Dry vagina. Perimenopause or lingering thrush??

[CazziN]

God what a glamorous post..... :(

So 2 weeks ago I had an aching bladder, weeing a lot, etc - assumed UTI and got 3 days antibiotics prescribed over the phone. The antibiotics then gave me thrush. I got the internal/external canestan and it appeared to clear it up - the itch, soreness, and discharge went. Then I got my period. My period has now finished but i've noticed that my vagina is suddenly really dry.

I'm definitely peri - I've been on HRT since last August, initially 2 pumps but have just gone up to 3 cos some symptoms started to creep back in. And I know vaginal dryness is really common in peri, but would it come on that sudden?? I always assumed - maybe wrongly - that it would be gradual thing, that I'd start to get drier over time (if it happened) However, this has been quite sudden - literally fine before I got the thrush and now really dry (but as I say the obvious thrush symptoms have gone).

Also, I know it's TMI, but just to say I can get wet (ish) if I'm turned on, but aside from that it's all REALLY dry down there.

Could this be a hangover from the thrush??

I suppose the question I'm really asking is, if you do suffer from peri vaginal dryness, was it a gradual thing, or did it happen all of a sudden?

Thanks a million!!

It happened really quickly for me. Started feeling like I was constantly on the verge of a UTI and then felt pretty much dried up. It was weird.

I had this , I tried Ovestin , but it gave me horrendous thrush .

Same! Ovestin, then thrush. So then I had to use Canesten (since Gyno-Daktarin has been discontinued), and now I still feel uncomfortable and don’t know what to try next.

Sorry, I don’t have useful advice, but the dryness/soreness came on suddenly for me too. I’m hoping it just all settles down, so I’m trying a week of using no creams at all.

That's exactly how I feel. Tbh, I'm not convinced I ever had a UTI - my wee was never dipped as they prescribed over the phone and when I went to the doctor a week later for a smear, my wee was clear of infection even though the ache in my bladder is still there. It's a really mild ache - if I'm doing stuff I don't notice it as much, but it's still annoying. It is, as you say, a permanent feeling of being on the verge of a UTI. And then the dryness kicked in. Peri really is the gift that keeps on giving. Thanks for responding!

Oh no! I was kind of pinning my hopes on this. Gahhhhhh

My gynae described me as having "the vagina of an 80 year old". Cheers for that, I was 50 . . .

I had an intensive course of Vagifem pessaries (daily for a couple of months) and am now on a twice weekly use. No thrush or other side effects and things are most definitely less shrivelled.

Peri is 100% the gift that keeps giving 😡

I've just turned 40, I thought the irritation was thrush but my V feels so dry alone with zero sex drive for the past 6 months or so. Argh! 😫

I've got Vagifem and it's brilliant!

yes it came on all of a sudden - i use vagifem pessaries internally & estriadol cream externally plus yes VM