1. Community
  2. Women's health
  3. Atrophic Vaginitis

Does anyone go to pain management because of AV?

Posted , 7 users are following.

lindanb
lindanb

I'm newly diagnosed, with a vagina so narrow that even a half speculum wouldn't fit. I assume sex would be excruciating, but since I have no partner, no worries there. The labial/vulvar pain is what is the worst, especially since it seems to flare periodically. After a brutal endo biopsy, I was recommended to take "an" ibuprofen, and let me say, it hurt like crazy.

I've already been using replens, coconut oil, epsom salts, vagisil, ice, and vagisil. Doc did give me some lidocaine cream, however. So how does everyone else cope with daily pain, and do you all find yourselves victims of the opioid crisis? Do docs brush us off as "woman problems," dismissing our pain? I'm already a chronic pain sufferer, and now I have a whole new diagnosis that docs can use to ignore my chronic pain. How do people deal with what I can already see is an uphill battle and how do we get our pain treated respectfully?

0 likes, 21 replies

21 Replies

Prev
  • beverly52803
    beverly52803 lindanb

    Posted

    linda, I assume you mean your vagina has atrophied and therefore gotten smaller. How were you able to tolerate the Mona Lisa treatment?

    My gyno used a baby's speculum for my last exam, Never even knew they existed! Certainly made a difference. My last internal was 3 years ago and despite my complaining of the pain that doctor lead me to believe she was using the smallest speculum. 

    If you are not already using hormone cream you will eventually have to. It was prescribed for me 3 years ago, but as I was having no negative symptoms I avoided the hormone cream. Hindsight is 20/20. Not using it has lead to a condition called lichen sclerosus which I didn't know I had until going to see about an internal itch. I am now using hormone cream and a steroid cream for the LS. Turns out the itch was caused by an infection, but had I not gone to the doctor  for it I would have no idea how bad the AV had gotten and the subsequent problems caused by it.

    I know the Mona Lisa laser causes the skin to produce collagen, but I'm not sure if it reverses atrophy. What did the doctor tell you who performed the ML?

    • Suki_girl
      Suki_girl beverly52803

      Posted

      I agree Beverly, it is important to start treatment early on in the onset of VA. Leaving it too late can lead to other problems - vulva and urinary pathologies (vulvodynia, LS, uti’s), which just add to the pain and discomfort and have to also be treated which means more medications. Things can then start to get very complicated with various problems going on and treatement for one problem may aggravate one of the other problems.
    • linda50940
      linda50940 beverly52803

      Posted

      Beverly, I think you have gotten me mixed up with the other Linda. She is the one that wrote about the small or narrow vagina and I am the one that has had the Mona Lisa Touch treatments and cannot use HRT or hormone cream due to having had ovarian cancer.

      Linda 50940

    • beverly52803
      beverly52803 linda50940

      Posted

      Oh, sorry. It is very difficult for me to keep track of who is who, let alone people with the same name! Well, presumably the correct linda will have figured out my message was for her wink
Back to top
Prev

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.