Labia minors have upped and gone

[wotno]

Post menopause. Over the last few years I've noticed my labia minora have shrunk. Now there's nothing :( and the entrance to my vagina has tightened/is so sore that the idea of anything going up there is simply ludicrous. Ain't nothing fitting up there afaics.

I haven't been sexually actively for over a decade but quite fancy a new bloke ... but am at a loss as to how we'd ever have (vaginal) sex and how I'd explain the peculiarities of my genitals.

Does anyone know why this might have happened and if it's reversible? I know I have vaginal atrophy but does it really get this bad?? I occasionally give it a squirt of Replens for the soreness. Never had HRT.

Any ideas if I could reverse it with eg HRT??

Curious. Have no answer but also post meno and on same path (though so far no bothersome symptoms). Interested to see what others say.

I'd speak to your gp about it. You need local oestrogen. You can buy it over the counter now, but you gp will prescribe it too. There are no countersigns afaik, unlike some with HRT, although re. HRT a lot of the information is out of date and trsnsdermal HRT is much safer than the old tablets were.

I'd see your GP or preferably a family planning clinic that have a menopause clinic within in it. I used to work in an NHS family planning clinic years ago. The menopause clinics were either nurse specialists or the gynaecologists, who often had more specialist and up to date advise than GP's. Please get it checked and best of luck.

Yes it really does get that bad. People have no idea, because all the talk is about “dryness” which doesn’t sound too bad, not atrophy which is serious. The lining of the vagina not only dries but gets very thin and as fragile as paper. Been there, done that! Replens is no use at all. See your GP about HRT of some kind and ask about a referral to a specialist physio. I don’t want to go into great detail but once the atrophy has improved and you’re not so sore and fragile up there, they can help with the tightening you describe.

Lichen planus?

First off, you really do need treatment for the vaginal atrophy. Without it, it'll only get worse. Replens has no hormone in it, it won't work. You need oestrogen.

Topical oestrogen, Ovestin I would suggest in your case as it can be used externally, should improve things a great deal.

You might find Ovestin enough, if not the next step is HRT.

Great advice from @MarmiteCoriander about finding a menopause clinic.My useless GP practice didn’t even tell me there was such a thing, I had no idea until I worked with a consultant gynaecologist who ran one!!

Yep. Menopause clinic and vaginal oestrogen.

Btw not having a vagina that is too tight is important for other reasons that sex. If you ever need an internal scan and other procedures along those lines, then it would be an issue (and very uncomfortable)

Yes, HRT will definitely restore things to a surprisingly good degree.
I went to my GP after my downstairs changed so much, similar with the labia - I had turned as smooth as my (1960’s) plastic Sindy doll 🤣.

Vagifem pessaries or similar to start with, then the newer safer topical HRT options that we have now.

I was on Oestrogel and Utrogestan but have recently changed to patches.
The patches seem more subtle
The Gel and Utrogestan, by comparisson, was like being on steroids.
My (already ample) chest inflated dramatically - to the apparent delight or possibly alarm of a handful of Turkish chaps from Istanbul when I visited a sauna…
To quote someone else, on here I think : her undercarriage grew back dramatically on hrt - resembling a cauliflower! (again more subtle with the patches)

Thanks folks. I was hoping so much to avoid attempting to see a GP but I'll have to do it - sigh.

This is exactly what's happened to mine. Vanished. My GP prescribed Replens for it 4 years ago, but it didn't help.

@wotno are you 50 yrs or over? If so you can now get the vaginal “hrt” from pharmacy without a gp appointment. Maybe available online too.

You need to see your GP in case you have lichen sclerosus. This can change the way your anatomy looks and needs treating.