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[itsmetina]

Hello if anyone could please help and comment.  I'm 43 with menopause severe itching scratch until I bleed bc can't take it.  Very much of burning also my doctor put me on vagifem and didn't take it until a month later.  Today is day 2 so far not much better but feeling really nauseated and moody .  I'm scared this could give me cancer just bc of what I've read on Internet.  I don't know how long to take it for - do I stop if I'm
Better suddenly? My doctor gave it for a year.  Any feedback I would so appreciate.  I have tried everything before going on it from vagisil to even baby zinc lol.  My poor kids I'm so grouchy

[Taz2]

Hi Tina - I replied to your post under the other Vagifem thread but I'm not sure whether you managed to find it again - posts sometimes get lost in other threads. This is what I posted

"Hi itsmetina - welcome to the forum. You will find lots of support and advice on here.

Firstly the amount of oestrogen in Vagifem is tiny and although you have read all of the warnings on the packet about cancer etc. these warnings are standard for any oestrogen product but the amount in Vagifem will not put you at risk of cancer.

As to whether menopausal symptoms go away - things such as vaginal dryness and joint aches and pains tend to be permanent as the level of oestrogen in your body diminishes. Mood swings, hot flushes and sweats do tend to get better in time as your hormones even out.

You are young to already have vaginal dryness so has your doc suggested full HRT. The natural age for menopause is 50/51 and before this age you need oestrogen to protect your heart and bones. The risks from HRT don't really become a problem until you reach the normal age as it is the extended time which oestrogen is in the body past menopause which is thought to put us at a small risk of cancer. You would merely be replacing what should be yours naturally. Many women are prescribed HRT when they are going through early menopause and then stop taking it when they reach 50 to see how their symptoms are.  This is from the menu on the left of the screen under "Menopause"

"The average age of the natural menopause is 51 years, but can occur much earlier or later. Menopause occurring before the age of 45 is called early menopause and before the age of 40 is premature menopause.

Generally, women having an early or premature menopause are advised to take HRT until approximately the average age of the menopause, for both symptom control and bone protective effect."

Taz 

[itsmetina]

Thank you so much for responding and I couldn't find the other post so very grateful.  I'll continue vagifem but wonder why my doctor didn't advise me about the hrt.  I did a bone density scan and it was normal .  Gosh feeling so terrible down there .  Tks again for your help and reassurance .  Tina

[Taz2]

If you  have a good look around the site Tina you can gather all the appropriate information and then maybe discuss this with your GP. It's not just the fact that you feel horrible at the moment - you do need to replace your oestrogen so that your heart and bones don't suffer later in your life.

A lot of GP's aren't always that clued up on menopausal stuff to be honest. They do their best but from what a lot of us have discovered on here they are usually grateful that we do our own research and suggest to them what might help!

If you have problems finding posts again all you need to do is click on your profile and on the left side you will find "show posts". If you click on this it will bring up all the posts you have made.

Taz x

[Cassie]

Welcome I went through a very early meno and have been on Oestogel since 40 plus Utrogestan. Both are bio identical and up until the age off 50 you really should be taking something more than Vagife, although you have said that your bone scan is ok for now, over the next 10 years, things could change.Do you have any other symptoms? If you do start with flushes etc, I would highly recommend the gel, you can taper the dose to suit yourself, I feel totally normal on it and have zero symptoms and you may find that you can do away with the Vagifem as it hleps to plump up things down there, I also had terrible itching, dryness, etc and that has now all thankfull gone away, due o the gel. All the best x

[itsmetina]

Thanks for your reply - can you please give me the exact name of that spray? I'm in Canada and hope I can find it.  I really don't get my gynecologist (I've seen 2 of them and they haven't really listened to my problems ).  I find I'm getting crazy emotions on this vagefem upset and so cranky and defensive . I don't want to stop it but hope it doesn't get worse.

Thanks again for responses and support

[Taz2]

I would think that your "crazy emotions" are more down to the fact that your hormones are all out of balance. This is something that full HRT would most probably sort out for you and you would not be at any risk either because you are still under 50. You really do need this to protect your heart and bones. Vagifem has not got enough oestrogen in it to give you this protection. Maybe if you print off information from this site and show it to your gynaecologist you will get the help you need.

I'm not sure whether this Canadian site is helpful http://www.sigmamenopause.com/

Taz x 

[Cassie]

If you are meaning the Oestrogen gel, which comes in a can with a pump action, it goes under the name of Femigel or Oestrogel, and I think another name as well. There was a nice thread somewhere on the forum, where someone posted photos of the gel under its different names, hope you get sorted and the progesterone is of course important if you are going to be using any form of oestrogen HRT.

[Taz2]

Apparently Estrogel is the number one prescribed transdermal oestrogen product in Canada so you should be able to obtain it ok. As Cassie says you will also need a progesterone component though. http://www.estrogel.com/

Taz x

[itsmetina]

Thank you all so much.  Going to call my doctor and let you know what happens I didn't really have moodiness until I started the vagifem but going to get what I need and also the gel spray.  Tks again so much )

[Suzi Q]

Thank you so much for responding and I couldn't find the other post so very grateful.  I'll continue vagifem but wonder why my doctor didn't advise me about the hrt.  I did a bone density scan and it was normal .  Gosh feeling so terrible down there .  Tks again for your help and reassurance .  Tina

Some Doctors even today are anti HRT  especially if they think you dont need it your symptoms arent that bad Some times theres no need for HRT I know loads of ladies who sailed thorugh meno my own sisinlaw she just eased off her peiods and stopped she didnt even have to use any creams inside Though to be fair shes been a celibate widow for 5 years and celibate for another 8 at least before that our R,,, got early onset Alth and died after 15 years
If you just have a dry fanny  and moddy mare like I was theres probably no need for hrt I know we are medicaly supposed to take it if we go over early but again some GPS dont like it they seem to think if your not killing someone yur OK BUT you have a great GP some ladies on here are almost reduced to begging for Vagifem
I went over at 36/37 NO HRT it was too me normal as MUM had it alos
I never went near a GP till I was about 41 when sex became impossibe one romantic weekend Bobbles literaly couldnt get in! Went to GP had btests never found out but it must have been low he said pre meno I was going 4 5 months then a 3 day bleed He put me on the MINI pill and orthogynest after 2 years I canged to Ovestin and the mini pill stayed on that for over 14 years till in 2008 it started to fail I was told i had everyinging from Thrush to nerves till one day I found this site Aug 2009 and 2 ladies on here TAZ and CLKD nagged me everyday till Feb 13th when i went to GP he took one look at my fanny after I told him try an internal and your Dead he laughed and said dont need to you have severe atrphy I left it too long I was put on Vagifem taken off the pill and Ovestin which by now was coming ut the next day in globs my vagina wasnt absorbng it with in 2 days my agony was easing with in the 2 weeks all gone it took about 4 months for the constant peeing to go and in the August sex in Paris Rome Venice utter bliss
Most think Vagifem workds sexually asap thats not the case it can take up to 6mnths to work internally in other words for yur vaginal walls top plump up enough that sex doesnt hurt at all even on entry
My bones are good too Im now 59 and Saturday I fell and smashed my knees on rocks really badly could hardly oput weight on my legs Sunday woke up NOTHING no pain not even any bruising to speak of hubbie was stunned he said Sunday I should have been worse and when I say I fell I landed smash on my left knee on rocks bounced and landed on my right the stone was that sharp it ripped my Kevalr motor bike jeans yet with in 20hrs OK go figure?
The only thing that hurt was I couldnt get up OK we may think Hey I dont look 59 and I know I dont IM only size 14 13 oin a good day dont eat bread or red meat eat no dairy drink very little (but I smoke hehehe) walk ever where as I dont drive but when that happens and you dont all of a sudden have the stregnth to get up you reealise your old and that hurts I was in shock too which didnt help So carry on with the Vagife m and thank gods oyuve a good gp

[itsmetina]

I hope you are much better from your fall and thank you for responding and your wisdom.  So I've been on vagifem for over a week and well still suffering but it's not all that much internally it's external and mostly at night- I even wake up to itch !!!  My mood swings aren't that bad and I don't have to pee like every second.  I am about to stick a pospcile down there!!  So I will stick with vagifem and also ask my gyno for that spray that some posts have recommended.  Gosh so glad I have you all to write too.  Oh it's not bad enough that I'm suffering from vaginal things but I've got bad hemmoroids too AND I've tried everything for that too! Sigh

Thanks for listening and writing ))

[Suzi Q]

Stick to the vagi its not a miracel cure it takes time but it will ease
Also on the outside get some Nilsta from chemist its thrush cream but rub it ouside area it works
Its brilliant take a breath and just wait OK it will ease try the spray but if your not happy then wait a while just use Vagifem untill oyu feel better agan th thing about HRT is that it seems that its hit and miss so maybe get the fanny OK then the rest can follow xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[Hurdity]

You might benefit from some estriol cream to rub into the external areas - which is what I do. This is a very weak topical oestrogen and will hopefully deal with the bits that Vagifem can't reach.

I use this as well as Vagifem ( and systemic HRT) - I find Gynest cream will do the trick. You only need thrush cream if you have a fungal infection so maybe try this initially for a few days and then eventually replace with the estriol cream (like Gynest) which will plump up these areas that are not quite inside and not quite outside so will I imagine have oestrogen receptors too. Some women use Ovestin which is stronger but still estriol.

As Suzi says - it will all settle down eventually once you are using the right treatment but does take time.

Hurdity  x

[Suzi Q]

I agree but honest to god try NIlstin its better than Ovestin for outside dont aks why
I used Ovestin for pover 20 years inside and would rub outside BUT when Atrophy hit
Ovestin stopped working inside and out it just failed
Vagifem fab but using the Ovestin outside no good
GP said try NIlstin used it and fantasic I think it was Chicky tried it a week or 2 ago and was amased at the results what have you to loose trip to chemist xxxxxxxxx