Perimenopause thrush hell

[Lifeisarollercoster78]

I’ll give some background I’m 48 now been on HRT since I was 42 I had the coil and patch then in August last year I had my coil changed and end of October had pelvic pain I was getting watery discharge and what looked like slightly yellow discharge on my pad anyway after a long time of trying to get sorted in November I was told I had a yeast infection. I had a lot of bloating and discomfort was told to take over the counter thrush treatment but the pessary and pill didn’t touch it. I also had an internal scan to check the position that caused sloughing of the skin inside. Fast forward to January after trying longer courses of treatment no luck at shifting it so I had the coil removed and moved to utrogestan daily and have been going well on that on the last strip of month three. I’m now under a women’s health doctor at the gps. We did two weeks of vaginal pessaries and have now moved on to once a week pessaries and twice a week Vagifem because not being able to clear thrush can be a sign of vaginal dryness. I’m not using pads I never use soap down there I’m not eating bread cutdown on sugar (I eat healthy anyway). So I’m on week two of the one pessary and two Vagifem but I feel the thrush when I’m doing the vaginal estrogen. I just want some reassurance really I feel like it’s never ending. I’m seeing the doctor tomorrow and am going to ask if she can swab again but check what strain the yeast is. I can’t have fluconazole as it makes me nauseous and feel ill on it.
can someone reassure me this will get sorted I try to be positive about it but after 5 months I find it hard.

It may well do.

I started getting thrush when I was 42 - it coincided with meeting my current partner, but we’ve both been treated with fluconazole since then so it’s not an infection that he carries and passes to me. It’s more likely that wirh age, I’m just more prone to thrush.

Swabs confirmed my issue is thrush.

I Tried:

• canesten pessaries and cream - thrush goes away only to return the following month.
• optibac probiotics - no improvement
• fluconazole (including an intensive 6 months course) - no thrush while I’m having the medication, but it returns within 2-3 weeks

After 2 miserable years I read about and started using boric acid suppositories. I don’t know how they work but they seem to work. I now use a couple of vaginal suppositories every month and the symptoms seem to have gone.

Im going to start using some of the things recommended on here to prevent vaginal dryness and see if that prevents thrush from returning at all.

im curious if anyone else uses boric acid suppositories

At 42 it was likely that you had the onset of vaginal atrophy making it an environment thrush could thrive in when previously it didn't.

Just an update post doctor visit.
she said things are moving in the right direction and the estrogen takes time to rectify the damage so keep on with what I’m doing. The pessary should keep the thrush at bay while things rebalance.

@Lifeisarollercoster78 thanks for your reply. It's looks like from your latest post that things should hopefully improve by continuing what you're doing.

@JinglingSpringbells
Thanks for your post. I knew I had given up too quickly. I always do this! I even threw the Estriol away! I assumed it couldn't be thrush as I had no itching and the burning was the atrpophy. I'll go back to the gp in that case.

@BooseysMom I hope so thing obviously still don’t feel right but she said from all I said was happening it’s moving in the right direction. She’s going to give me an appointment just to check in with her but any issues to go back. I’m trying to get in my mind it’s not something to worry about it’s a peri symptom that has come along and I need to troubleshoot it like the other symptoms I get along the way. But this is a tough one!

I’ve spent the last four months in agony - wearing knickers was painful, sleeping non existent. Thrush antibiotics you name it - last night in desperation I tried dermaid ( hydrocortisone cream - I’m in Aus ) and I’ve felt relieved for the first time in months….

My thrush/ vulva dermatitis was being exasperated by menopause sweating and dryness…. It might not work but just an idea as I completely understand your pain

I know you said flucanoze makes you nauseous but can you not take an antiemetic drug with it?

I feel for you, OP. Having been through something similar myself it was bloody miserable. Mine was caused by diabetes, though. As soon as I got my blood glucose levels under control, it went away.