Replens moisturiser - very worried need advice possible TMI.....

[dementedworrier]

Have namechanger as so, so embarassed . I am 48 and after a few months of being generally uncomfortable saw some stuff about vaginal dryness and started using Replens. Ive been using it for a month now and it has stopped the itching but instead I am shedding clots and clots of off white lumps which look like matted tissue . It doesnt smell at all and is deffo not thrush. In the leaflet, the manufacturer does say that 'you may notice an...residue which is the gel clinging to old skin cells...and with prolonged use the vagina will return to normal'.....well this has been going on for a month now and I am beginning to panic. Has anyone else used Replens and had the same effect? Please?

I wish people wouldn't say that Replens isn't recommended/prescribed by gynae specialists because mine WAS!! Also I am now on oestrogen patches - I asked about a vaginal cream too but my GP said that two forms of oestrogen are not required. As long as I am getting oestrogen it will help vaginal atrophy as well as all the other symptoms.

@poorlymum Sadly you have been given poor advice. There is a very long research paper on the effectiveness of vaginal moisturisers and replens comes way down the bottom of the list.

Also, 1 in 4 women use vaginal estrogen AND full HRT (I have had both for 12 years starting with Ovestin in late peri prescribed by one of the UK's top gynae menopause consultants. Many women need both, so your dr is mistaken. Vaginal estrogen is not absorbed into the blood stream so it doesn't increase your dose of estrogen if using HRT too.

i agree about the sex! my partner said there tissue there so i assumed i had some sort of tissue in the wash that got on my knickers! OMG when i looked into it how embarrassing. Someone said it goes on for a few weeks! think i better get a dildo and get this sorted. i was going to change meds but the reviews for Replens said its great when this is over with!!

I've been diagnose peri meno and I am on HRT patches which help with some symptoms and have ease dmy Vaginal atrophy but not entirely and sex is still painful even with tons of lube so I thought I'd give this replens ago and I'm only one dose in and after a few days I noticed what appeared to be tissue paper but a grey/White colour.. No odour ( I had a sniff🤮) thank god I read this thread.. I'll persevere and see how it goes but yes embarrassing

Replens was also recommended to me by my gynecologist. If you have had breast cancer and it’s estrogen positive, you can’t have ANY estrogen. They put you on arimidex or tamoxifen which depletes the estrogen in your body. Even the ring isn’t safe. There isn’t an estrogen product that doesn’t enter your bloodstream. I have the same problem with Replens, but I’ve only tried it 4 times. I’ll see my gyno next week.

@RWR2012 Other consultants disagree with you on that - vaginal estrogen after cancer. This page is from Nick Panay's clinic and he is one of the main and best menopause consultants in the world.

hormonehealth.co.uk/blog/history-of-cancer-can-i-still-get-treatment-for-menopause/

From the above link

Vaginal Estrogens
If you have had breast cancer that is sensitive to your hormones, (known as a hormone receptor positive tumour), you might be able to use vaginal estrogens (off label) to help with your menopausal symptoms if you are on tamoxifen. As the estrogen is local and not absorbed through the body, it makes it safer to use.

Thank you. I was told no estrogen. I’m seeing a new oncologist and will definitely show her this information. I’d prefer to use the ring over Replens. When you’re diagnosed with cancer it’s a very scary thing. So far my side effects from the AI inhibitor are minimal. Just the dryness and pain with sex is definitely major. Thanks for another opinion😊

@RWR2012 You are very welcome. It must be hard for you. There is the same (and more) info on this podcast with Nick Panay.

lizearlewellbeing.com/making-sense-of-hrt-nick-panay/

The bit about HRT use and cancer is more than half way through, but it's well worth listening to and the info from him. he's at the Chelsea and Westminster menopause clinic and they accept referrals from women across the UK. They are very experienced in women who have tricky issues such as women post cancer. Your GP could refer you if you wanted.

In the podcast the bit you need is round about the 40 minute mark.

Thank you so much!

I am having the same issue! I am in menapause and have dryness and vaginal atrophy, sex has become painful. I began using this product about 3 weeks ago, every 3 days as recommended. It does seem to be helping, however on day 2 I experience that thick tissue like curdling stuff... ugh!! And is can be quite embarrassing after intercourse... I keep hoping it will go away with time but it is still very prevalent the second day after I apply the product. Almost as if the product is drying up and curdling inside of me... I hope this is part of the normal process and will clear up soon....

@Mistypeace Replens and other over the counter stuff does not cure VA it just provides some lubrication. You need estrogen in the vagina.

why are women bothering with Replens etc when vaginal estrogen is safe and works? I really don't understand.

Is it fear of seeing a GP?

I live in michigan and they told me they dont prescribed both they told me it's one or the other

@Mypassword123
They're wrong. Order it online or see another doctor. Vaginal estrogen is dosed in minuscule amounts. It stays local and works.

Jinglinghellsbells@ thank you for being so informative,i have been on HRT for a year now;helped my severe hot flashes (one every 15 min 24-7) but did nothing for VA.i went to my gyno and she would only perscibe hrt she said you cant get both.so i went to my regular dr and she did perscribe estrogen cream.after two uses i can tell a big difference again thank you❤.i did use the nasty replense for 8 months and it never changes....

Has anyone had an issue where the clumpy white stuff isn’t coming out properly? I was concerned when the clumping happened and realised it was way worse than just what was in my knickers so stuck my finger in to pull it all out last night and even four inches up I can feel there’s more further up like it’s all compacted up there 😳. I was prescribed a 4-week course of it by my GP after consultation with a hospital gynaecologist (can’t have anything hormonal as I’m pregnant) but am concerned about all this stuff staying up there and affecting my mucus plug, as I’ve been using for two and a half weeks now. Am trying to call the doctor today but with coronavirus lockdown I’m not holding much hope of getting an appointment 😕.

@Williams3001 Can I ask why you are using a treatment for vaginal atrophy when you are pregnant? Sorry to be dim but these treatments are usually for women who are post menopause.

Replens does seem to cause the symptoms you have got.

It's an over the counter treatment and is really a moisturiser.

I can't understand why, if you have vaginal issues, you cannot use a vaginal estrogen which is a tiny, tiny amount of hormone and will be miniscule compared to the amount of circulating estrogen you have anyway now you are pregnant.

@JinglingHellsBells The issue I was originally having was pain during sex (to the extent that I can’t bear any penetration), which started as soon as I got pregnant. My GP has ruled out thrush and STIs and gave me a vaginal exam, which looked fine and healthy, so I was referred to a gynaecologist at the hospital who prescribed me the Replens (which I got from the pharmacist; I didn’t know it was also an over-the-counter medication until I opened the prescription). I only started getting this weird tissue paper discharge after using the Replens for two weeks.

I have a telephone appointment with the GP this morning, so hopefully I’ll get some insight on this weird side-effect (and ideally a different solution).

I'm not a gynae though I have been seeing a brilliant top one for years and years (and I use vaginal estrogen as I'm ancient.) Has anyone mentioned anything like vulvadynia because I'd have thought that with all that estrogen zooming around your body, vaginal atrophy was unlikely. Many of us had more discharge during pregnancy.They can usually spot vaginal atrophy if they look

@Williams3001 This is worth reading too.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaginismus/

It could be psychological (maybe deep down fear that sex could harm your baby even though your logical head doesn't recognise this )

Thanks for the tips: I will ask the GP to look into these!

I used replens for a couple of weeks. I loved the instant relief to my dryness but didn't like the discharge. I read on line about it and someone described it as cement. It was like grey gravel, which should never be in your hoo ha. Definitely not skin cells. I quit using replens and scooped out the Rocky bits for a couple days. Ultimately, my boyfriend and I decided anything that turns to gravel is not something I should put in my body. It took only a week of no use for everything to return to normal. I hope you avoid the gravel stage.

I want to add a recent post for anyone that is having questions about Replens. My doctor suggest Replens to me, but at the time I didn't need it. But when the dryness started I remembered what she said & I used it. Which I found it does work & yes you will get the white discharge like little cotton bits or bits of tissue. That is normal, that is the skin lining shedding. If you continue to use Replens it will go away, but if you stop using it for a while, then go back to using it. The discharge will start back up again. But I can attest that it is very refreshing & helps to relieve dryness. It's best if used every 3 days(or at least for me it is) like the instructions say, but you have to choose what's best for you.
I hope this helped someone else.

jdkelley628

@Trisa68 I have used replens for over 4 mos now & I have never had a cement like discharge. It was more like little bits of cotton or little bits of tissue. Now if you use it to close before or after your cycle, it will change the color of the discharge. For that has happened to me before, it was a brownish or grayish color. I didn't panic, I figured it must of been from my cycle. But if the discharge you were experiencing was gritty like cement, that not normal & you should probably see your gynecologist.