Vaginal estrogen - give me hope!

[ElspethTassione]

Hello all.

I've been struggling with severe vaginal atrophy symptoms that came on pretty quickly. I have been prescribed vagifem which I'm using. The specialist warned me it might take 3 months to make a difference.

I'm 1.5 months in and not feeling any better and am very sorry for myself. Can anyone reassure me that it will get better? Has anyone had experience of things turning upwards after a few months of seemingly no improvement?

P.s am doing the other things like YES moisturizer and only washing with emollient etc.

I'd love to hear your experiences if you have been where I am now

Thanks!

I have been using Vagifem for a few years. My GP initially said use every day for 2 weeks and then twice a week. The soreness did improve initially but then got worse when I reduced the dose. My GP insisted that 2 x per week was 'recommended' although it did not work for me. I paid for an appointment with a specialist at a local private hospital, cost £150. The consultant gave me a letter to say that Vagifem was required every day. My GP has gone along with this ever since and I have had no problem getting repeat prescriptions. I have found that symptoms get worse if I am stressed, and taking up pilates has helped with this. The consultant advised that as the dose in Vagifem was so low, there was no risk in using the pessaries every day for ever.

Thank you, we need to help each other as much as possible because even the doctors don’t really understand what is actually going on. I had two GP appointments resulting in thrush cream then an increase of vagifem pessary from twice weekly to three times, two nurse appointments who told me to buy sudocrem second nurse advised buying doublebase cream. None of which worked so I ended up with a private women’s health hormone specialist appointment who prescribed the oestrogen cream be used externally She also said that the vagifem only works internally so GP didn’t understand what was needed to resolve the issue. I’m hoping to spread this awareness to other women.

I have found Estriol very helpful also. I had to persevere with it though as it was painful at first with burning/stinging. Hope you get help soon, OP.

@ElspethTassione have been using Ovesse externally as very itchy in the area. Probably more sparingly than the internal applicator dose, tapered down gradually from 2 weeks of daily to twice a week. Like you I didn't really see a difference at 6 weeks in but now at 3 months it is definitely much improved. Using intimate moisturiser / oil morning and non Ovesse nights too plus intimate wash. I think 3 months is fairly standard so hope you will see a difference soon.

After 4 weeks using Vagifem pessary daily and external daily I dropped to the twice a week dose and within a few days the symptoms are back, fuck me ffs!! So back to the daily pessary and external cream and I will speak to GP again to tell her the updates. I feel like I have been using sandpaper for loo roll when I pee, I put some coconut oil all over so I could have peace while having a coffee!
Trying to explain to my Husband how it feels is a waste of time. I then said think how the gout in your toe feels, constant pain, then imagine your toe being mangled by a cheese grater and vinegar poured on it 😳 🤔 he's away wincing now 😂😂

Ah @NippyNinjaCrab that's rubbish. I hope you can find a regime that suits you. It's so horrible to have your nether regions complaining all the time!

People seem to vary so much in their response to the treatments. Like some people have said here, couple of weeks and bingo back to normal but others don't seem to react like that. I don't think we properly understand women's hormones and there are probably a lot of genetic factors behind it as well.

Hello again.

Still feeling pretty rubbish all in all and pretty fed up.

I wonder if I might ask a slightly TMI question to those who have had vaginal estrogen work well for them. Did you essentially go back to normal days to day (i.e. not sex) vaginal lubrication and hence have no further need of vaginal moisturizers like YES?

I'm just trying to guage what good looks like so I can compare my progress and have something concrete to put to the consultant when I see him.

Thanks!

Everyone is different. If you talk to, or listen online to some specialists , they will say that everyone is different. If you need to use Yes, then you need to and it's not a problem.

I've not read all your posts here, but what I can say is that consultants say use as much vaginal estrogen as required. It's such a low dose that you can use it far more than 2 times a week.

Vagifem is 10mcg estrogen, reduced from 25mcg some years ago.
In the old days, it was 2 x 25 mcgs a week, making 50mcgs in total.

To get the same dose now you need 5 times a week.

How often do you use it?

All my symptoms reversed after using vagifem pessary 3 times a week and the oestrogen cream externally 3-4 times a week. I still do this.
if im expecting intercourse i use a blob of Silk lubricant internally. Its odourless and tasteless 😉

Thanks @DamnedIfIDoDamnedIfIDont - it's good to hear that you are mostly back to normal.

@ElspethTassione I have been using the pessary and cream every day since my last post and I feel so much better. I haven't used the YES again because it irritated me, I have been recommended to try the oil based moisturiser from YES and I am thinking about ordering it. Xx

@NippyNinjaCrab - that's brilliant news - I'm really glad for you! Life is so much better when you are not in pain. I guess you've found the dosage level that works for you.

I've tried the oil based yes stuff and I find it good. I also quite like Dr Wolf V San cream even though the name is seriously off-putting.

I've found Imvaggis very helpful. It's oestrogen in a pessary which is a bit like solid vaseline. It's very moisturising, as well as providing oestrogen. Again, load the dose by using daily for the first 3 weeks.

I've given Imvaggis a terrible description! It melts at body temperature, into a thin, clear liquid.

😂😂 that made me laugh x
@ElspethTassione I've made an appointment to have my HRT dose reviewed, I am having returning symptoms of low oestrogen again, I've been on this dose a while now though. Thank you for letting me know about the YES oil base, I will try it.

Estriol cream internally and externally -6 months later and it's as if there was never a problem in the first place, all back to normal.

@UnderMyOwnVineAndFigTree - thanks for your feedback and I'm glad you are feeling back to normal. May I ask, did it take all of the 6 months to achieve
this or did you start to feel better sooner?

P.s. love your username - very evocative!

Sorry op I’m going to hijack. This thread has been really useful so thank you for starting it.

im on estriol - after a massive fight. I was literally pissing myself and sex stopped years ago (in my 30’s) as it was just so painful. its made such a difference, however using it during my period doesn’t seem to work (it comes out quickly) which means im off it for 2 weeks or so. And then have to use it every day to catch up as the symptoms are back.
how do other people manage it?

I'm sorry to hear that @SpringsOnTheWay . It's crazy that you had to fight and it seems to have happened very early for you which must have been upsetting.

The vagifem tablets for all they don't seem to be working for me yet do seem to be sticky little blighters. Perhaps they might stay in place?

Alternatively perhaps systemic HRT might work for you?

Solidarity xxx

@SpringsOnTheWay Why is your period lasting 2 weeks? That sounds a bit worrying.

You could have an Estring ring which lasts for 3 months and releases continuous eostrogen

It’s not properly but I get spotting from the first progesterone patch, then it actually starts at the end of the last one

just googled what these are as I didn’t know these exist, it’s a shame that would be much better. I can’t cope with anything going in, I’ve never been able to even use tampons - frankly it’s a wonder I’ve had kids really 😂

thank you though, that was a great suggestion and I definitely think the continual dose is what I need.

Maybe try and get your HRT sorted out.
You should not be spotting from day 14 on sequential HRT.
How about trying a different type of HRT?

they’d taken me off the gel as that made me bleed constantly unless I split the dose which the doctor thought was bollocks and wasn’t impressed I was doing. So this is an improvement!!
the progesterone also gives me a migraine so I think your right it does need some adjusting.