Vulva & Clitoris Shrinkage

[cosmicbabe]

Does this happen during perimenopause / menopause? I’ve just seen a video about it and it’s horrifying. I’m 46 and do not want to believe this happens !!

The menopause is just rubbish isn’t it? I try to embrace things, but I wish I could stay younger looking!

I’m mid fities, through the other side of menopausa, no hrt and didn’t even know that was a thing.

Would the cream help with vulva itch?

Yup, it closed up and no libido. 🤷🏻‍♀️

@rainydaysaway yep. Main reason I started using it a year or so ago. I’ve never had thrush and I couldn’t understand why I was suddenly itchy and a bit sore. Tried canesten etc etc. then it dawned on me it was a lack of oestrogen so I got Estriol cream and that did the trick.

This sounds awful! I don’t want to live without any kind of sex drive 😟

I think it is around 80% of women in peri and post menopause have genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM).

It has been speculated that making it routine for vaginal oestrogen to be offered to all women over 45 (or younger with symptoms) would save the NHS money in treating UTIs and investigating symptoms that are later found to be GSM. Local treatment doesn't significantly introduce hormones to the whole body so it is safe for the vast majority of women including those with increased hormonal cancer risks.

Hot flushes are now normal office based discussion but I doubt that this will be be the same so forums like this are going to be key to sharing information between women.

You may well have to! I just always assumed that your sex drive was a constant. If I'm honest, it never crossed my mind. I had a sex drive and that was that. Then menopause hit, my oestrogen fell off a cliff and with it went my libido. I don't miss sex. It's like that part of my life never even existed. Sex seems faintly ridiculous now. Hormones are powerful things!

I parrot the same thing at any and every opportunity. Take vagifem. Use a loading dose. Ignore the GP and leaflets. It might take a couple of months of daily pessaries before you feel the benefit. Then you can start to taper off and get it down to twice a week. It helps with itching, soreness, dryness, ability to have sex etc.

I know. I’ve always had a high sex drive and sex has been really important to me as part of a relationship. It’s sad that part of me might disappear. And the intimacy that comes with it.

Does that need to be on prescription?

You might say that - and so would have I some years ago - but honestly couldn’t give a flying fig about it anymore (I’m nearly 50). The oestrogen cream helps with UTIs etc but I really have no interest in sex at all anymore. None whatsoever.

Yes but you can also buy it privately from Superdrug. It's called Gina.

Intimacy based purely on sex isn’t very intimate

What is the best collagen to take?

@PInkyStarfish you are jeopardising your future health. Not only through osteoporosis but potentially also through cardiovascular disease and dementia. There is some evidence that HRT protects against them.

I am positively evangelical about vaginal hrt. Using pessaries helps to keep the tissue healthy and helps prevent uti's particularly as you get older. I'm too tired to type it all out now but do google it 😊

I use collagen powder from Nutrition Geeks

No I know that. Still it’s a bit shit. The whole thing of menopause is. The memory loss alone makes me frequently look like an incompetent twat at work. So much about it makes me feel like I am losing who I am.

Like PP, I spent years with an abusive turd, and have not long (last 5 years) escaped and discovered myself. And now it’s already on the decline.

Are we talking about two separate issues here? One being lack of sex drive and the second being the drying up?

I have the first but not the second. Am on a decent amount of HRT but still can’t be arsed with sex.

What else can they give me to help this?

In my experience, no. I’ve been under 3 different specialists, tried many different sorts of HRT and doses of HRT including testosterone. It’s like a light has gone off and there’s not even a switch anymore. I do realise this is just my personal experience though.

PP said testosterone for sex drive. Sorry someone had conflated the two things.

Oh it's true.
I'm 69 and it's happened to me.
I'm on HRT though and have a vibrator so things are okay.
I had a husband till three months ago, when he suddenly walked out.
I miss the sex. Him, not so much........

I got to 50 and constant UTI I had been on HRT for 40 years by then - and pessaries oestrogen sorted me out haven’t had one since

I’m 29 and only have one small (ish) labia minora.. so if I’m correct in saying, menopause will disintegrate my sole flap and I’ll have a porn-worthy fanny?

cheers! 🥂