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[Dancinggirl]

I know there are many threads about this and it's an ongoing issue for many of you out there.
I have just posted a reply I go from Dr. Currie (she gave permission to share it)regarding my problems with a burning urethra & VA.  I also asked some general questions about causes and treatments for atrophy that some of you may find useful and interesting.
We all put forward a variety of treatments etc that we may be using or have been recommended to try by doctors and others but an up-to-date bit of clarity on this issue could be positive.
There's a bit of good news about a new treatment for VA coming in 2014!
Hope it's helpful.  Your comments please?
DG x

[Limpy]

It would be good if the new treatment;
1) arrives
2) is helpful
Bit surprised there is a new thread, doesn't the Burning Club on private lives cover this area?

[CLKD]

Should do.  Pity ideas can't be amalgamated into one thread  fortunately my symptoms are now under control

[Dancinggirl]

CLKD
Please remind me what you are using to keep your symptoms under control.
DG x

[honeybun]

Yes, could we please have this moved onto the Burning Club topic. Saves newbies getting lost in a new thread. If it's altogether it makes interesting reading and makes more sense as Dr Curries reply is on it.


Honeyb
X

[Cazikins]

Bit surprised there is a new thread, doesn't the Burning Club on private lives cover this area?

Yes, could we please have this moved onto the Burning Club topic. Saves newbies getting lost in a new thread. Honeyb
X

The only problem with this suggestion is that ladies browsing for info about this problem will not see it...

By making it a closed off/private part of the forum, woman will not know it is there.  . however new members will because they have access to it...

I just don't know why it can't be an open subject as well, unless members are really sharing very private & intimate problems (which I truly understand) , but surely we can have an open discussion about VA & burning bits & pieces as well as a private one.

Sorry if I have over stepped the mark, but it is something that I keep seeing on here lately & feel I have to speak out. Lets keep it open.
Do members really have to be re-directed to a private section to speak about VA???

Love Cazi xx

[andius]

Well, I think DG just wanted this easily visible so that new members can refer to the "burning club" thread as it might not be seen unless you poke around a bit. In the past, there were threads on VA that were on the main pages and I always found them helpful.

I wonder if the new drug is that one that is osphixxxx? or whatever it is called? which I understand is a pill you take orally.

Andius

[Dancinggirl]

I started this thread because I was reading so many posts asking about VA and burning on 'All things menopause' and wanted to direct ladies to the reply I got from Heather which I posted under 'Private Lives'.
I started the 'Burning Club' thread on Private Lives as it dealt with rather intimate issues.  It's been great as there seem to be so many of you who are suffering as I am, yet, despite using HRT, are still not getting relief from this terrible burning.
I tend to agree that it gets rather confusing as to where to put our Q&As - which section is appropriate?  Perhaps I should simply have posted the reply from Heather on both sections! I just wanted to share some good stuff.
So many threads overlap - sorry if I've confused things.
DG x

[Hurdity]

Hi

Personally I support the idea of anyone posting anything in private lives that they feel they don't want to discuss in "public" and I'm one of those - in fact there are a lot of things that I don't even discuss in the Private Lives Section as the membership is now so large.

However I agree it would be great if all information is also available to non-members and the reply from Dr Currie probably does fall into this category .

The answer is as you say Dancing Girl - post the information in both sections and at the same time explain that there is a discussion thread on the private lives section available to all new members to read and post - and encourage non-members to join the forum.

I agree there are often overlapping threads but there are so many members but new members don't necessarily want to spend time reading all the recent posts and threads before they ask a Q in case it's been covered. We can direct them to recent discussions though if there is something already going on...

Re new drug

Here's the info:

Hello. I am Andrew Kaunitz, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Florida College of Medicine in Jacksonville.

The US Food and Drug Administration recently approved ospemifene,[1] an orally administered tissue-selective estrogen agonist/antagonist, for the treatment of dyspareunia caused by vulvar and vaginal atrophy, or VVA, in menopausal women. Ospemifene will be marketed as Osphenaâ„¢ 60-mg tablets.

In clinical trials, ospemifene reduced pain with sexual intercourse and increased vaginal mucosal maturation as well as vaginal pH.[2,3]

Contraindications listed in package labeling for ospemifene include estrogen-dependent neoplasia, active or prior venous thromboembolism (VTE), previous stroke, and active [heart disease] or prior myocardial infarction.

The most commonly reported adverse reactions from ospemifene were hot flushes, vaginal discharge, and muscle spasms.

Symptomatic VVA is common and undertreated. Accordingly, the approval of a new treatment option for this condition is good news. Symptomatic women who prefer not to use vaginal cream, tablets, or the vaginal ring may find ospemifene an appealing treatment option.

However, in contrast with vaginal estrogen therapy, ospemifene increases hot flushes and may, like tamoxifen and raloxifene, increase the risk for VTE. As with vaginal estrogen, package labeling does not explicitly recommend that progestin be used to prevent endometrial neoplasia in women with an intact uterus who are using ospemifene. Nonetheless, and as with vaginal estrogen, endometrial monitoring should be considered in long-term users. Use of vaginal as well as systemic estrogen is contraindicated in women with a history of breast cancer. The package labeling for ospemifene states that, because this medication has not been adequately studied in women with breast cancer, ospemifene should not be used in such patients.

Thank you. I am Andrew Kaunitz.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/780811

I presume it will be licensed in UK which is what Dr Currie mught be referring to?

It's still a tablet though and I would still prefer local oestrogen delivered directly to taking a pill.

Hurdity x

[Dancinggirl]

Thanks Hurdity
Reading that doesn't fill me with hope. Hay Ho!
I'm going to try the oestrogen cream next.
DG x

[Tingly]

How disappointing. I thought it was non oestrogen stuff that everyone could use, without progesterone
This sounds like it causes mor problems than it solves...flippin heck, muscle spasms and hot sweats....great i'll look like i'm breakdancing on top of everything else!! 😀😀😀😀

[Suzi Q]

Hi

Personally I support the idea of anyone posting anything in private lives that they feel they don't want to discuss in "public" and I'm one of those - in fact there are a lot of things that I don't even discuss in the Private Lives Section as the membership is now so large.

However I agree it would be great if all information is also available to non-members and the reply from Dr Currie probably does fall into this category .

The answer is as you say Dancing Girl - post the information in both sections and at the same time explain that there is a discussion thread on the private lives section available to all new members to read and post - and encourage non-members to join the forum.

I agree there are often overlapping threads but there are so many members but new members don't necessarily want to spend time reading all the recent posts and threads before they ask a Q in case it's been covered. We can direct them to recent discussions though if there is something already going on...

Re new drug

Here's the info:

Hello. I am Andrew Kaunitz, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Florida College of Medicine in Jacksonville.

The US Food and Drug Administration recently approved ospemifene,[1] an orally administered tissue-selective estrogen agonist/antagonist, for the treatment of dyspareunia caused by vulvar and vaginal atrophy, or VVA, in menopausal women. Ospemifene will be marketed as Osphenaâ„¢ 60-mg tablets.

In clinical trials, ospemifene reduced pain with sexual intercourse and increased vaginal mucosal maturation as well as vaginal pH.[2,3]

Contraindications listed in package labeling for ospemifene include estrogen-dependent neoplasia, active or prior venous thromboembolism (VTE), previous stroke, and active [heart disease] or prior myocardial infarction.

The most commonly reported adverse reactions from ospemifene were hot flushes, vaginal discharge, and muscle spasms.

Symptomatic VVA is common and undertreated. Accordingly, the approval of a new treatment option for this condition is good news. Symptomatic women who prefer not to use vaginal cream, tablets, or the vaginal ring may find ospemifene an appealing treatment option.

However, in contrast with vaginal estrogen therapy, ospemifene increases hot flushes and may, like tamoxifen and raloxifene, increase the risk for VTE. As with vaginal estrogen, package labeling does not explicitly recommend that progestin be used to prevent endometrial neoplasia in women with an intact uterus who are using ospemifene. Nonetheless, and as with vaginal estrogen, endometrial monitoring should be considered in long-term users. Use of vaginal as well as systemic estrogen is contraindicated in women with a history of breast cancer. The package labeling for ospemifene states that, because this medication has not been adequately studied in women with breast cancer, ospemifene should not be used in such patients.

Thank you. I am Andrew Kaunitz.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/780811

I presume it will be licensed in UK which is what Dr Currie mught be referring to?

It's still a tablet though and I would still prefer local oestrogen delivered directly to taking a pill.

Hurdity x

HUrdity I always send a PM if I feel the need to talk privatly BUT thats the good thing we can write openly r send PM to another poster hugs Suzi Q xxxx

[Dancinggirl]

Hello all. Update on my progress.
Saw practise nurse yesterday evening to have my Mirena out. Had very good discussion about everything re: HRT.  I have been reducing my dose of Oestrogel over the last 5/6 weeks and am now off it completely. I am into my sixth week of Vagifem.  When I mentioned to her that I was still sour and burning around my urethra she decided to wait a couple of months before taking the Mirena out in case there were problems with the atrophy - she wants the Vagifem to have more time to do it's work.  I think she was scared it would be difficult to remove and too painful. I did manage to get her to give me some Ovestin to use externally on my urethra area.

Whether I continue with full HRT is still in the air - my personal base line is whether I can get reasonable sleep without HRT. I need sleep to be able to work efficiently and keep healthy. At the moment I am not getting too hot and flushed but I suspect there is still some Oestrogen sculling around my body to keep these at bay and as the oestrogen goes down things may change. I'm trying not expect problems but that is hard.  If the Vagifem and Ovestin help the atrophy and burning I could well be happy to put up with a few flushes as long as I can sleep.

I really urge those with this terrible burning to seek help.  I know it is embarrassing to talk about but print off info from this site (the opening post from Dr. Currie under " How do you cope with vaginal dryness" is good) and the list of vaginal hormone treatments under 'HRT Preparations' and show them to your GP. The nurse I'm seeing said that the only reason our GP practise is clued in about this issue is because there are two of the practise nurses in their 50s with this problem - most GP practises won't understand if they are predominantly male doctors &/or young female GPs and nurses.
DG x