1. Community
  2. Women's health
  3. Menopause

Estriol Therapy for Vaginal Dryness Post Menopause

Posted , 5 users are following.

lisagaye
lisagaye

Hi Ladies,

I have been post menopausal for 10 years now.  About 6 years ago I developed the worse case of vaginal dryness.  It was horribly painful and made intercouse impossible.  I was prescribed estring by my ob gyn and had very little change and it is ridiculously expensive.  I talked to my new hormone Dr. and he prescribed Estriol cream.  After 9 days all symtoms have disappeared completely!  I am delighted!!  Also, as the estriol works to rebuild collegon and elasticity to the vaginal area I am dabbing around my mouth to see if it will help me there as well. I will let you know.  This is a miracle to me as the estring was over $400. w/o insurance and the cream was $75. and will last 3-4 months or more. Yay!!!  

I have a question to put out there.  2 days into using it I noticed soreness and slight cramping around the ovaries/groin area.  I thought I had a UTI but no back ache or burning urine.  On the 8th day the soreness has lessened but now my nipples are hard and feel bruised. Much like pre menstruation.    Does anyone else experience symtoms of this nature?  I am thinking possibly it is my body reawakening which I wholeheartedly welcome and I am conferring with my Doctor about it.  Since I just started administering it and cut back the dose after tomorrow. I am thinking this will back off.  We shall see.  It is a welcome trade off to the excrutiating pain I was experiencing and impossibility of romance with my husband.  At 55 I am not ready to say good bye to that part of my life and it has been on hold for too long already.

Input and thoughts welcome please!  

1 like, 15 replies

15 Replies

  • jayneejay
    jayneejay lisagaye

    Posted

    Hi Lisa 

    i use estriol called ovestin ( ovestinon vaginal ovules ) and ovestin cream for the outer bits ..

    been using almost one year and its amazing 

    some beauty clinics use it for face wrinkles too..

    it was suggested by my Gyno .. I am age 51 and almost 2 years post meno.

    luckily we can buy over the counter here in spain .. And its very cheap ..

    ovules are opague in colour and silky smooth - i actually halve mine while in the wrapper and use half twice weekly.

    cream should be applied to outer skin too ..

    i think estriol is amazing - it repairs, hydrates and reverses atrophy also helps the urethra dryness and is the weakest estrogen.

    jay x

    • jayneejay
      jayneejay

      Posted

      Forgot to say 

      i didnt have any side effects - however ... I think at first i felt abit of twitching inside etc but all settled and been amazing ..

      i have annual well woman checks too and transvaginal scans to make sure all is okay ..

      good luck hun

      jay x

       

    • lisagaye
      lisagaye jayneejay

      Posted

      thanks for the input!  I was amazed at how quickly it worked and the benefit of the helping w/ bone density and UTI's as I have both of those to deal with past and present.  I believe everythng will settle down as well.  It has reawakened and to me that is nothing but a good thing.  I get it prescribed by my hormone Doc and it is a cream that is inserted then dabbed on as well.  Cannot believe it gave relief so fast. Hope it works on my face as well :-) That would be a bonus!
    • gailannie
      gailannie lisagaye

      Posted

      Thank you so much for your post.  I too was prescribed Estriol cream for vaginal dryness.  My endocrinologist said that as soon as she gets my estradiol up to good levels, I won't even need it.  She is raising my estradiol with a patch.  

      It is amazing how our tissues can reawaken.  Everything about us can spring back with these tiny hormones.   

      My experience says that the reason you have had noticed some nipple hardness and cramping around the groin area is also a result of awakening tissues.  It should settle down once you get the right level for your body and your tissues are used to having some estrogen again.  

      Please keep this post going and let us know what you see with the cream used on your face.  I have read some studies about using estriol for wrinkles and would like to hear about your experience.  

      Thanks!!!

    • jayneejay
      jayneejay gailannie

      Posted

      I use a tiny bit of ovestin on my face cheeks ( not saying anyone should) but i do 😃 

      and my other half thinks i look radiant ( havent told him i do it ) 

      i think it is great for below and above 😄

      i dont take any other HRT only use estriol i am post meno and age 51 

      jay x

    • lisagaye
      lisagaye jayneejay

      Posted

      My Doctor whole heartedly agreed it might work as it has the same properties as retinol but better. It is probably in the really expensive stuff we can't afford.  What a gift!
    • lisagaye
      lisagaye gailannie

      Posted

      I thought it was an awakening and your welcome!!  It worked very well. 9th day and problem solved!!!

      I did estring for 2 years with no good results.   I was able to try a device on myself this morning with no pain.  Now I can test drive my husband. Yay!

      The doctor prescribed 1 gram per day for the first 10 days then 3x's a week.  Once it is working again maybe I can back off.  I will want the cream for my face either way... lol

    • gailannie
      gailannie lisagaye

      Posted

      Lisagaye,

      As you said it may be too early to tell, but what have you seen with  this cream on your face?  It obviously is doing something or you wouldn't be excited about using it.

    • lisagaye
      lisagaye gailannie

      Posted

      Excited because I have spent oodles of money on product that doesn't work. Also, the Doctor told me it rebuilds collegon and elasticity. This is encouraging!!  I have read other responses who say they have seen a difference so I am optomistic!!  It has only been 9 days.  I simply won't get injections and end up with "duck face".  But I do not like those wrinkles around my mouth.
    • gailannie
      gailannie lisagaye

      Posted

      Boy do I understand that!  This aging thing is dificult to handle.  

      You would have thought that some incredibly smart person would have anticipated this baby boomer generation and how much we would look

      for anything that really works to make us feel and look better.  

      I know I'm not willing to throw in the towel!  

  • sheryl37154
    sheryl37154 lisagaye

    Posted

    Everything I read insists that oestriol cream and vagifem pessarIes (neater to use internally - no messy stuff coming back out) are only absorbed into that area and do not add quantity to any other hrt you take.  It is good quality though - also try lubricating with coconut oil (antibacterial, antifungal, anti worm, etc. etc.) or bio oil.  I have not needed to use canisten cream since using coconut oil.

    Also using some oestriol creme on the uretra strengthens it against bladder accidents.  

    Now I often wondered about using oestriol cream on face but thought, no, no, it is a hormone (where I come from, need script).  Strangely, I never googled.

    As jayneejay will confirm, I am all for hrt - FOREVER!  However, I do wonder about the safety of using oestriol elsewhere.  Would not use it on throat - that is where the thyroid is - hormones and thyroid gland????  On the cheeks, we have parotid glands - once again, glands and hormones??? Eyeballs???  Very happy to hear different, if someone gets the nod for this.

    Gailannie, you can keep using both (oestrodiol and the cream) and still may need to, so don't worry about stopping.  There are too many people wanting the rest of us to suffer like they did.

    Did someone say they use both Retinoil cream and THE cream?  Do they follow up the retinoil with with cream immediately or use it on a separate occasion, or later on that evening.  I kind of thought the Retinoil was a standalone to make it most effective.

    • jayneejay
      jayneejay sheryl37154

      Posted

      hi sheryl 

      hahaha sorry but i cant confirm what your preferences are regarding HRT 

      i only use estriol vaginally .. i am against oral or patch HRT ..

      i am post meno .. natural - finished - done 

      jay x

    • sheryl37154
      sheryl37154 jayneejay

      Posted

      I thought you would remember all my other posts being PRO hrt, as we often end up on the same blog.  But no problem, if you don't - post menopause symptom, I guess.

       

  • ladydawn
    ladydawn lisagaye

    Posted

    I have been on less than a week and decided to cut to half dose every other day. I have atrophy and tissue breakdown around the urethra. I have high hopes for it after reading this thread, think I might rather have had the pessary though as it is very messy. 

    One thing. If I do get my libido back, how can we make love when the cream would get into the system of our husbands? That wouldn't be good would it?

    • gailannie
      gailannie ladydawn

      Posted

      Yes, it could be a problem if used incorrectly.  What is suggested is that you have sex first, and then before bed, insert the estriol vaginal cream.

      It is absorbed by the tissues and that way your husband won't get exposed to the estrogen.

       

       

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.