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[stingyone]

Hi all my first post  here , nice to meet you all. Im a little confused at the moment. I have suffered from recurrent thrush cyclical for  twenty  years, Treated myself  confirmed by swabs. I had a  vaginal hysterectomy 5 years ago and kept ovaries,Im 45  years  young, went to see Gp recently a male doctor examined me and said atrophy  no thrush , and took my hormones , my oestrogen was excellent at  about 500 I think. Over the last five months though I have had five bouts of cystitis especially affect sex. My vagina is red raw all the time and  I have splits  in it regularly. The urinary symptoms are a nightmare  keeping me on  the loo for hours . I have no lubrication what so ever.Anyway went to  GUM clinic as so fed up and my Gp said I had atrophy , reff to gynae ? lichen. I have been prescribed vagifem, Dermovate and Dermal wash, My skin has gone so red  and im not sure if I have an allergy worse than ever. I have only used vagifem  for 8 days. Im quite confused though how  I have been prescribed these and with atrophy when my oestrogen level was excellent, coud I still  be experiencing  pre menopausal symptoms even with high oestrogen levels. worried   vagifem will make me worse if I already have fab  oestrogen levels. feeling a bit  fed up

[CLKD]

Your GP needs a 

Vaginal atrophy can be very painful.  For me it was like razor blades up there.  As oestrogen levels drop so the body dries up: skin, nostrils, deep in the ears, vagina ……. your GP should have prescribed treatment, it should have been explained when you eventually got Vagifem that it is a 2 week load: every night, followed by every 3 or 4th night and every 5/6th night.  For ever.

Lichen sclerosis is rare.  Better to treat locally first, VA presents with apparent repeated bladder sensitivity: the GP/Practice Nurse should send a urine sample to a Lab. for testing in case there is an infection.  A dip test cannot tell if it needs anti-biotics. 

Blood tests are reliably un-reliable!!!! because hormone levels rise and fall all the while.  My gynae treats on symptoms rather than tests.

Make a list of symptoms.  Browse round.  Make Notes!  Then ask your GP to refer you to a menopause clinic or have a chat with the Practice Nurse who may know a lot more about menopause!  Let us know how you get on.

[stingyone]

Thankyou menomale. us women eh! Just wondering if you can have normal   oestrogen  but still have vaginal atrophy . I will  look around at some posts on this thank you

[CLKD]

If not then I am very rare 

[stingyone]

Thanks CKLD.  My  vagina  is so  dry I cannot just about get applicator in there for vagifem.Im on day 8 loading dose. I hate my bladder problems. I  have no blood, odour, Normal colour, or nothing just   the overwhelming burning, every few weeks.Its a nightmare with work as  I have to keep coming home to use loo, sorry be so crude but I actually weed myself  last month as burning was so bad. I was so embarrassed . Im a district nurse and I had a little 20 year student in car with me. what a nighmare . I have little cuts on my  foof and wow do they sting .  I  Wondered if gps prescribe just on symptoms.

[Maryjane]

Yes you can have normal oestrogen and atrophy .

I was like you two years ago , told lichen given potent steroid as you made it all worse , it was atrophy all along .

Remember bloods at our age change by the hour so you could be very high and low in one day , bloods pointless go on symptoms, and you have all the symptoms of atrophy.

To get mine under control I need systemic and vagifem 5 xs a week plus ovestin as and when.

It's the PITS.

[Annie0710]

Just wondering if you can have normal   oestrogen  but still have vaginal atrophy .

I don't know if you can or if you've got the right treatment BUT Vagifem is an extremely low dose oestrogen so I don't think it'd affect your levels


Annie x

[CLKD]

Welcome to the wonderful World of menopause    .

Get a tub of LIVE yoghurt or a tube of KY Jelly or good quality Vaseline - once you have had your evening bath/shower, lay on the bed on a warm towel.  Apply your prep of choice on the outer lips, relax.  Apply a little higher if possible, relax. Apply as often as possible throughout the day, to ease any itchiness and to ease higher up.  You should after a day or two be able insert higher until you can use the Vagifem as high up as is necessary. 

Once the Vagifem starts to work you will feel a lot better.  Do you get a few days off duty in a row, if so make it time to try the above.  Or take a long weekend 'off sick' after all you can't think about your job or feel comfy.  For me it was like razor blades up there, did I say that already!  Fortunately my GP is on the ball and realised that my persistent urine 'infections' were VA.

Good that you had a Trainee with you …….. fling her in at the Deep End ;-).

[Hurdity]

Hello stingyone  !!

Sorry to hear of your problems and vaginal soreness and atrophy.

First of all please do look at the thread called "the Burning Club" started by Dancinggirl. It hasn't been posted on much recently but should be revived if anyone is suffering in this way. Here it is (link should take you to the first page - there are lots!): http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,22886.315.html

Yes I am puzzled as to why women develop VA with high oestrogen levels and I presume with levels like that you are ovulating. If peri-menopause has started then you will go through times of low oestrogen which allows VA to develop though. It seems some women develop VA without other menopausal symptoms - Maryjane I think you are one - needing systemic HRT as well as vaginal oestrogen to treat.

CLKD why are you rare? Your oestrogen levels will be low as you are post-menopausal so VA is expected.  Your oestrogen levels will be normal for a post-meno woman! By normal oestrogen stingyone means normal for fertile women still menstruating - 500 pmol/l is a pretty good level (I know you're not menstruating) - even though lower than the highest some women achieve at pre-ovulatory peak!

sitngyone - you might want to think about an Estring which delivers the equivalent oestrogen of 5 Vagifem per week and is in place for 3 months ( but you can take it in and out) - it won't have all the fillers etc of Vagifem and estriol. You may also need systemic HRT.

Hurdity x

[Maryjane]

That's correct Hurdity my meno is all vaginal/bladder.

Dr Annoe Evans said to me 5% of ladies are like me no other meno symptoms, still good oestrogen levels and they need the whole lot re HRT to bring it under control , all to do with the collegen .

My advise with hind sight , jump on it ASAP as I was told it can't be VA you are still having 28 day periods  blah de blah de blah , I dithered for two years and it really does need the lot to have any sort of life.

I had to use the estring to start with as I was so sore and the vagifem irritated , it did its job and now I can use vagifem again. There is a lot of trial and error and patients required regards bad VA , my episiotomies where on the verge of plotting open , I really wish o had kept the before and after photos , to show the so called " professionals" that what I looked like " was not good for my age" as they said.

This whole subject and how we are tested by many makes my blood boil. 😡😡😡

[CLKD]

I agree - The Change should come with a list of what to be aware of so that we can make adjustments as we go along.  Fortunately my GP was au fait and suggested treatment.