Vaginal Atrophy

Women's health
1

I am suffering badly with vaginal Atrophy.   Can anybody give advice please

2

ruth, what has your doctor advised and what have you tried? I resisted using hormone cream, but cannot any longer. Am using estradiol and according to the doc I am responding nicely. Time will tell. If you read what people have already posted on this site you will be able to get a good sense of what women are using for the variety of problems atrophy can cause. One thing is for sure, you are not alone. 

3

i think im suffering from the same thing I have burning on my labia and vulva and quite red and swollen ...I'm trying yeast meds first if that doesn't work I'm off to the doctor for some hormone cream I'm sixty two its about quality of life now maybe it will help with my prolapse also ...hope you get relief soon 💖

4

Hi Ruth 

i can empathise as can everyone on the forum I’m sure . One thing I’ve learned is different things work for different people for this evil condition . I’ve found Organic coconut oil very soothing and vitamin e oil also speak to your gp about Estradiol and try using the 3 together . When you have a flare up try lying down with a cold compress it’s so relieves the pain n discomfort . Hope this helps 

best of luck Kay

5

There are other discussions on this very issue and I think we have all come to the conclusion that while it may be possible to survive for a while by applying natural oils such as coconut or vit e oil or using oil-based peassaries such as balance activ, key e or Neueve and taking sea buckthorn oil suppliments (orally), in the end we all resort to some form of topical oestrogen such as vagifem, estrodiol cream or estriol cream. I am using estriol cream and very happy with the results. My vagina is plump and wet once more (even looks younger) and sex is wonderful. Such topical HRT doesn’t carry all the risks of oral HRT tablets because the amount that actually gets into the bloodstream is minuscule. Like others, I still apply coconut oil and vit e oil. I apply pure organic raw cold pressed coconut oil internally and externally after every time I go to the toilet. I apply the oil from a 400iu vit e capsule once a day and insert a key e pessary before I go to bed (on night when I am not inserting the estriol cream because that cream is only inserted twice a week).

6

Hi Beverly. Thank you so much for replying.  This is such a horrid condition, apparently Ive got it for life. Im 69.  Been told its treatable but not curable.    Was told 4 years ago by the hospital I had Vaginal Atrophy and was put on Vagifem pessaries and been on them ever since but the atrophy is quite bad as my doctor has said its very tender up there.  I started to have spots of blood  and i think the pessary is causing this  as the end of the applicator is slightly sharp

7

Thank you so much for replying paisleygirl.  Im 69.  Vaginal Atrophy is awful,  My doctor has told me im very tender and inflammed thus causing me to bleed when i put  Vagifem pessaries up

8

Thank you for replying kay.  I do have severe Vaginal Atrophy and my doctor has got me on Vagifem pessaries for the Estrogen which i think is whats making me bleed as the pessary applicator is slightly sharp.  Ive never heard of Coconut oil and Vitamin E oil.

9

Hi Ruth

I am 66 and also dealing with Atrophic Vaginitis.  I have been using Vagifem for over two years now 2x weekly and yes once you have been diagnosed with AV .......sadly it is for life......fortunately for a lot of women the Vagifem and or Estrace cream seems to be what gives us quality of life...

maybe switching to the cream might help you?  You want to keep the estrogen in the vagina.  Did the doctor think the bleeding was from the Vagifem applicator?  What is he saying for you to do? 

We are all here for each other

10

Vagifem didn’t work for me. There are plenty of alternatives. Your dr should offer alternatives to you. The ovestin cream has changed my life. 

11

Thank you for replying Wendy.  No.  I am saying i think the pessary is tearing the vagina walls as the end of the pessary where the tablet is, is not smooth.   Ive been told that the atrophy is very tender and i presume inflammed .  Does the bleeding come in spasms cause that is whats happening.  one minute i get  non stop and then it suddenly stops

12

When do you see your GYN?  He will be able to see and advise......maybe switching to an inserted cream may help for awhile.  The applicator is smoother on the end.  With the Vagifem I insert it so slowly and insert from standing position next to my bed at bedtime.  I hope your bleeding stops soon.  We women sure do have to go through a lot!!

13

ruth, I use a cream with no applicator. Just a pea sized blob of the estradiol cream on the finger and inserted just at the vag opening. Very simple. No discomfort, though I am now using it only twice a week. Every night started to cause burning. 

Absolutely use coconut oil. Very soothing. I keep mine chilled and use as a suppository on the non hormone cream nights. Through experimentation you'll find what works for you.

You'll get plenty of info here.

14

ruth, I believe Vagifem is estradiol which is what I'm using. You have been using it for 4 years, but the atrophy is getting worse now? I did not start using it when I was first diagnosed 3 years ago. Am two months into using  it now. Guess time will tell how well it will work for me. 

I plan to start taking the buckthorne as a supplement. 

There is another woman who posts here who had the Mona Lisa laser as I believe the hormones weren't enough. She is very happy with the results. But I believe she had a severe UTI problem. I haven't gotten those. Is that a problem you have?

15

ruth, I can't insert anything, not even a capsule of Vit E, without using coconut oil for lube. Otherwise it feels as though it is stuck to my skin and very painful. Coconut oil will be your friend.

16

suki, I just realized you are saying the weaker hormone estriol worked for you. Is that typical? Did you have a bad reaction to the vagifem or did it just not work?

17

Thank you for coming back to me Beverley.    I think its the applicator for Vagifem Pessaries thats causing the bleeding cause there a slight edge near the tablet that could tear.    Do you just put coconut oil on your finger and insert it or put it on the pessary applicator

18

Hi Ruth

the most important advice I can give you is if you need to stop the Vagifem due to the applicator, make sure you have one of the creams Estrace, Estradiol on hand to use as if we stop the hormone......the discomfort comes back and takes awhile to feel good again. I tried to stretch out the Vagifem to every 5th day and when I did the discomfort started to come back.....needless to say I will not do that again and realized that this truly is life long.  I just don't understand why some woman suffer from AV and others don't......what caused us to have this?

19

HI wendy,

Hard to say why some women get very miserable vaginal atrophy. We are all losing our estrogen as we approach menopause so it has to effect the majority of women you would think. Then when the periods end that nice estrogen production that kept us so healthy down there is about gone. They say blood flow is very important to this area to keep it alive. One of them use it or lose it deals. Just saying maybe the women that have kept themselves sexually active to keep that blood flow happening down there regularly has helped them a bunch. Then there is the women that just don't say how bad they feel downstairs. Reports show many women are effected by this but never talk to their doctor about it or seek any help because they find the issue embarrassing. One cannot help wondering how many women are walking around out there suffering and feel they can't talk to their own doc so just live out the rest of their life with that discomfort hoping someday it will just go away. I agree with you on the use of estrodial or estriol creams. I use a mixture of both. Keeps that area free from these problems I see so many women on this board suffereing with. 

20

ruth, I don't use an applicator as my cream is applied on a finger tip at the vag opening, but if I had to I would put the oil on it or you can just "pave the way" by inserting a small amount of chilled oil before inserting the applicator. You'll have to experiment. You will read here how varied women's problems and solutions are in their attempts to deal.