Who knew your fanny shrivelled up and ran away when you hit mid 50s!?!

[shrumps]

I certainly didn’t and I miss it! The only part of my body to become skinny and Im absolutely pissed off. Why did no one tell me about this?? And now I feel I can’t tell anyone else in case it’s just me.

Skinny on the outside, tight on the way in, dry and cavernous once in there. Honestly it’s a different world. And not a nice one.

https://www.nth.nhs.uk/resources/atrophic-vaginitis/

vaginal estrogen will really help plus a moisturiser like yes VM

i have pessaries for internal and estriol cream for external

you will need to use it for the rest of your life even if you aren't having sex to keep UTI at bay

I went to see my practice nurse and she basically flung Estriol (topical oestrogen) at me! Am also on the Mirena coil for some random bleeding and now have no periods. Estriol has also stopped UTI’s which had become problematic. Hopefully you can come back and share the love when the next (inevitable!) thread pops up ❤️

Minge whinge 😂

What am I reading?! I have this to worry about now as well as the cost of the food shop?!

I had no idea. How do I pre plump my vajayjay? Can I fois gras it in preparation for The Great Thinning?

This feels like a topic that should be taught in schools or some other place, why do we all have to pass round the secret knowledge, usually after horrible UTIs or painful sex for years. It should just be standard knowledge it all shrivels a bit just like your face and you need to think about moisture and tissue preservation!

I started having painful sex in my late '50s. Luckily I didn't have any UTIs.

I read about estriol cream on MN so I asked my GP and she prescribed it for me after examining me.

I've been so disappointed that aged only 53 my fun parts have just quietly withered away and flattened to resemble Barbie's smooth undercarriage. I still have my libido and whilst there are non-penetrative activities one can indulge in, I really miss good old fashioned proper sex.

Topical oestrogen cream helped the first time around 4 years ago, but back then nobody told me I had to continue beyond 2 weeks and that it should be on repeat prescription, so everything soon shrivelled away again. Got back on it but got pessaries this time - still had problems after a year of use and ventured to the Dr that it perhaps wasn't working in the right area (the "vestibule" just inside is the part that tears) - finally scored a repeat of the cream, but struggling to get into a routine of applying it every night as I don't care for the mess and the cleaning of the applicator etc. If I forget and I'm already comfy in bed, I ain't getting up again to twiddle with that!

But I really must make an effort. 55 year old DH is on sertraline and BP medication so he's hardly chasing me around the bedroom, but we enjoy what we can!

Does this actually happen to all women in menopause? Can you do things preventatively or do you have to wait until there are symptoms? I’m 43 and dont feel perimenopausal but I keep reading everywhere about awful it is going to be and now I have to worry about a cavernous dry vag as well. Davina hasn’t mentioned this symptom has she?!

I had my first smear in a while last week it really was agony, ive an appointment with the practice nurse soon she wants to discuss some options, im not sure what to ask for, ive been off HRT for 3 years.

This obviously has happened to some people and it sounds horrible. But for what it's worth, I'm 70 and this is all news to me. No particular problems. So there is hope!

Also just to add !
I always thought it would be dry and was expecting dryness but in actual fact my atrophy started with itchiness and a general feeling of feeling uncomfortable down there !
Then sex felt really odd and after sex it felt like my fanny was falling out !
After GP exam yes I had atrophy! Vagifem has been a blessing !!!!
So ladies as soon as u start feeling uncomfortable and very aware of your vagina id say hormones are starting to drop get yourself down drs and get treated 🌺

What age should someone start thinking about all this 😬

As soon as your fanny feels.funny lol 😁 can be from 40 onwards some earlier in premature menopause

Maybe someone with power can declare every Monday to be Minge Winge day...

I didn't have bad symptoms like some, just dryness during sex in my forties.

I'd suggest moisturising for starters, I don't have some of the problems here but it's a form of prevention and just makes everything more comfortable.

Not many people have mentioned kegals or exercising the muscles but that helps enormously hold the whole thing together. You can get YouTube videos, just like you can for every other body part.

Bit confused here so please humour me - but which one is the moisturiser?? Is that the estriol?

this all sounds terrifying but grateful for the knowledge and advice here!!

It affects approximately 50% of women over 50 so some women are not affected but the problem is you don't know if you're affected until the symptoms really kick in

I know now that the pain on penetration id been experiencing in my mid 40s was due to the start of atrophy but because there was so little information about, I didn't know that. All the euphemisms about vaginal dryness, I thought that was what it was - literal dryness which I didn't have - and it really isn't that.

you can pre emptively treat it though - vaginal estrogen is available over the counter now

I use organic coconut oil as recommended by someone else on here and it's great! Very cheap. It does not have topical oestrogen in though which is what a lot of people get from the doctor on prescription or I think you can buy one version over the counter. I don't feel I need that so I haven't bothered with it.

If you use oestrogen cream it doesn't 😁

Estriol is the topical oestrogen. You can also get simple moisturiser that doesn't contain hormones.

Kegels, immediately - whatever age you are.

Moisturiser and/or topical oestrogen once perimenopause starts. Average age is mid 40s, but there's a very wide range.

Minge whinge.. love it.

🤣

I'm feeling very smug - because at 58 mine is post menopausal, still a thing of beauty and working as well as she always did! No HRT or cream either 🦚