Any vagifem experts? Need advice

[AriadnesPiglet]

Just been prescribed vagifem following an apparent uti, symptoms of which did not clear up with antibiotics. Going on for months.
Went from feeling like I needed to wee all the time and then also started to feel sore and uncomfotable in the vagina.
Tried some over the counter stuff, multi gyn actigel from boots, but that made me sting and hurt more.

So I've just started vagifem, day 2 and it's not going well so far. I feel sore and not sure if its coming from my bladder, inside where I inserted the tablet or the uretha. Maybe its all 3. It's so long since I had a period I'm not sure if its cramping I'm feeling

I feel like packing it in but is this normal to start with? Is it worth carrying on because at the moment I feel worse than I did before. I'm miserable because I thought this was the answer to my problems.

Tbh she has passed me over to another gp who might have more idea but I shall be asking for a gynaecologist referral if I don’t get any satisfaction

Canestan with 1% hydro is fair enough for thrush etc but won't touch VA. (You can buy it over the counter BTW but never say it's for your bits!)

FFS just ask for Ovestin and throw the book at them about VA and long term breast feeding. here helloflo.com/heres-how-breastfeeding-could-be-affecting-your-vagina/

Adrianes

Here- list of specialists thebms.org.uk/find-a-menopause-specialist/

Expect to pay around £200 for an appt or none if it's an NHS clinic

I see a Urogynaecologist.

I managed to get an appointment today. I tried to explain to her that my symptoms seem to indicate Vaginal atrophy due to breastfeeding but she wouldn't hear it. She said I'm too young for that and I shouldn't go searching for answers on the internet. In the meantime I should use KY jelly and wait to see what happens at Urology, If after having a camera inserted to check my kidneys and bladder function doesn't give any answers I'll be referred to Women’s health.

I told her I've only managed to have sex 3 times due to the discomfort since DS was born (he'll be a year old soon). I also explained that I had a lot of discomfort with my smear test too, which has never happened before. She did do an internal examination, took a swab and even that was painful. From her observations, I'm sore and cracked in places but not dry. I've been sent away with miconazole nitrate and hydrocortisone cream & pessaries. 😔

That is appalling treatment.

Why don't you print off the info I linked to and send it to her via the surgery? Then make another appt? You do NOT need urology- most uros deal with men's prostates and are useless with women.

I suggest you find another GP who is more informed.

This is a sheer waste of your time, the NHS time and money.

Can you afford to see a gynae privately, or at least another GP in the practice?

'sore and cracked' YES that is the sign of VA? She sounds bloody stupid.

When older women are very 'dry' they actually produce more wetness, ironically, but it's not slippery good wetness, it's soreness.

Queen, it's like banging your head repeatedly against a brick wall. Unfortunately, I can't afford to go private I would love to after all this going back and forth. I did ask if they have a women's health Dr there but only thing close is a nurse led Family planning clinic.

I think I'll just have to stop breastfeeding and see if that resolves it. All this because of a stupid UTI! Her argument is that because I feel the need to urinate frequently, I need to have my kidneys checked.

I'm really scared about having a camera inserted. Is this something that will happen at my first appointment or will I be back and forth with Urology too?

How long have you been breastfeeding?

You can refuse any treatment- you don't have to have a camera. But they might refuse other treatment. It's just so stupid that all of this could be sorted with a tube of cream that costs £7 and you have to go through all of this. Could you try an FPA clinic or similar?

Nearly a year now. Looking online a lot of women said it resolved itself once they stopped breastfeeding. All family planning clinics here seem to be about sexual health & contraception.

Queen I can't thank you enough for just allowing me to rant on about this. I've got a vaginal moisturiser that says it helps with VA, so I'm going to try that in the meantime.

Queen that’s so interesting that about older women producing more wetness, but sore wetness. Sounds like me.

Enigmam that’s terrible. Shouldn’t go searching on the internet indeed! Maybe if our gps did a bit more searching on the internet we wouldn’t be in this mess. Unfortunately if you start getting “clever” with them and telling them what to do it doesn’t always end well. My gp is bloody useless as well.

You won’t get the camera into your bladder (cystoscopy) on your first appointment unles your gp refers you straight to test, which doesn’t sound like has happened. And your symptoms don’t warrant that. You will see the consultant and they may do a bladder scan on the day but if they are doing that they will tell you to come with a full bladder. You should have a consultation and then decide from there and you can discuss VA as a possibility.

That's interesting Olives my letter just says bring a fresh urine sample, no mention of anything else. I've had enough of it today. How have you been, have you had any improvements with the cream you were prescribed?

No improvement but I'm not really using the cream because I don't think its appropriate. Its more for thrush and I haven't got that. Can't believe she didn't even examine me but her reasoning was she did a pelvic exam but that was 8 weeks ago!

I stopped the vagifem yesterday. Worse than I was yesterday but I was all over the place while I was on it so not sure if it's to do stopping.

My heads battered with all this. Bloody fed up.

This is what I'm going to try after I've finished the pessaries. www.yesyesyes.org/products/yes-vm-natural-vaginal-moisturiser/
It has a lot of good reviews so I'm hoping it will work. Might be worth a try.

@Enigram

I don't know if this is of any use to you at all but you can buy vaginal cream OTC in Europe- some women get all the HRT that way simply as it's cheaper (once they have had it prescribed in UK.)

There are also online consultations available with UK shops like Superdrug (and possibly LLoyds?) which may be worth a go if you are really desperate. (I've just done a search for you.)

In terms of moisturisers, the one that is recommended by consultants after doing research is YES.

Thanks Queen I'll check that out.

I saw the book by Jane Lewis and I think I'll order it. I read somewhere else that she advises going to the gum clinic to get checked out before you start any treatment in case its a skin condition. Seeing as my gp seemed reluctant to examine or consider the possibility of any other infections, might call in to the clinic when I'm off work.

@Olivesandwine

I hope you have better luck there and they're more sympathetic. Let us know how you get on.

Well I got myself off to the gum clinic today and dr confirmed atrophy and that I shouldn’t have stopped the vagifem and that I definitely shouldn’t have been given that Canestan cream. So back on them and back to the clinic in 4 weeks so she can have a check on things.
I’ve ordered some ovestin to use on the outside as well if I get too sore, which seems to be what a lot of people do. I’ll only use a tiny bit.

So back to it. Quite annoyed with myself and gp for stopping them as I’m 2 weeks behind now, although I only stopped them for 5 days.

How you doing op and Engigmam?

Hurrah! Great,
Maybe you can write to your GP to complain and also stop other women being denied wrong treatment through ignorance.

I’ve emailed my gp Queen and told her what the GUM doctor said.
I bet she doesn’t respond. Better not piss them off too much because I’ll probably have to go back there for prescriptions if it all works out.

Queen I am feeling the effects of the first one already. I feel like I’m really full and need to wee.
Is this normal? I was so upbeat about it this morning but I’m doubting now ☹️

I think you ought to use Ovestin instead. I have not used Vagifem but it's a slightly more potent type of estrogen. Many women prefer it as it's easier to insert but it is estradiol not estriol and that is slightly more 'concentrated' is my understanding.

Many women I've chatted to online say they have some 'feelings' or irritation when using vag estrogen to start with as the tissues are getting an awakening. As your vaginal tissues get plumper, the effects won't be as irritating - at the moment your tissues are very thin. This also applies to the lining of your bladder.

You should also use either of these products at night so they work when you lie down- against gravity! Ovestin has to be used at bedtime for that reason.

I can't tell you what to do other than maybe try Ovestin and see how that feels.

You might like to look online for diagrams/ images of vaginal atrophy. you will see how th e layer of cells in the vagina changes with atrophy. This layer regrows once you use estrogen and creates a thicker layer of cells , protecting the different cells underneath, so the creams etc won't irritate as much. it's a bit like having no fingernails- the skin under is very delicate - your vagina has to grow new cells once its fed estrogen, and those harder cells protect it from the trauma of sex and also help produce lubrication.

I've been using Vagifem for a couple of years now, and over the last 6 months in tandem with my HRT. I use it probably on 5 nights out of 7 as I don't find twice a week to be enough. You can use it every day forever, according to my meno specialist.

I think until I got on the full HRT I found that the Vagifem could have a slightly sensitising effect, such that if I had to go on a long journey early in the morning I wouldn't use it the night before as I would have to stop the car to wee before I'd barely got down the road. It's much better now however.

I'd stick with it if I were you, and use it at least every other day.

So you think vagifem is best used at night?