gave me vaginal antibiotics to rule out a low level (and difficult to detect) uti. This might help you more than oral antibiotics if you get recurring issues. She also gave me a heavy dose of canestan and a flucanozole tablet. Maybe these would help and then use the vagifem or Ovestin afterwards?
D Mannose supplement is also something I've heard of as helping prevent uti.
I have tried both cream and pessaries and prefer pessaries because they are less messy and more comfortable for me

I think I read that the vaginal estrogen helps the pH in the vagina which does help the vulva?
Having said that I did need to treat both as by that time I had awful dryness and chafing.

@ImAvingOops DMannose is great, although I know it doesn't work for everyone. By the time I was at my wits end with UTIs, I tried it and finally got on top of them. I still take it now if I feel one coming on.

@OnTheHillNotOverIt

I use both. Vagifem in vagina. Ovestin on vulva. Brilliant

Is there a particular strength of Ovestin or is it one strength?

Hi everyone Please help!
I am 55 post menopausal and just prescribed vagifem by nurse. After looking at side effects I'm beginning to wonder is this just adding to my problems. Problems being the soreness and dryness and painful sex :( sitting looking at the vagifem box not knowing what to do? Called nurse yesterday and she was saying "no it's not hrt. No side effects you will be ok" I beg to differ! After reading what I can suffer from is it worth it?
Hope somebody can shed some light on this? I'm feeling pretty desperate right now 😕

Please ignore the side effects on the leaflet, they are related to outdated information regarding oral systemic HRT using conjugated estrogen so largely incorrect.

Vagifem is contains oestradiol which is a body identical oestrogen (under a microscope wouldn’t look any different to what our body naturally makes). It’s also delivered in a tiny dose compared to systemic HRT and safe to take even for women who have had breast cancer

I don’t know whether you saw Davina McCalls “Sex, Myths and the Menopause on TV ((her first programme) There was a segment on this and I think it’s still available on All 4 if you want to watch it

Wow- Thank you!. You have given me more information within a matter of half an hour than my GP in the last 6 months. I will definitely watch Davina later. I think I may be using the vagifem if there's no side effects? It put me off with the spotting/irregular bleeding. Vomiting, weight gain and fluid retention that was on the leaflet. Thanks for your reply. I have no one to ask as no family apart from a husband who blankly looks at me when I'm asking what he thinks 🙃 lol

I felt exactly the same as you. I was prescribed vagifem but didn’t use it initially because I was worried about the risk. I was forced to use it eventually due to repeated UTIs. I have been using it for several years now and couldn’t manage without it. I notice if I forget to use it pretty quickly. What on earth did women do before these things were invented I wonder?

I had none at all. Other than perhaps at the start if the tissue is very dry there is little systemic effect - the benefit all stays local where it's needed. give it 3 months to see if it helps - 2 week loading dose then x2 week or whatever you've been prescribed - then have a review. Sometimes more is needed is there are still bladder issues like frequency or a cream might be preferred. It can help to use some moisturiser too eg Yes VM, say vagifem at night, VM in the morning. If your vulva is dry also moisturise there or consider an estrogen cream

balance-menopause.com/uploads/2021/09/Vaginal-dryness.pdf

@Mers30 Menopause specialists are trying (and have been for years) to get those damned leaflets changed!

I'm pretty sure that I saw Mr Nick Panay ( one of the top meno consultants) in an interview with Diane Danzebrink (You tube) saying he was pushing for those leaflets to be binned and it's an ongoing issue.

It's not HRT (which is another issue , as the latest headlines about being able to 'buy HRT' are not actually about HRT at all, but vaginal estrogen!)

As PP says, ignore the leaflets and use as needed.

I personally prefer Ovestin as it's fine to use outside and internally and a lot of my soreness was external, like raw skin (I thought I had thrush for years and it never was.) But see how you go.

What on earth did women do before these things were invented I wonder?

Many died before or just after the menopause anyway.
They were in pain.
They put up with it.

To be fair, it's been around (Ovestin) for years and years (at least 40 years) as my Mum talked about it way back then.

This forum is ab absolute breath of fresh air! I have suffered in silence for years throughout menopause. Just when I thought I was over the other side after 2 years free of periods...BOOM! And off we go again lol 😆 Thanks for your comment. Really helpful. Needless to say what I have done this morning thanks to the help on here 👍 x

Fantastic-Thank you. I have suffered in silence for ages even resorting to Extra Olive Virgin oil! Desperate times :( Thank you for your advice. Greatly needed.

Hi all, what great advice from you all. I was suffering from va. Doctor prescribed ovestin cream which I have been using and it's been brilliant. Recently though I've had a bit of soreness. So I now use only twice weekly the ovestin cream inside via applicator and I have found that the rest of the week I use. Vaginsan cream. I think I was using too much ovestin cream before and it made me sore. Any the doctor has also prescribed vagifem . At the moment I'm sticking with ovestin twice a week and Dr Wolff's vaginsan cream on other days.

I see from a post you can use ovestin and vagifem together. I may try this if I have any probs. Thank God for Mumsnet.

My doctor told me it’s one or the other. Confusing.

I may have confused you. The ovestin I was using every day just outside as doctor told me to do. But after a few weeks I was getting sore.
So now I use ovestin cream inside with the applicator twice a week and not outside,
On the outside I now use Dr Wolff's vagisan cream. This seems to have stopped the sore nes
And is working well. I spoke to my doctor about the soreness and he prescribed vagifem instead of ovestin but I'm sticking to ovestin.

Your doctor is wrong (as are quite a few). I get both.

Why doesn’t that surprise me? I’m very cynical about doctors now. It seems to me that they either refer ( don’t hear anything for at least six months) or dole out the drugs ( often quite useless), or misdiagnose. Most seem completely clueless about menopause.

I do agree. Although my doctor who first prescribed the ovestin was female and new to me but really good. She told me to come back to her in a few months. Well I made an appointment but she had left so that didn't help.
My normal doctor (male) is really good and he listened and prescribed the vagifem. He said it might be better to take that instead of the ovestin cream. But as I say I've got it working lively now haven't had a soreness in ten days and it was getting to be every other day. So I am happy. I will try the vagifem if it starts again.
I have ben very lucky with my menopause, all I have had is hot flushes. But now I'm 61 been through it and come out the other side,.
And the only thing that has made me I'll, was the vagina itching soreness, it sent me up the wall.
But now hopefully now I'm fine

Addition to my last thread. I was also prescribed the patches with the cream called fem Severn, but they made me so Ill I stopped them after two patches and carried on with the cream. Now I have at home nine patches, just sitting on my table no use to me. I hope I'm allowed to say this if not I'm sorry. If anyone out there needs them I would gladly post for free. I hope I don't get into trouble for this but I hate seeing medication waste. Let me know and again if this is not allowed I'm truly sorry.