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!

I've said this elsewhere, but when I insisted to the young doctor I saw that I'd like oestrogen cream because I understood it as a progressive condition without treatment, she said: "Oh it's not progressive. It's just something that gets worse as you get older." 😐

This thread is really timely for me... I had a biopsy under GA yesterday for post menopausal bleeding, 15 yrs post menopause. Put on a two week pathway and told that I have vaginal atrophy and possibly a polyp, but they were unable to get a proper look when I was awake, so hysteroscopy, with a snatch and grab endometrial biopsy under GA. Most interesting was the response by the junior reg when asked if I would stop bleeding, the shrug did not bode well. Unfortunately HRT is out due to a prior stroke so creams will be the way to go for me... and yes, I run the Menopause network at my day job at a regulator (the irony!).

I will be following this thread with interest @FergoMcFergFace For those of you having problems with your GPs, go in with your list of symptoms bulleted... I have a list of over 40 symptoms from our group alone, set out your expectations and what success looks like for you and, if they will not act, ask for a referral asap.

It is extremely comfortable. It went in easily and has made my vagina feel young again! I can keep it in for sex, just change it every 12 weeks. Couldn’t ask for more ❤️

I'm really pleased for you. ❤️

I would agree that it can take several months to build up the oestrogen in the tissues again and also get the microbiome back to normal
Keep going !

Oh I’m glad I found this thread. I have an appointment with the GP on Wednesday. Have a new partner 5 years after I split up with my ex, so haven’t had sex for 5 years. But when we tried it was sore and I had a burning sensation.

I hope the GP prescribes me something that can help. 3 days on and I still feel a burning sensation.

Should I say to th4 doctor about estirol?

Yes!!

Don't let them assume it's thrush or BV.

Ask 'do you see signs of vaginal atrophy?'

Have been on the estriol cream for a while and although it’s helped a lot I’m not 100%. I’m very prone to thrush. Every few months I get sore and burning sensations around the prerineum, usually combined with overactive bladder. Have been treating with a mixture of canesten, sudocrem and cetraben moisturisers but wonder if I should be doing more. I have to figure this out by myself as my GP is hopeless.

Yes!
This thread is very enlightening.
I met a new partner after 6 years of no sex -was very painful initially and I got UTI after every attempt. Was given various antibiotics from the doctor and was in despair. He even gave me abtibiotics to take before sex. However I was already on Vagifem pessaries so just decide to up the dosage (bought in Boots as doc was adament should not be taken more than twice a week and was that it not relevant to my situation.)
It did settledown after a few months and all is now working fine, but am really annoyed that there was no mention of atrophy from the doc, and the first I have heard of it is on this thread !! So am now absolutely going to get the estriol. Thank you thread people!!!

@AuntieBiotics
Have you asked your GP for a swab?
My symptoms were exactly as you describe and it was Intermediate Bacterial Vaginosis ( BV) an imbalance in the Lactic Acid producing "good" bacteria which allowed the " bad" bacteria to take hold

You need Oestrogen for your Vaginal Microbiome and the correct Microbiome to process Oestrogen correctly

Im absolutely gobsmacked as I had zero idea, never heard of it , saw umpteen GPs, a Urologist and it was only a very keen GP Registrar who sorted me out
It really annoys me -if a man went in with a sore penis they would sort it straight away !

What did you take for your microbiome, @RosaNovella ? Oral or vaginal probiotics? I'm still in a very sore flare and a week away from an appointment with my preferred GP.

Ok here goes!

Following the course of Antibiotic cream from GP
Canesten BV pessaries 7 day course ( for PH) followed by Vaginal probiotic pessaries 5 over a week ( can buy online)
Use at night they can be a bit messy
Tena cream twice daily
Oral vaginal probiotics
Gut Probiotics
Greek yoghurt with cultures
Kombucha
Fermented foods
Variety of raw veg and fruit
HRT patches and pessaries

Im still occasionally doing the BV ph pessaries a couple of times per week if it flares up and will stay on the probiotics/ dietary changes for life
Its not an overnight fix
It takes a very long time for the probiotics to migrate from the gut

Don't really know what VA is but for about 2 months I had intense itching - it was that pleasure/pain type itching all around the labia, vulva and anus. It got to the point where thin skin was peeling off, like your inner mouth when you eat too many salt and vinegar crisps. Canestan didn't help, swabs clear. Nurse took one look and was like 'owwwww!'.

I was given dermol and eumovate. The relief was instant. Literally no itching since (had always used Dove soap followed by a good scrub with a net poof and shower gel!).

Getting checked again soon and some vaginal estrogen. 🤞🏼. No idea why I suddenly became sensitive to the Dove. 🤷🏼‍♀️

That sounds epic! Thank you for the info. You're lucky to have a thorough GP.

Yes I would add that I did not self diagnose , it was via a swab, please see a GP and get a correct diagnosis particularily if UTI symptoms, you wouldnt want to miss treatment for that

GP prescribed the antibiotic cream the rest was my research, vaginal probiotic pessaries are not actually shown to change much but I was completely desperate so gave them a go

I will buy some of the self test kits - no chance of getting a GP appointment for at least a fortnight. And finding a GP who actually listens and knows how to manage menopausal women in a completely different matter.

You cant get a diagnosis of intermediate BV on a self test kit
The GP swab result actually tells you the nake up of your Vaginal flora/ bacteria plus you can actually have

Bacterial Vaginosis
Intermediate BV
Anaerrobic vaginosis
Overgrowth of good bacteria - causing similar symptoms yes really
Yeast overgrowth

You need a bacterial flora/ microbiome swab and a bacterial swab
Mine did both

I agree its a bloody awful state of affairs , women are way down the list

Absolutely. I'm keeping everything very simple with nothing other than Hydromol as a wash and an emollient till I've seen my doctor.

I think those self test kits only tell you the pH of your vagina, which in menopause will probably falsely indicate a BV infection. I'd save your cash and hold out for a doctor's appointment.

Can Estriol cream be used while on HRT gel and tablets?

You scrubbed your vulva?????????? Did you feel it was particularly dirty?

That makes me wince.

YES!!!! Liberally. Daily. As much as you want!

Talk to me about the using estriol daily thing. My GP (who is admittedly crap) was adamant that twice a week was the max. Therefore very unlikely to want to prescribe more than that. Is there evidence or studies which can be used to persuade?

I used estriol every day for about a month when I was first prescribed it. Then every other day. Now I use it every two days

I think gynaecologists experienced with this problem advise daily use if necessary but I've never been able to find any research papers on the matter (others may help you here).

But then it puzzles me how the instructions in the creams and gels specifically instruct you to use the applicator and apply it deep into the vagina, when practically every women's health doctor online says to use your finger - and that the lower third of the vagina is the most important area, as well as the external vulva etc.

There's clearly a dearth of research into this. But no surprises there. 🤷🏼‍♀️