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!

Were you diagnosed with lichen sclerosis? That's a bit different and perhaps losing weight has reduced inflammation in your body (which can make the immune system over-react and become skewed.)

It does need steroids and is different to GUM - atrophy through loss of estrogen. Although the two can exist at the same time.

Estriol cream miracle.
Listen to dr nighat arif www.instagram.com/drnighatarif?igsi=MTBuaWFzc3diajk5OA==

I haven’t read other replies yet but my story is positive!

After approx 18mths ish of self treating piles and recurrent thrush with canestan, sudocrem and various piles creams, I saw GP.

She took a look and said I had VA that was mainly affecting my perineum. Started me off on estriol every night for 2 weeks. (Plus did a swab that came back completely clear).

I have not looked back - all itching is gone, all soreness is gone, stinging is gone, false finish urinating and sudden urge to urinate also gone.

I was meant to drop to twice weekly application but probably apply both internally and externally every other night as I found twice weekly brought some of the soreness back.

As an aside, 20yo dd had been having painful sex and is now also on estriol internally only and that has sorted her out too!

eta - so I agree with everyone else about trying estriol 😁

Does the cream really help with weeing? I have been using the pessaries for years, which helped with dryness,, but I am now finding that I am getting quite sore again. The constant weeing is really getting me down. And can you only get it via a GP or can you buy it over the counter?

In my experience, definitely!

You apply the cream to the front wall of your vagina - apparently that transfers through to your bladder and helps to thicken the bladder lining. I was getting up 4-5 times a night, now it's once, twice at very most. I also did some bladder training - gradually holding it for longer until I could go 2 hours between wees. Had to stop the 'just in case' wees too!

I use estriol cream and my GP had to prescribe it

Thank you so much for that. Onto my GP now to try to get it prescribed!

This is interesting!

I developed VA following endometrial cancer treatment (radiotherapy). No itching or weeing issues, but just very painful sex.

I've been using Vagifem for a few years now - prescribed twice weekly - and it is a bit better, but I wouldn't say it has sorted things completely. I'm wondering if I should use them more often....or maybe I can supplement with the cream? Or is that double-dosing?

I seem to have a pretty bad problem and have found that I need to prepare before the act (less spontaneity but hey ho). Balance Active pessaries, (about third of one), plus Emla cream (which surprisingly my GP was OK with but never gets mentioned).

At night, Yes cream which seems to be working well, so have high hopes. I have Estriol but it makes me itch badly so I keep putting off applying it as often as I need to., but it didn't help much when I was trying it.

Thank you to everyone on this thread, it's been an eye opener for me. I have been suffering menopausal symptoms since 2006 when I had chemotherapy for breast cancer. I have just googled and apparently I could use the estriol cream safely so I am getting in touch with the GP. I've had no real help over the years, just left to get on with it and I'm fed up. Going to try again, thanks to all who have posted especially OP for starting the thread.

@Definitelygoing i bet it's the atrophy that's itching as you haven't tried it for long enough.

I kept itching when I started using it, in the end I went to a gynae as GP couldnt help. That's when he told me to use it daily. I just simply hadn't used enough.

I agree with @Autumnallaround - try using more, I was told by GP to apply liberally (approx 1” long dollop).

She also recommended using Dermol 500 to wash bum/hairy bits* rather than any kind of shower gel or soap.

Sorry to use hairy bits - not sure of a better descriptor as obs I don’t use it inside labia so vulva doesn’t quite work!

@thegirlwithkaleidoscopeeyes i was told by my gynae to use nothing but water. And it works so well I haven't had thrush for three years!!

I tried over the counter creams first but ended up stinging and sore and itchy mentioned the soreness and heavy feeling in my vagina at my hrt review and mentioned everytime I had sex I felt very strange afterwards she had a quick look yep vaginal atrophy and prescribed me vagifem !
Wow wee what a game changer everything feels normal.again !!
Loading dose every night for 2 weeks and now 2 X a week perfecto !!!!

I agree, but 1" estriol a night wouldn't make the tiny tube last very long?
And also, I don't use anything but water to wash there.
I'm not allowed HRT and had a full hysterectomy, so hormones pretty depleted!

That was for the first 2 weeks. And not 1” of tube, but ‘thread’ of cream iyswim? I do probably get through a tube a month now though.

If I just use water, I end up smelling otherwise that’s all I’d use. Another joy that menopause appears to have thrown at me (although no hot flushes so I guess there’s got to be a trade off somewhere)

I see lichen schlerosus has already been mentioned - if you're seeing "architecture changes" and itching, definitely get your GP to take a look for that. Fun times...

I like the applicator! I'm not sure you are meant to use it everyday after the initial 2 weeks.

Well that's what my private gynae told me to do. Liberally. Daily.

And my GP gives me 4 tubes a month.

This is very true
Also the PH becoming more alkaline can lead to Bacterial Vaginosis
I had awful cystitis and soreness on the estrogen pessaries
Clever lady GP swabbed me after multiple male GPs just shrugged and I had Intermediate , so mixed changes not full blown BV
A course of topical antibiotic cream sorted it
I take Probiotics for Vaginal flora , it can take several months btw for them to fully migrate
I also use the BV PH pessaries twice a week to keep things acidic
I think this is massively underdiagnosed so if you are getting soreness and cystitis on topical/ pessaries then request a swab

I was in my 40s and symptoms worsened. Miraculously a different GP actually looked at my vagina, within a month I saw the gynaecologist and he inserted an oestrogen ring. After 3 months it was removed and I was sent on my way. 8 years later, no return of symptoms.
I’ve just checked and I think it was an ‘Estring’ - apparently saves messing with creams etc as slow release over 3 months and can just be replaced 4 times a year.

I was prescribed estradiol pessaries for vaginal dryness. My symptoms were frequently getting up in the night to wee and the itching (omg the itching)! It’s helped massively.

I use estring as suggested by my GP. It's amazing and has given me the vagina of a 35 year old 😁
I replace it every 12 weeks. You need long fingers to get it in and out though 😂

I’d definitely use it again. I tried a pessary a few months ago with a view to coming off HRT - omg the burning! My vulva was scarlet for weeks 😳

It seems odd you were only given 1 as they're supposed to be used continuously.