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Atrophic vaginitis

Posted , 5 users are following.

kay13657
kay13657

Great forum but no one seems to have found the answer to this hellish condition they can do life saving heart surgeries cure a lot of cancers and conduct brain surgeries saving lives but no one can cure this bloody condition WHY ??? 

It’s ruing the quality of life for thousands of women n wrecking their sex lives and the pain n suffering is indescribable ! For pities sake some one , anyone come up with a cure !!! 

Rant over ( for now ) ! 

Kay

4 likes, 13 replies

13 Replies

  • pat0423
    pat0423 kay13657

    Posted

    I’m with you on that! Seems that women’s health care is in the dark ages!! Very frustrating! My gyn prescribed Estradiol cream and when I had a seriously bad reaction he said well that’s very unusual, go back to using clobetesol!! I went to him for help and that was it!!

    Another gal on the Lichen Sclerosus forum (I have one or the other or both) said she’s had huge success with aloe Vera gelly and turmeric essential oil. Just a drop or two per tablespoon of aloe is doing the trick. I’ll be trying that next. Just thought I’d share. 

    XOXOXO 

    • beverly52803
      beverly52803 pat0423

      Posted

      Hi Pat,

      Someone on another thread swore that olive oil was the best thing she had tried for LS and she was healing. I asked my latest gynecologist about it and she said any treatment like that will only sooth; only the steroid cream will heal. 

      As I have been using both the estradiol cream (for AV) and the steroid ointment (for LS) it's difficult for me to distinguish the effects. The doc said at my follow up last week that the steroid was working well and I should continue using nightly till next check in in 3 months. Using a steroid for so long concerns me, but she said steroids on healthy skin is damaging, on unhealthy skin it is healing.

      As I am now experiencing burning on the outside rather than the internal itch (which was apparently caused by infection that the smear did not indicate) I stopped using the estradiol for 2 nights. Burn definitely seems to be subsiding. Will call to ask nurse about this.

      Are you still using clobetesol? I'm not familiar with that one. Are you using it for AV or the LS?

      Any info is helpful. Thanks.

      Treatment for the same problems seems to vary significantly for different women and it definitely requires open minded and knowledgeable doctors to hang in there with us. Not sure how common they are, however.

       

  • Suki_girl
    Suki_girl kay13657

    Posted

    I’m sorry to say that this condition is not really a condition or disease or illness. It is part of aging. Nature’s way of telling us our baby having (and, hence, sex having) days are over. In the distant past women didn’t live long enough to have menopause. For example, in medieval times average life expectancy was 30 years. This ‘condition’ and others, such as dementia, seem to be the price we pay for living longer. Also, some women believe that, in this predominantly patriarchal society we live in, women’s health issues such as vulvodynia, vaginismus and vaginal atrophy are not very high priority.  
    • kay13657
      kay13657 Suki_girl

      Posted

      Hi Sukiyaki Girl

      yes thats right I’m sure : 

      i reckon that if it was a man thing affecting their Crown Jewels there’d be a lot more research into it and I need not sexist I just don’t think it would just be accepted as part of ageing 

      you’re spot on though Suki it’s not a condition I hadn’t really looked at it in that way 

      Kay 

    • wendy62425
      wendy62425 kay13657

      Posted

      I should have said it was a blessing to finally feel normal again after several weeks if the Vagifem.

      wendy

    • beverly52803
      beverly52803 Suki_girl

      Posted

      Maybe our problems are too complex. I get the feeling there's a lot of guesswork involved. Men seem to have either prostate issues and/or erectile dysfunction. The latter seems to have been solved by a very popular pill, but I can't figure out who they are having all this sex with if AV is a relatively common problem as women age.

      Can't find a firm figure on how many women experience AV after menopause, but as we baby boomers continue to age there will be more and more with issues. Women I know don't discuss it. Maybe they don't have it...don't know.

    • Suki_girl
      Suki_girl beverly52803

      Posted

      My consultant told me that most women will have vaginal dryness and atrophy after menopause. I think most are unwilling to talk about it.
    • beverly52803
      beverly52803 Suki_girl

      Posted

      It would make sense that with less estrogen it would happen, but it must be a matter of degree.
    • Suki_girl
      Suki_girl beverly52803

      Posted

      Of course. I merely became dry and sex was painful. I know from these forums that others suffer discomfort on a daily basis. I guess that there must be a lucky few who don’t get dry at all.
  • wendy62425
    wendy62425 kay13657

    Posted

    Hi Kay

    in growing up and going through raising children I never heard of Atrophic Vaginitis until my GYN told me I had that condition around age 57 and he prescribed Vagifem....because at the time I did not have any symptoms I decided not to use the Vagifem......until a year or so later I started to get a lot of UTI's......some confirmed UTI's and some came back negative....no UTI but felt like I did and felt miserable.  Went to GYN for help and he put me on Estrace cream for 2 weeks then started me on the Vagifem tablets vaginally 2xweekly ( this time I followed doctors orders )......it took several weeks to finally feel normal again...such a blessing!  I did try to go down on the Vagifem months later thinking I was healed just taking 1 a week but BIG mistake as I started to feel that awful discomfort again......so I added the Vagifem back and GYN said I would have to stay on it for life!

    I so agree Kay.....will someone ever find a cure for this.  And why do some women suffer from this and other do not.  Some ladies just experience dryness.....not the pain.  Intimacy is very difficult and has been impossible for years now.....my husband thankfully is very understanding.  If it wasn't for the Vagifem I don't know what I would do.  Quality of life would not happen unless someone comes out with something else.  Some are successful with Mona Lisa Treatments but not covered on insurance and are very expensive ( not right!). And some ladies still need the Vagifem with the treatments.  Some insurances don't cover the Vagifem either which is shameful!!

    YES........we need help as Atrophic Vaginitis is real......and too many women are suffering.  Insurance companies need to change!

    thank you for sharing your feelings!

    Wendy

    • beverly52803
      beverly52803 wendy62425

      Posted

      Wendy,

      I had never heard of AV either until I was told I had it well after menopause. The only "cure" I see is an attempt to replace the sufficient amount of estrogen some of us no longer produce to ward of the condition.

      Clearly full on HRT proved to be very dangerous, but we are now told using hormones topically has far less risk. I tried avoiding it for several years due to breast cancer in my immediate family, but I have over the past half year been experiencing itching. I am now using compounded estradiol cream and a steroid cream. The latter is for LS. First I have heard of this was at last month's appointment and was, to say the least, shocked.

      I read that many women suffer with UTI's. Fortunately I have not had that symptom, just the recent inconsistent itch. Tried multi-gyn which created horrible stinging and a discharge. Doc says too harsh for thinning skin.

      For the 1st time in a month I did not use the hormone cream last night as I now feel it may be causing some stinging. Have not conferred with the doc.

      BTW the itch ended after I insisted on getting a prescription for flagyl as it has helped in the past despite another gynecologist insisting it would do nothing for me. My current gyno is now subtly insinuating it is a figment of my imagination. All I know is I took one pill and could feel the difference. Obviously it does not cure AV, but can certainly cure an infection. Can only assume one resulted from having AV (who knows why infections occur?)

      I am currently having a dispute with my insurance co because my copay for Estrace would be $300. Opted for the compounded cream as it cost $80 out of pocket. As I am on a medicare plan I find it very bizarre that a common medication for women over 65 would have such a high co-pay.

      The current doctor tells me the hormone cream will be required from now on, but not the steroid as the LS is responding well to it. The steroid cost $7.

      I continue to use chilled coconut oil as a vag suppository.

      BTW my doc does not not think Mona Lisa is a suitable treatment currently. Says it's still too soon; not enough info to judge but that burning thin menopausal skin is a bad idea. 

      How long have you been using the hormone?

    • wendy62425
      wendy62425 beverly52803

      Posted

      Hi Beverly

      Thank you for sharing.  I have been using Vagifem for well over a year.  I wish I didn't have to be on any medication but Vagifem is what gives me my quality of life back.  If I go off the Vagifem I will feel the horrible discomfort that comes with AV.  My GYN had to share with me that the Vagifem is a lifetime medication for me now.  My sister had breast cancer so of course I am concerned about that and my doctor takes good care of me.  I see a breast surgeon as I have dense breasts and have had biopsies in the past so I am watched over with a Mammo once a year with breast  sonogram 6 months after Mammo.  Honestly Beverly.......I have no other choice. The Mona Lisa is too costly and is too new so do not know the long term effects and some women still need to take the Vagifem along with the treatments......

      The Vagifem is suppose to stay more around the local vaginal area but I am sure it goes elsewhere but maybe not as much as HRT orally.......

      such a blessing that we can all share what we know even though all our bodies are different and react differently.

      again thank you for sharing🌺

      Wendy

  • Suki_girl
    Suki_girl kay13657

    Posted

    I didn’t get on with vagifem - made me swell up so much I couldn’t get the applicator in let alone a finger or a penis! Ovestin cream is my saviour - has given me back a tougher, wetter vagina that’s also looks a lot younger than the shrivelled thing it was becoming! 
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