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[Hippiechick]

 Hi.. been here before but still a bit confused. Please can someone enlighten me..I was prescribed vagifem by my g.p. I am 64yrs so well post menopause. First two weeks using daily felt great like I hadn't in years. Mainly daily headaches stoppe d Now I'm down to twice a week and getting headaches again. Is this all due to the vagifem ? Can it really effect my physical well being.Thought initially was just to treat problems down below. .I'm confused..does it work that way. My g.p. won't give me other form of hrt as I'm post menopause and because of my age. Just don't want to get headaches back again. I want to feel how I felt the first two weeks of using it..in short I want my life back. Any comments or advice gratefully received. Thanks.

[Dierdre]

Local estrogen will go systemic during initial use until the vaginal walls have hydrated. Vagifem is used for vaginal atrophy and bladder issues.
You may need to change your doctor or ask for a referral if you think systemic HRT will improve and benrfit your well being and quality of life.
Being post menopausal and age is no longer a reason for refusal of treatment.

[CLKD]

Morning.  What does it say in the leaf let in the box?  Some ladies report headaches initially though the product shouldn't infiltrate the body as it is locally applied.

Go back to every night. Some require 2 doses at once occasionally. You may not require other forms of HRT - which your GP should explain any perceived risks, if not keen to prescribe then he/she should refer you to an NHS menopause clinic.

Let us know how you get on.

[Catherine1969]

Hello, i have only just tried using vagifem for UTIs and vulva soreness and urge incontinence for the past few years, and had the most blinding headache all night and stomach cramps. I also found that the white tablet dissolves to a sticky type glue. Is this normal as it is very uncomfortable and i actually feel worse than i did before. Not sure if i should continue or go onto a cream rather than pessary. I have a 3rd degree Prolapse also which makes insertion a bit tricky 

[CLKD]

UTIs are totally different to vaginal atrophy, though the latter mimics the former really really well 

I don't know why 'vagifem' causes side effects like that, as it is topical; some ladies do mention headaches initially.  MayB swap to 'ovestin'?  It's Trial and Error - once sorted on a regime, stick with it.

[Dierdre]

Hello, i have only just tried using vagifem for UTIs and vulva soreness and urge incontinence for the past few years, and had the most blinding headache all night and stomach cramps. I also found that the white tablet dissolves to a sticky type glue. Is this normal as it is very uncomfortable and i actually feel worse than i did before. Not sure if i should continue or go onto a cream rather than pessary. I have a 3rd degree Prolapse also which makes insertion a bit tricky 

I had period like cramping when i first used vagifem and also my boobs hurt, all part of the initial usage and your body starting to adapt to the changes of oestrogen being replenished. Place the Vagifem as high as you can as having a prolapse will be a problem as everything is very low which is why you can see the sticky type glue, thats what keeps it all up there. Use at night only as gravity will help and not going to the loo as much at night. Hopefully the Vagifem will improve the prolapse once the vaginal walls are hydrated and start to strengthen. Ask for a referral to a physiotherapist, this was a turning point for me and corrected my prolapse but you need to use the local estrogen also every night. Ask for Ovestin cream also for the vulva soreness as Vagifem dont always reach the outer bits. You might need to add Bepanthen on top of the Ovestin as it sometimes stings if your really sore.

[Hippiechick]

Thanks for all your replies re use of vagifem. It's taken me a while to respond as took me ages to figure out where to press to reply. Also been monitoring how I feel on a daily basis now Ive cut down the daily dose. After cutting down the initial dose of vagifem I am finding I'm slipping back into how I felt before. Tired,achy, bloated and most of all the general feeling of being anxious most of the time. My g.p.wont put me on regular hrt..as I'm "post menopausal.". I wonder what t to do next..dont really want to have to use a pessary every day..Surely not every day..just dosent seem right to me..Guess I'll just see how it goes..surely pessaries are not the answer to how I feel in my head.  All I know is how different I felt the first two weeks of using it..Just a bit baffled by it all. 

[CLKD]

Your GP needs to refer you to an NHS Menopause Clinic.  Make notes to discuss with a medic who is. more aware of what is aviallbe.

If you have vaginal atrophy which is a loss of oestrogen, the pessaries are to encourage the vaginal walls to. plump up .......... it is replacing what your body was making prior to peri-menopause. 

What's in your head that bothers you?  'vagifem' or 'ovestin' shouldn't impact on your over all health as they are so localised; after the initial 2 weeks loading every night, the vaginal area should begin to improve. 

Ask your GP for a referral to an appropriate menopausal specialist.

[Hippiechick]

Thanks CLKD member. I understand the vagifem pessaries are to help with vaginal atrophy..which is what I had I guess as I initially went cause I had bit of a discharge and g.p. gave me them.  Why did I feel so much better in myself for the first two weeks..I mean in my general well being as pior to this had always been suffering with headaches,tiredness and most of al terrible anxiety. Things are definately more moist  down below,in fact I'm concerned  as I am a little too moist now with a clear glueiy person. ..type discharge..Is this normal. Can't wear black underwear as just looks a mess. Forgive my bluntness and graphic detail but just want to get to bottom of all this. Are you really saying that vaginal pessaries should not have an impact on one's general psychological well being. I am not sexually active so don't need it to help things that way..Should I push for proper HRT if that's what I need..

[Whatsupwiththis]

Hi hippiechick:  I get the exact same thing.  Sometime I felt too moist due to the glue substance that discharges.  My GP said it is the residue from the fillers and nothing nefarious. It's just your body tossing out what it doesn't need.  You may opt for a panty liner to prevent the discolouration.  Unfortunately that is what us ladies need to deal with.  Let's hope our daughters and granddaughters will have a much greater (and better) selection of products when they reach menopause.