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.

Vagifem tablets inserted every 4 days cured exactly what you're describing in a very short time...I started off with the cream but it's messy and washing the applicator was a total faff so I changed to the tablets that come in individual throw away applicators and never looked back! 🙄
Sadly I still get UTI's but are due to a separate issue...😪

It's true and nobody told me

Your vulva tissue goes grey. And shrinks. And things get dry and sore.

But oestrogen cream (called estriol) rubbed in and all over every few days will solve the problem. Voila.

I've never really used the applicator. Just fingers.

What’s the moisturizer that doesn’t have hormones in it called? Can anyone recommend one??

Sorry but moisturiser alone won't help, it's the oestrogen that does the magic...believe me I tried everything and I have been inserting a Vagjfem tablet every 4 days for years...although due to other issues I still get UTI's, all other irritations and pain have stayed away! 😊

What gel please?

Interesting thread. I’m glad it’s not just me. My labia are like, ‘we’ve done our bit, so we’ll just fuck off now then.’
I had a smear recently and the nurse warned me that if I had sex again, it would be painful because of the thinning of the skin down there.
I’m single though and don’t plan on having sex anytime soon …

Excuse my ignorance but please can I ask; to those who are advising the oestrogen cream or whatever, why? Is there a danger I’m not aware of in not taking it? My smear came back clear so I don’t have another for 5 years. And I’m not bothered about having a fat fanny from an appearance point of view.
Thanks.

No-one ever told me this. Nor did I ever read about it before this thread. It obviously bypassed me completely, as I’m mid 70’s and in good shape in this very important area. I took oral HRT for about 5 years, (25 years ago) but I haven’t used anything since. I feel very lucky!

Can you specifically name the gel you've heard is good for faces? I have Botox twice a year & I use prescription retinol too but I'm always open to other products too

Oh, and I haven’t had any discomfort generally. Just more fanny farts 😳

Oh brilliant thanks! 😊

What a way with words you have.

What? If enough women explain what happens to them in menopause the papers might pick it up and publish it then EVERYONE would know this is a problem which is easily helped with a bit of low dose oestrogen? Sounds like we’d be doing the world a favour! Keep posting, everyone. Not enough talk about this as it is, and there is no need for women to suffer through lack of awareness.

I vividly remember when it started, saying that it was as if my fanny had turned into a crisp packet!
For non hormonal moisturiser and fanny washing, I use 50/50 which is half Vaseline. It was recommended by my specialist when my menopausal itching developed into vulval eczema. It is a common issue apparently. Took some time to get used to being permanently a bit greasy but it’s worth it.

What absolute rubbish!

Why be careful?? I think this thread has been an education for many (definitely for me) and I thank all of you for sharing experiences and advice. I wish I had known about this sooner - and am booking a GP appointment today to try and get this sorted. Onwards and upwards! Hopefully literally!

I took the careful what you post to mean that there are creepy folk (men, let's face it) who get off on reading about women's bits.

I have found Vagirux to be great and gave me back my O, which had gone AWOL. What a shame it has such an ugly name though,Vagirux. Vagilux would have been a million times more appealing.

Very thankful to a female GP for recognising and prescribing this in my early 40s. It just burns all the time otherwise. The male GP just talked about blood tests when I asked him if it was linked. My poor mother in law, I suspect, suffered with this. I’d never heard of it until it happened and we should talk about it more. My blood test was fine 🙄

Just for a voice of sanity here, someone quoted 50 percent effected, which I’m not sure is true or not, and someone else said we’d be plagued by utis thinning tissue and discomfort, this is true.

im 57k through menopause, no changes down there and certainly no utis or discomfort etc, I do kegels every day

I think as much as many women will be impacted,many are not.

Sepsis is a serious risk when women have recurring UTIs. Sepsis can kill, especially in older women. The UTIs can be caused by vaginal atrophy (now also known as GSM or Genitourinary Symptoms of Menopause) where walls of vagina are thinner and less lubricated making infection more likely.

Vaginal Oestrogen prevents the UTIs by stopping the thinning and increasing lubrication. Because its local, there is very little entering the blood stream so can be used with HRT (and even by breast cancer patients in consultation with Dr)

GSM also causes itching, pain on movement, can result in frequent/painful urination, incontinence etc. And rubbish orgasms as clitoris also affected. All potentially helped by vaginal oestrogen.

So if you have any of the symptoms its worth talking to your GP.

Thank you so much for your reply.

I feel your pain sister. Last time I checked, my fanny had got itself a bungalow at Jaywick. 😕

For anyone not wanting to go to their GP or to just try it you can buy it on private prescription online. I did this first (after a friend recommended) and ordered some Estriol (topical oestrogen cream).

It soothed so much where I was getting itchiness and I had no more UTI symptoms. I then went to the Practice nurse (lovely lady probably around 60) and she gladly prescribed it to me.

if your GP or nurse aren’t aware of it you might be fobbed off but I’d be insistent to try it if you have any dryness/soreness/itching/UTI symptoms

Can you take the topical oestrogen in addition to to the standard hrt of two squirts and two tablets for a fortnight?

This 💯. So many of my friends mums who are in their 70s and older, are going down with UTI after UTI and urosepsis is a well known cause of sickness and death in older ladies. The US are far more ahead in this being a well known issue. Throwing repeat antibiotics at UTIs isn’t the answer.
I am 55, have a coil and use oestrogel, vagifem, Blissel HRT gel ( couldn’t tolerate estriol as it made me sore) and use Yes vaginal moisturiser daily . All prescribed by GP. I still get occasional discomfort and my doctor was considering adding in Hiprex if I get further urinary issues.
We need to educate women on this so that they are informed and don’t feel alone.