Hormone problems and Atrophic Vaginitis

Thanks for your input, im fishing around really to find any connections

Hi sorry to hear your VA is the result of your treatment. I hope your faring better now. It's interesting re: endometriosis as it turns out that was my problem too which is fed by oestrogen.

Fed by estrogen ? I didn't know that . I know what caused it though. I had a hymenectomy at age 16 . My hymen was too thick and closed off so when I started menstuatibg it stayed inside me ( 2months worth !) And caused a massive infection. Also forced the uterine lining being shed into other parts of my body , bladder, ovaries, where it attached itself. Had horrible debilitating cramps all my life . It was such a relief when menopause hit as I was infertile anyway ( perhaps because of the endo ? ) But now I've got this VA. seems like there's always something weird going on 'down there ' lol

Hi that sounds horrendous and at such a young age having a hysterectomy too. Its strange how our bodies work, I had my hysterectomy for fibroids and menorrhagia but found i had endometriosis too. The surgery took twice as long cutting it all out.

I was referring to oestrogen from Hrt is said to stimulate endometriosis regrowth . Fed was a bit off the cuff sorry for the confusion. I wondered if played with the imbalance

Your right about always something weird going on down there these days. If I go to the Drs these days she jokes I can cross her off my Xmas list lol!

Hi ! What I had was a HYMEN ectomy. Because my hymen was to thick to let the blood out when I started menstuatibg at age 16. This caused a massive infection and was the cause of my endometriosis. So it had to be removed surgically. I personally think I've had extra testosterone or not enough estrogen during my life. I have excess body hair and thick hair on my chin since my 20s . Now, in my 50 s . I still have the beard but hair on my head is thinned a lot and I have hardly any body hair . I don't know for sure. Just guessing

Mindy, you shouldn't have to guess about this. Doctors can test your hormone levels with a blood test. My levels have been tested several times since menopause. Excess body and facial hair can be caused by ovarian or adrenal gland issues. Has no doctor suggested this to you or have they just not been able to find a cause?

Re the hymen problem, you are the first person other than myself to mention this. I was able to have periods, but when I attempted to have sex it was pretty much impossible because of the pain. Once we finally suceeded it ended up with a trip to the ER for cauterization as the tear caused so much bleeding.

I had a lot of menstrual discomfort as I got older. Menopause was a blessing and it made me realize how much of my life had been controlled by hormones. But now I have AV to replace premenstrual problems, though my symptoms are manageable. I just try to remind myself I could have worse problems as my health is otherwise pretty good.

Wow Beverly ! Not only do we have the hymen thing in common but here lately I had an epiphany about how much my hormones ruled my life. They controlled my thoughts , they controlled my behavior , the men I chose , the way I reacted to them , everything !! It certainly made me more understanding and sympathetic of men . I believe hormones affect them on an even greater scale. The common belief that men think with their sex organ doesn't apply just to men !! It's just more physically apparent in them .( lol) Now when I meet men I look at them the same way I do women...as people . My judgement isn't blinded by how they look or how I react to them physically, the way I used to . It's been very eye-opening to say the least !

Beverly, I was never tested for my hormone levels, I have an appt. Next month to have this done because I've started having hot flashes and I went through menopause 10 years ago. ( With NO side effects other than the av)

I had never heard of this, it is interesting how our bodies react. It does sound like a testosterone imbalance. I had an androgen problem causing acne which was solved temporarily by a pill thats no longer prescribed. But I have read a few places that oestrogen dominance can play a part in endometriosis. My only problem now is now I have no ovaries I don't have enough!

Its typical as soon as one problem is solved another takes its place. Nearly every woman I talked to about hysterectomy raved about how great you would feel. But due to my ovaries being removed I now am maxed out in the menopause and have AV!

Like you say could be worse :'(

I have all my female parts but I believe after menopause that the production is reduced drastically . But I believe testosterone ( and estrogen ?) is still produced by adrenal glands and to some extent is still produced by ovaries . It will be interesting to see what the results have to say !

Just to complicate matters scientists have discovered the brain can also produce and release hormones in the hypothalamus!

I would include the site info but those ae usually blocked unnecessarily by the monitor. It is a Science Daily article.