Hi Folks
im thinking of seeing a specialist having avoided the prospect for ages , can anyone give me any encouragement in terms of the treatment you've received and did it help any ? I don't have much confidence in all honesty and don't want probing n poking about if there's no point .
Any feedback gratefully received
Kay
Hi: I couldn't stand feeling ill all the time, and having continuing UTI's so after three years of antibiotics and estrogen cream I had a treatment called Mona Lisa, its a laster the regenerates the area. thats my story though I am still battling again recently and now need treatments closer together fo
Hi I think it was the best thing I ever did as I am now fairly comfortable after 2 years. I use Ovestin x2 weekly plus tibolone 2.5 mg and 10mg Nortriptoltyline for the Vulvodynia. I was getting nowhere with the GP. I can now manage although I can't let the meds slip or symptoms are back within a week its the lowest doses I can personally get away with. I had a total hysterectomy plus ovaries and tubes which had a drastic effect on me within days. I hope the specialist can find your solution for you, don't leave any details out as this is the best opportunity to get the right treatment that GPs can't offer.
Have you oh tried a local oestrogen cream or pessary, like I said in the other post? Worked wonders for me.
Hi Nancyo
Thankyou for your advise I am looking into the Mona Lisa option and o believe there's a new procedure called Diva . I'm going to ask for the referral to a specialist and take it from there thankyou for taking time to respond
Kay
Hi Tracey
I've decided I will ask for a referral thankyou for your advise I'm going to look into all my options hope you continue to manage this horrible condition
Kay
Hi Suki
No I haven't , I'm a bit confused as to which way to go I know that no creams even the steroid ones work for me so maybe pessaries will , I need to see a specialist so thankyou you've helped me decide hope u continue to manage your condition
Kay
Hello, I think I have this condition although I haven't actually been diagnosed by my GP. I have been using Replens for two months now but my symptoms just seem to be getting worse. The burning, itching and tenderness seems to be outside of my vagina but intercourse is painful to at times. Have any of you tried any other named creams? I have just compared the ingredients from Replens and Vagisan and the only common ingredient to both is water, every other ingredient is different.
Hi Carol
I have been useing a steroid cream called clobaderm it helped at first but has little effect now . I'd urge you to see your gp and get diagnosed I have the same symptoms and have been diagnosed with Atrophic Vaginitis I am now going to ask for a referral to see if a specialist can help
Good luck hope you get the help you need for this distressing condition
Kay
Hello Kay,
Thank you you for replying. I will try the cream you suggested but will book an appointment with my GP. Hopefully your recommended cream will help me out until a referral appointment comes through.
regards
Carol
Like Tracy, I use ovestin but I have been on amitriptyline for over 4 years because I had vulvodynia in 2013 (cured after 2 years), then when the vaginal dryness set in the GP told me to stay on the amitriptyline because it would help with the pain from VA. I have never had any pain with VA (only discomfort during intercourse) so perhaps that is why.
Thanks Suki
Kay
Hi Carol, you really do need to get a proper diagnosis because if your pain is on the outside then it could be vulvodynia. The way to test this is take a cotton bud and gently press it on the area around the vulva. If that touch is painful then the nerves in that area are hyperactive and hypersensitive and are registering touch as pain which is vulvodynia. Of course it is possible, actually quite likely, to have vulvodynia at the same time as vaginal atrophy and the symptoms are similar so it is difficult to sort out one from the other in women of menopausal age. Drs often assume, if you are of a certain age, that the symptoms are caused by VA and the vulvodynia goes untreated. Vulvodynia is very difficult to get rid of (it took me 2 years) - I have put up a post in the vulvar conditions group explaining how I cured my vulvodynia.
Diva is replacing Mona like sa. That will be my next job treatment. Good luck and keep me posted
Definitely get a diagnosis first. After that there's many treatments, a local vaginal estrogen seems to be the first line of treatment. I use Estrace Cream. Starting dose was 1 gram 1x a day for 14 days and a pea sized amount used on the labia, concentrating on the urethra. Then 2x a week internally and using it every night on the labia. I still have bad days but it's worked better than I expected. I'm also going to pelvic floor physical therapy. I'm not sure where you're from but in the US, the Mona Lisa isn't covered by insurance,if I had the money I'd give it a go. But as I said there's several treatments to try, unfortunately they're not a one size fits all treatment ...
Good Luck!
Hello Suki,
Thank you for that information. I had no idea what I was experiencing was even a condition thought it was just an infection of some sort. This group page has been so helpful and I will definitely make a GP appointment.
Have a good weekend.
regards
Carol
Hi Gigi
i have a diagnosis of Atrophic Vaginitis so eastrogen cream would probably help me , are there any increased risks in terms of cancer though ? I'm from the UK and the Mona Lisa treatment costs £2,500 but there are no guarantees and it's not a cure so that put me off .
Thankyou for your response it's appreciated
Kay
Good that you're seeing your gp , I asked to see a nurse as it's so personal and she diagnosed me following my test results she was brilliant and empathetic being a woman
Hope you get the help you need
Kay
The risks of cancer a very low for topical creams and pessaries because their effect is localised, very little is absorbed into the rest of your system. Ovestin cream contains estriol which is a bioidentical hormone which is known as the protective oestrogen because it protects against the harmful effects of the other two oestrogens, estrodiol and estrone. In fact studies done in Japan show that it protects against cancer and is beneficial to the cardiovascular system. Somewhere in this group or in the HRT group is a whole discussion about its protective effects.
I found my previous post about ovestin:
. It contains a bioidentical oestrogen called estriol which is considered a weak oestrogen but is also a protective oestrogen. It has been used in vaginal creams in Europe and Japan for some years and research studies have shown that it has a protective function and actually protects against cancer and cardiovascular problems (which the other two oestrogen, estrodiol and estrone put you at risk of. Estriol is like the oestrogen that balances out the effects of the other two). Estriol is also very good as helping genitourinary problems.