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[deebarnes]

Since starting my journey through the menopause the one question that no one seems to be able to answer is......what happens to our bodies when we are through the menopause and out the other side?? 

My bits are drying up, will they stay like this forever or does the body adjust to its changes and settle down....if it is going to stay the same then how do we carry on treating the symptoms...do we have to continue primping, pruning, treating and moisturizing our vaginas forever until we die?

Is this the biggest secret all women over a certain age keep to themselves?  Its all so un talked about....I would love to hear what other people think or have experienced.
Dee
 

[Clovie]

Good question.

Well, I for one intend to continue using HRT forever, or as long as there are no other medical reasons not to. 

[deebarnes]

Thats interesting Clovie, 
my only worry is if they stop producing it...I went into Sainsburys to get my prescription of Vagifem last week and they said that they would no longer be able to get hold of it.....so I rushed to boots who had some in stock....no one could answer whether it was going out of stock for good, a short while or anything.......

[Tinkerbell]

I would happily use Vagifem every day for the rest of my life. I have recently started systemic HRT too.

After struggling to get treatment for my VA I am now happy with the condition of my lady parts, it is like I have gone back in time. I can sit,walk, exercise and have a sex life plus no night visits to the loo.

[Tinkerbell]

I couldn't get my latest Vagifem prescription from Boots but I got it from Sainsburys chemist. Maybe it is just local supply issues, has happened to me before and always sends me in a panic.

[linz57]

My Previous GP informed me that my urogenital atrophy would never reverse so I guess I'm on treatment for life. If I come off the systemic hrt I will still need to constantly use Vagifem.

[Sweetscarlett]

Yes, what a good question. I will certainly be on Hrt and vagifem for ever as I certainly don't see this problem of va ever resolving itself , how could it ? When I first started Hrt I thought it was such a big deal and I worried about taking it , now I would worry not taking it !

My gyno said her mother was still taking it well into her 70's , the only thing that would be a concern was if the doctors somehow prevented me from taking it due to age, but I hope as long as health issues are good this would not be a concern.

❤️❤️Ssxx

[Mary G]

I'm not on a journey, I've arrived!  I am also an HRT lifer with no intention of ever finding out what would happen to my body if I suffered with oestrogen deprivation for life, I just can't see the point.

We are all different and others may well view the menopause very differently from me but I don't see it as a rite of passage or a natural transition or part of the ageing process, I see it as a fault in the female design that needs to be rectified by HRT. 

[Tinkerbell]

I agree with you Maryg.....I have seen my mother in law suffer with osteoporosis and constant trips to the bathroom with bladder issues. I will continue HRT if it helps avoid these and other problems. We have never lived so long and our bodies are not designed to be oestrogen deficient.

[coldethyl]

My mum has certainly had more of a life post menopause than pre. She lost weight , took up exercise, gave up smoking and found her lifelong anxiety diminished. So i am hopeful that there is a life post the change even for those not on HRT.

[deebarnes]

wow, thanks everyone, its quite a shock to think i may have to use Vagifem for life!!  But as many of you say, if thats what it takes to keep things 'normalish' then so be it!!  I just wish someone had told me the facts earlier in life, I will make sure my daughter knows what she may or may not expect because my mum sure didnt!!
Dee

[Hurdity]

I will definitely use vaginal oestrogen for ever -and systemic HRT as long as I can (health permitting) - the limiting factor is putting up with cramps and bleeding well into my 60's ( almost 63 now) so at some point when I eventually retire (I work part-time now) I do intend to try to cut down to a lower dose so maybe have an even longer cycle, or experiment with continuous (intermittent) progesterone and see how I feel.

Obviously for those who do not take HRT - their bodies adjust to some extent because several years post-menopause hormone levels remain stable - so no longer raging - but the oestrogen deficiency effects continue to occur depending on what they are - eg osteoporosis for those susceptible, heart disease etc. Some of this is due to the ageing process, but some made worse by oestrogen deficiency.

Hurdity x

[linz57]

With hindsight I wish I'd started taking the Vagifem a few years earlier than I did. Things probably wouldn't have got so bad then.

[walking the dog]

All these posts have made me decide to reload the vagifem 😊

[babyjane]

I have used Vagifem for nearly 6 years and I haven't had one episode of thrush or cystitis since using it.  Before that I was always getting them.

I know Vagifem is not supposed to be absorbed but I think it must be just a little tiny bit.  I have been a C cup bra ever since using it. Before that I was never a C cup in my life, not even when I was breast feeding