Vaginal dryness

[Rubygrace]

Hi I have started to take HRT in tablet form however it is not helping my vaginal symptoms. Does anyone know is you can also be prescribed a pessary as well as tablets? My GP took a lot of persuading for the tablets so just asking before I approach him. Regards Ruby

There is something you can be prescribed that's directly applicable, i can't remember what it is, but it's worth asking.

Vagifem pessaries.
If gp won't prescribe, there is an OTC product called Gina. I don't know what strength oestrogen it contains though. You could ask the pharmacist.

Vagifem

Yes vagifam. Also a product called Naydaya, an oil for immediate relief helps a lot.

Vagifem. It has really worked for me.

I need this...it is so sore sometimes

You could also try Replens, which is non hormonal. Ovestin (via a pessary) can be prescribed by GP.

Why was your GP reluctant to give you HRT? Vagifem or Ovestin have tiny doses of oestrogen but as it's applied right where it's needed they work really effectively. It's the one thing that helped my endless UTIs.

I have an excellent vaginal moisturiser prescribed alongside my HRT, called Yes VM. Are you on oestrogen by oral tablet OP? It's mostly recommended now to have oestrogen gel or patch, not orally. I think due to a much lower risk of breast cancer or stroke.

I use Vagirux (I think it’s the same as vagifem), it’s a very low dose oestrogen. I also use YES Vaginal moisturiser.

Vaginal dryness is horrible, it could be vaginal atrophy, that’s what I have.

1:4 women evidently need/use both.

It's odd that your dr is making it such a battle.

I started vaginal estrogen before full HRT and there was never any question over it (meno consultant.) I've now used it for 16 years.

You can by Gina (same as prescribed Vagifem) over the counter now but the pharmacist will do a questionnaire with you.

You need to be over 50, post menopausal.

These criteria do not apply to getting it from a Dr, they are just being overly cautious with OTC licensing.

As PPs have said, there is a move away from tablet form HRT onto transdermal (patches/ or estrogen gels) especially if someone has any risk of heart disease , and for women starting HRT aged 60+ it's mandatory.

Might be worth asking your dr for a swap?

Thank you 🙏

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Thank you I will try my GP again ( he’s such hard work !! )

👍will give it a try

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Thank you 🙏

I'm just about to start something called Intrarosa... It's a vaginal pessary which is meant to convert into oestrogen and testosterone. I can't wait to try it but hope it works.

Tootiepeg my daughter who is 25 has been prescribed Intrarosa DHEA, been on it since June to treat vaginal dryness and urethra pain caused by birth control pill .......she stopped taking the pill in April and battled to see a menopause specialist because of her age, she isn't menopausal but the pill is known by specialists to cause similar symptoms , something that GPs fail to hi light. She paid privately and found a lovely lady who listened to her talk and cry, finally she got someone who understood her distress. She has made amazing progress with a combination of DHEA and Ovestin Cream she says she's about 75% better now although she struggles with dryness before periods and very low moods around day 11 of her cycle , the pill has given her fake periods for 9 years so maybe the cycle symptoms she is getting are her new normal, its still early days yet but I hope you had a successful journey and would appreciate updates or any further advice from you as you are 5 months ahead of her . Thank you

How have you got on using DHEA Inteterosa , I have put a post on but new to this so not sure if you will see it .

Hi Dizzy66, I'm sorry to hear your daughter has been having all of those problems caused by the pill 🙁 It's got a lot to answer for I think. I think my symptoms were caused by thyroid antibodies mainly, and possibly the pill. I have also seen a menopause specialist even though I'm not technically menopausal yet. I have tried the patches and the natural progesterone, but at the time I didn't notice a difference with that combination. I then tried the Oestrogel and progesterone tablets, but the Oestrogel ended up making me feel anxious, and the progesterone made me feel too tired! I can't win. I tried Vagifem but that made me feel super anxious and I think it irritated my bladder/urethra even more, as I wasn't weeing properly. I have tried Intrarosa which definitely boosted my libido and was helping, but it then turned me into an emotional wreck with a low mood.. I was crying for no reason etc. It just seems as though I'm sensitive to everything. I'm now trying a natural pessary by Balance Activ called Menopause Plus, which seems to be helping with libido/moisture, and is better than nothing! I'm thinking of attempting Vagifem again because I've now stopped the systemic HRT, so maybe I would tolerate it... We'll see.

Thank you , it’s very interesting that you say Intarosa turned you into an emotional wreck my daughter is definitely going the the mill with emotions. she’s moved out and has an incredible boyfriend who is very supportive, she’s also changed jobs and not happy so that’s a big deal on top of hormones. Did you stop intarosa or wean off it ? She’s on one dose every night with a plan to reduce it once her symptoms have gone , main concern for her now is urethra pain which seems to be the last to go …. Apologies if it’s odd me communicating with you but her head is in such a bad place with work, I try not to discuss her health as it’s better for her to be distracted from worrying and googling too much which isn’t helping her . Your post has been helpful for me to be able to support her when she’s down . She’s found Multigyn to be useful but needed extra boost from DHEA . I do wonder if she should begin to reduce it and see what happens , although I think she needs to get her work life balance sorted first as she’s very unhappy , got interviews lined up so hopefully not too long before she’s sorted . She was poorly end of 2022 had antibiotics and since then it all went wrong we thought her immune system was weakened and the pill issues then took hold , I guess we will never get the reason why . Thanks again .

Yes the Intrarosa definitely caused me to be more tearful and I had a low mood, but it's a real shame because I found that it worked really well. I only used it for maybe a week so I didn't wean off it, I just stopped it. Maybe your daughter could try Vagifem? It seems to work well for a lot of people and is OK for long term use. It's also meant to help with the urethra and bladder.

I get a lot of urethra pain as I've got a condition called interstitial cystitis, but the only thing which controls it to some degree is drinking tons of water and staying away from irritants to the bladder (alcohol, caffeine, spicy food). I think some of the pain is caused by hormonal imbalances aswell.

I hope your daughter gets on track with work etc. It definitely doesn't help things if someone is stressed and unhappy 😕