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[joziel]

I just wanted to run this by y'all....

Before I started HRT (local or systemic), along with some intermittent scratchy/****ly vulval discomfort, I had 2 occasions when I had this glue-like discharge. It was a normal white/cream colour, but it was just really solid/glue-like. Almost like a mucous plug (not that I've had kids or actually know what that is like  )  I'm up to date on smears, BTW. On different occasions, just a couple of times, I also had the total opposite - a watery discharge which was like wee, except it wasn't wee and came out in a gush....

I went to my GP and she gave me Vagifem and Ovestin and said it could be VA. She told me to use the Vagifem for 3 weeks every night and then come back for an exam. (So the exam was more comfortable after the Vagifem.) Then I was to go onto 2x weekly.

I didn't get any more of the discharge during that time when I was taking Vagifem every night, but then it was only happening very occasionally anyway so I don't know if the Vagifem had anything to do with it. I went back for the exam and she said everything looked normal. She could see some red irritation on my vulva just a bit. I was bleeding very lightly so she said she couldn't *totally* see everything inside but the cervix looked normal and all seemed okay. Swabs for BV and thrush - done twice - were clear. (I did a self-swab they gave me the first time and then she swabbed during the exam.) No sign of LS or anything else.

Since then, I have had just a couple of occasions of much smaller sticky string-like strands early on, when on lower dose patches. It did seem to totally go away when I was at 62.5-75.

My systemic HRT is of course now at 37.5, so much lower, and I am still on 2x weekly Vagifem. I've also increased my utrogestan to 200mg (not sure if that affects mucous, like some synthetic progestins can?).

And just now I had a blob of the thicker glue-like stuff - not as thick or as much as the first time. I thought all this had gone away    Is it because I've reduced my systemic estrogen? Should I increase my Vagifem to more than 2x weekly? I could try every other night... Has anyone else had glue-like discharge due to VA?

[CLKD]

Did U get this during your menstrual years?  It was 'normal' for me but I never asked what it was 

If your tests have been normal then continue with the VA treatment.  You may need it more than twice a week!

If there is no odour, try not to worry.

[Joaniepat]

Hi joziel,

I would advise increasing the Vagifem. The recent symptoms could be due to reducing your systemic E, but remember that many women on systemic also need local E in addition to treat VA effectively. Two 10 mcg Vagifem a week is a miniscule amount, when one bears in mind that there used to be a 25 mcg version and the dosage for that was the same.  The Estring vaginal delivery system gives approximately 50 mcg estradiol a week, so 5 Vagifem is, IMHO, the correct dose!

As to the peculiar discharge, is it the residue of the Utrogestan capsules sort of building up inside you? Watery discharge as you experienced before is a common enough symptom of VA, so maybe it's a combination of the two.

JP x

[joziel]

CLKD - I have always produced a lot of various types of discharge but not glue(!). When bleeding (endo) I would pass big clots and sometimes stuff that looked like chopped liver(!!!). On POPs, I would have loads of mucous but of the stretchy clear variety. But this is the first time I've passed what felt like a solid object (the first big bit before HRT).   

There is no odour to it.

JP - thanks, I think I will try increasing the Vagifem. If nothing else, it will be a kind of diagnosis in itself - if I increase Vagifem and it all stops again, then for sure it was VA. The only thing is that it is so intermittent (happening once every couple weeks) it might take a while for me to determine it is okay again.

It's not the utrogestan capsules, I take those orally. The only thing that's going up there at the moment is Vagifem and I don't notice any discharge the next morning from those.

[CLKD]

Never glue ....... watery.  Let us know how you get on.

[Katherine]

Joziel, are chopped liver like bits always a sign of endometriosis? I’ve always had them and severe period pain but never thought I had endometriosis.

I had a change in the colour of my discharge for a few months a few years back before peri and HRT but it was so gradual I ignored it and it turned out to be due to a cervical polyp but if I hadn’t delayed my smear by a year it would’ve been found much sooner. I loathe going for smears.

[joziel]

I’ve no idea but way more women have endo and adenyo than they realise so quite possibly…

10% of women have it and that’s just those they’ve diagnosed.

I’ve always got my smears done asap- even earlier if they will let me.

No change in colour, just thickness. I think it’s what they call vaginitis which can be caused by VA.

[CLKD]

You get vaginitis when the normal amount of yeast and bacteria in your vagina gets out of balance. This could happen for several reasons, including an infection, a change in hormones, or antibiotic use. It could also be because of a reaction you have to something that comes into contact with your vulva or vagina.8 Nov 2020

[joziel]

Thanks CLKD, but I don't think it's caused by the yeast/bacteria getting out of balance. It's not thrush. I think it's just my regular discharge with all the moisture gone from it, maybe.

I'm going to use the Vagifem every other day and see if that helps. It's happened about a week since I basically halved my estrogen patch due to all the side effects.