Hi Shirley,
Yes, urethral soreness is, indeed, a vaginal atrophy symptom. The urethra and the bladder are filled with estrogen receptors (and they are formed in the fetus from the same material that makes up the vagina), and so they suffer when deprived of estrogen. I think you would be having bladder symptoms had your bladder not gone numb from the operation you had. I have the same bladder symptoms that you had previously, and I sometimes wish my bladder would go numb! The vaginal atrophy came on quite suddenly last year; one day I was perfectly fine, and the next I had all the vaginal burning and urinary symptoms. I wish I could just turn back the clock to that perfectly fine day.
In my experience, anxiety doesn't bring on the symptoms, generally speaking. (I never had such urinary symptoms before menopause, and so many women after menopause develop these very symptoms.) But I do think the urinary symptoms in particular trigger anxiety. After all, the soreness and urgency are so uncomfortable and it's a nervy kind of pain, and the symptoms don't let up (no day off!), so one is bound to get anxious. And if you feel like you might not have a loo nearby, of course that is anxiety provoking. And anxiety affects the bladder/urethra. So it's a vicious cycle. An irritated bladder/urethra creates anxiety, and anxiety makes one focus on the source of the anxiety, the bladder/urethra.
I'm not as unnerved about not parking and shopping in close vicinity of a loo, as I am able to hold it, though it is uncomfortable. I don't have any leakage, and I can just imagine that this would heighten your concern about having a loo nearby. The leakage, as you know, is a bit of incontinence, and incontinence is often a symptom of vaginal atrophy and can also result from childbirth. In fact, when I had the Mona Lisa Touch done (it's a vaginal laser, invented in Italy, for rejuvenating vaginal tissues that have atrophied), my gynecologist told me that she had used it on herself for incontinence due to childbirth. She is not yet in menopause, but already had urethral trouble. The laser treatment worked for her. It's too early for me to know if the Mona Lisa will work on my urgency problem, but I already see progress on the vaginal dryness and soreness, so it is doing something.
I tried two estrogen creams (Estrace and estriol), but they both gave me systemic symptoms after just a few uses (thickening of uterine lining), so I had to quit using them. I am in the US, and we don't have Gynest cream, which is an estriol cream that is weaker than the ones prescibed here. For some reason, American gyns prescribe stronger estrogen creams, and especially favor estradiol. II think weaker is always better with hormones. There are pharmacies (chemists) here that will make up creams of various strengths, so perhaps I should try an estriol cream with the potency of Gynest. Have you ever had any systemic problems with the Gynest?
I also wanted to tell you that my gyn recommended rubbing on coconut oil and vitamin E oil to soothe vulvar/vaginal dryness. I know that Boots carries the coconut oil. Some in the UK also like Balance Activ Moisture pessaries for dryness.
Anyway, thanks for listening to me, too!