Please share positive experiences of treatment for vaginal atrophy symptoms

[FergoMcFergFace]

I joined the Vaginal Atrophy group on Facebook and while there's plenty of useful info on there, it's also a firepit of poor women who've been suffering for years with little relief. 😩

I find it really upsetting and I need someone to tell me to get a grip and/or give me some positive stories of successful treatment.

I've been backwards and forwards to the doctors for the past eight months with vaginal dryness and I'm in the middle of a major flare up of vaginal soreness.

I have a doctor's appointment in less than two weeks but in the meantime, I'm only using Hydromol because everything else stings.

I've only tried Blissel so far but both times I tried it, I had an awful reaction by day seven. Estriol is my next option.

Thank you if you got this far!

Little update from me. I've been using the Estriol cream every other day for three weeks now (going a little more slowly because of previous reactions to vaginal estrogen) so I've only had 11 doses so far.

Everything looks transformed. The red inflammation is pretty much gone (bar one stubborn area), and it's looking pinker and plumper. The burning - which was my main symptom - has really settled down.

While it looks great - healing hasn't been linear. I've had good days and bad days. And now the persistent problem seems to be itchiness and irritation - it was never really itchy before. It also feels a little engorged the day after application.

Has anyone else had this? I saw my GP this morning and she said it sounds like it's working and to persevere with it - maybe go down to every third day. She said it could just be the tissue adjusting.

Someone tell me this will settle down please!

Is it perhaps that there is something else in the cream you're sensitive to? I'm not sure what alternatives there are - some sort of gel or other brand of cream?

I don't know. I had a very definite reaction to Blissel but this isn't as bad. My baseline before starting the Estriol cream was pretty inflamed and thinned tissue so I guess it makes sense that regeneration might itch. I don't want to chop and change too soon, especially when it's visibly so much better.

Edited to add: it does say in the leaflet that itching and irritation is common at first and this usually settles within the first few weeks.

Antihistamines may help with the itch?

Thanks - I took one this evening and it seems to have helped!

I found thinking of the itching as my body rebuilding helped. Kind of like when a wound is healing it itches like fury. It didn't last but kind of drove me a bit crazy. I found a sink of cold water and a wet flannel, cooled things down. I did and do this at bedtime. It helps.

That's kind of what it feels like. Did it get better for you?

Oh yes it did. I still use a cold wet flannel sometimes. Wearing knickers, trousers really isn't great for the nether regions especially when you're sitting for a spell in the evening.