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[margherita]

Ive been taking utrogestan for a few years, continuously, 100 mg daily with the odd day off. In the last few days I seem to have developed a horrendous uti, agonising burning, throbbing all over vulva etc., some discharge too. I have not and probably will not get it seen as I dread being prescribed antibiotics, have been treating locally with manuka honey and taking extra, female specific probiotics. This has helped and the infection is passing.

I am wondering if daily insertion of capsule could increase likelihood of infection, partly because one is inserting a 'foreign body', germs etc., but also because of the eccipients, eg the vile titanium dioxide which, shockingly, is still used in utrogestan (aka as E171, it is such a nasty, possibly even a carcinogen, that it's been banned in foods but sadly not meds and Besins say it's too difficult (read expensive) to change the formula.

I hate having to take it every day and at the very least think it's likely to mess around with the vaginal microbiome.
Or could my symptom be VA, I tend to think not as it came on so suddenly and I've never had any discomfort (I take ovestin preemptively). Also I feel a bit 'glandy', as one does with infections.
But who knows.
Any thoughts welcome.

[laszla]

That sounds so painful, sorry to hear. I can't say whether what you have is an infection or VA, it certainly sounds like an infection, but I am totally with you on the horror of titanium dioxide in utrogestan, the idea of putting that stuff in my body every day for life (whichever route) worries me, even if it might not be directly related to your current infection - though your suggestion of it disrupting the microbiome and therefore making one more prone to infection sounds plausible.

I have been thinking for a while of trying cyclogest as it has no titanium though I'm not mad about its carrier which is hydrogenated palm oil. I had put off looking into this as I've been concentrating on E2 and T saga but perhaps I should, also not sure about ease of cutting cyclogest in half as lowest dose it comes in is 200.

[Ana21]

Interesting question about titanium (E171) and the other components of Utro and their potential effect on the vaginal microbiome.  I haven't seen any studies on that.  From studies on E171 as a food additive, we know that it inhibits growth of four beneficial gut bacterial strains (Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus gasseri, Bifidobacterium animalis, and Bifidobacterium longum).  Studies also tell us that it induces inflammation, oxidative stress, and toxicity in gut microbiota.  There's a long list.  But I don't know how it affects the vaginal microbiome. 

Utro also contains sunflower oil.  I don't know whether that may predispose some women to bacterial vaginosis or yeast infections.  That's the reason why oil-based personal lubricants are generally not recommended.

I take progesterone orally, so I don't have any personal experience with this.  As with all things, I would think there are some women who are particularly sensitive to vaginal use of Utro. 

[CLKD]

Get some appropriate vaginal atrophy treatment to see whether this eases symptoms. The idea is to insert into the vagina every night for 2-3 weeks .  To replace any lost oestrogen.  Sometimes the vagina can be sensitive initially to the insertion, also there might be a problem with the fillers and/or wrapping. 

Interesting subject.  We are such a mine of info on here 

[laszla]

Interesting question about titanium (E171) and the other components of Utro and their potential effect on the vaginal microbiome.  I haven't seen any studies on that.  From studies on E171 as a food additive, we know that it inhibits growth of four beneficial gut bacterial strains (Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus gasseri, Bifidobacterium animalis, and Bifidobacterium longum).  Studies also tell us that it induces inflammation, oxidative stress, and toxicity in gut microbiota.  There's a long list.  But I don't know how it affects the vaginal microbiome. 

Utro also contains sunflower oil.  I don't know whether that may predispose some women to bacterial vaginosis or yeast infections.  That's the reason why oil-based personal lubricants are generally not recommended.

I take progesterone orally, so I don't have any personal experience with this.  As with all things, I would think there are some women who are particularly sensitive to vaginal use of Utro.

Interesting Ana, I think that if anything the vaginal microbiome would be more prone to disruption than the gut simply because it is much more exposed.

Also the majority of microbiota in the vagina are lactobacillus variants so the fact that some of those variants are compromised in the gut by E171 is very worrying, not to mention that it is a possible carcinogen and, irony of all ironies in this particular product, has been shown to cause ovarian dysfunction and hormone inbalance (including a reduction in progesterone concentration).
I posted a link to a source for that in a post last year.

I am surprised that more women are not protesting about this. The titanium is there simply to make the capsule pure white - as if anyone in their right mind would care about something so trivial given what the price is.

[margherita]

Thanks to all for your comments; those effects of titanium on the microbiome  are worrying if not surprising (and I also tend to think that the vaginal environment would be even more prone to disruption than the gut, not to mention the other worries of E171).
I have been using ovestin regularly for VA (preventively as I've never been aware of problems) so I tend to think it was definitely an infection, has eased up somewhat but it was total agony so I need to find an alternative