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[Morwenna]

Vagifem pessaries have been a godsend for me since Ortho-gynest pessaries were discontinued. Prior to starting them I suffered nine months of horrendous bladder discomfort before realising that Gynest cream was exacerbating symptoms. However, six weeks into the Vagifem therapy, at the point where the bladder symptoms began to settle, I started with a very painful episode of IBS which has been relentlessly persistent and seemingly immune to the anti-spasmodic medication I would normally use. This had been going on for three months now    After trying modification to my diet, probiotics, flaxseed, herbal tea and various medications to no avail, I've reluctantly just stopped the Vagifem as I wondered if it could be the culprit? Has anyone else suffered bowel issues on Vagifem?

[Taz2]

Any changes in bowel habit lasting more than a few weeks should be reported to your doc Morwenna. It's not worth taking the risk. Oestrogen can cause bowel problems having said that although it is such a tiny dose I'm not sure that it is the culprit. Why not get an appointment to rule out anything else. By the way both flaxseed and probiotics keep me on the loo for hours!

Taz x

[Morwenna]

Thanks Taz. I went to the doctors about three weeks ago. He felt my tummy, asked the usual questions about 'red flag' symptoms and then prescribed some different (ineffective) anti-spasmodics. He seemed reluctant to refer on for investigations as I didn't tolerate the colonoscopy procedure at all well when my IBS was formally diagnosed 15 years ago. (He also reckons colonoscopy runs the risk of perforated bowel in 'susceptible individuals'. I'm not sure whether he thinks I would be one of those?) He did say however that we 'shouldn't let the symptoms continue for too long' without further investigation which seemed a bit of a contradiction to me. Maybe he was confident the medication would settle things down. I have had episodes of the constipation version of IBS all my adult life to varying degrees and have Movicol on repeat prescription. Never so bad as recently though. I realise Vagifem is a small dose but if it is powerful enough to totally eradicate very painful bladder symptoms and help keep prolapses at bay then it's reasonable to expect that it might impact on the bowel one way or the other too? I have another appointment booked for next week and reluctant as I am to agree to a colonoscopy it would help rule out (or discover ) potentially more serious reasons for my symptoms I guess. GP wasn't convinced by my Vagifem theory either....

[Taz2]

I can understand your reluctance to undergo another colonoscopy. I thought you had the other type of IBS rather than the constipation kind. Maybe someone else will be along soon with more personal experiences of vagifem and the effect on the bowel. Are you eating a high fibre diet and exercising loads and drinking lots of water to try to shift things?

Taz x

[Morwenna]

Thanks Taz, I have the kind of IBS that is aggravated by a high fibre diet    (hence the Movicol on repeat prescription - this was recommended by a gastroenterologist) I do eat well otherwise, exercise, drink water, all the right things - I'm a paragon of virtue!    Do have quite a bit of stress going on right now however....     can do without the worry that something sinister may be occurring!

[Taz2]

Mine is aggravated by a high fibre diet but I get diarrhoea not constipation. I hope you get it sorted soon.

Taz x

[CLKD]

Ask your Dr for the other form of treatment [which I use since the discontinue of that other wonderful product but can't remember the name of either  ] - to see if symptoms are relieved?  I am surprised he didn't change the prescription!

I have slow transit with the occasional 'rush' to the loo if my bowel has been sluggish.  Bdy nuisance  …….. this time of year I don't exercise as often and I do find that a regular walk helps with symptoms.  Have you altered your food intake in any way at all, i.e. eating earlier/later, less/more? it doesn't take much to upset the IBS!

I do know that 10 mins. before bleed began even if a period wasn't due, I would have acute diahoorea [sp]!

[Morwenna]

CLKD do you mean Ovestin cream? Unfortunately I had a bad reaction to Gynest cream and suspect Ovestion would be the same. Why oh why did Ortho-Gynest pessaries have to be discontinued? 

[honorsmum]

Thanks Taz. I went to the doctors about three weeks ago. He felt my tummy, asked the usual questions about 'red flag' symptoms and then prescribed some different (ineffective) anti-spasmodics. He seemed reluctant to refer on for investigations as I didn't tolerate the colonoscopy procedure at all well when my IBS was formally diagnosed 15 years ago. (He also reckons colonoscopy runs the risk of perforated bowel in 'susceptible individuals'. I'm not sure whether he thinks I would be one of those?) He did say however that we 'shouldn't let the symptoms continue for too long' without further investigation which seemed a bit of a contradiction to me. Maybe he was confident the medication would settle things down. I have had episodes of the constipation version of IBS all my adult life to varying degrees and have Movicol on repeat prescription. Never so bad as recently though. I realise Vagifem is a small dose but if it is powerful enough to totally eradicate very painful bladder symptoms and help keep prolapses at bay then it's reasonable to expect that it might impact on the bowel one way or the other too? I have another appointment booked for next week and reluctant as I am to agree to a colonoscopy it would help rule out (or discover ) potentially more serious reasons for my symptoms I guess. GP wasn't convinced by my Vagifem theory either....

Hi Morwenna,

I have Crohn's and IBS, and although I had no issues with my one and only colonoscopy 5 years ago, it's not something I'm particularly eager to repeat!
My consultant agreed a compromise, which was CRP blood test in conjunction with the faecal calprotectin test. The faecal calprotectin test is a stool test that indicates any inflammation in the bowel. It is much more accurate than blood tests and is used to differentiate between IBS and something that needs further investigation - such as IBD - thus cutting out unnecessary invasive tests for IBS sufferers.
It may well be worth you asking your GP about having it done before you agree to a colonoscopy. In that case, it might have to be done via hospital, as not all GP surgeries offer it, I believe.

[Kathleen]

Hello Morwenna,

I agree with honorsmum and suggest you ask about the faecal calprotectin test. It is used to distinguish between IBS and inflammatory conditions and is available via GP surgeries. I have Ulcerative Colitis and my doctor arranged the test for me but my hospital Consultant did say it was available privately for about £20.

I hope you can get this sorted out and do let us know how you get on.

Take care.

K.

[honorsmum]

Hello Morwenna,

I agree with honorsmum and suggest you ask about the faecal calprotectin test. It is used to distinguish between IBS and inflammatory conditions and is available via GP surgeries. I have Ulcerative Colitis and my doctor arranged the test for me but my hospital Consultant did say it was available privately for about £20.

I hope you can get this sorted out and do let us know how you get on.

Take care.

K.

It ridiculous, isn't it - a £20 test, or a colonoscopy at a cost of several hundred, I would guess...yet my hospital refused to offer the calprotectin test until a year ago.

[Morwenna]

I'd never heard of the faecal calprotectin test until recently - thanks ladies - I'll run it past my GP next week when I go 

[Hurdity]

Hi Morwenna

Sorry to hear about your problems - I agree with the others though - extremely unlikely to be Vagifem.

I understand your comment re it being powerful re bladder and vaginal tissues - and therefore why not bowel - but it doesn't work in that way! There are large numbers of oestrogen receptors in the vagina/bladder area and this is what the local oestrogen binds to and causes local changes.  As far as I know the bowel is not a prime location for oestrogen receptors and the only effect of oestrogen on the bowel is where oral HRT upsets the digestive system ie directly through the gut. Added to that the dose from Vagifem is tiny so the amount getting into the system and transported to the gut will be minscule!

I agree with the others that you should check it out further with doc if changes from your usual bowel pattern persist.

Also I commiserate re the pessaries - I still have a couple of packets left and then it's vagifem all the way!

Hurdity x

[CLKD]

Yes Morwenna - that's it!

[Jenna]

Hi Morwenna,

These are the side effects listed on www.vagifem.com  " The most commonly reported side effects of Vagifem® included: headache, breast pain, irregular vaginal bleeding or spotting, stomach/abdominal cramps, bloating, nausea and vomiting, hair loss, fluid retention, and vaginal yeast infection."

I thought you would find this interesting.

Jenna x