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Just started vagifem and have thrush - anyone else experience this?

Posted , 8 users are following.

Suki_girl
Suki_girl

I have just started using vagifem and was pleased to find it did not irritate me (I have extremely sensitive skin down there and can only tolerate natural oils). However, after the second day of use I got thrush. I am susceptible to thrush and during the pre-menopause, with hormones in chaos, I would get it every few months despite being on a no sugar diet and taking lots of anti-candida supplements. I had been getting slowly dryer down there. I have not had a period for 51 days and since my last period suddenly became completely dry down there. Sexual intercourse has to be short, careful and aided by loads of oil based lube, but it still hurts and I am sore after. Having suffered from vulvodynia caused by repeated and persistent thrush I am wary about thrush and damage in that area. Water based vaginal moisturisers sting me and oil based doesn't rehydrate the cells. So, after trying various things without success and my GP warning me it will get worse, I have bitten the bullet and tried vagifem. However, I am worried that it may have caused the thrush. Has anyone esle experienced thrush caused by vagifem? Did it persist? Or did it settle down once your body had adjusted to the oestrogen, or once you had dropped down to twice a week doses (I am still on 1 a day).

1 like, 97 replies

97 Replies

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  • Sus28
    Sus28 Suki_girl

    Posted

    Do you take probiotics to encourage good bacteria?
    • Suki_girl
      Suki_girl Sus28

      Posted

      Yes. And garlic oil, oregano oil, rosemary and thyme, cinnamon, caprilic acid, omega 3, 6, 7 and 9, hyaloronic acid, cranberry, DIM, resveratrol, turmeric and loads of vits. Anything, basically that has been suggested as anticandida or helps with cell moisturisation. I am even on a no sugar diet - I don't have any added sugar and don't eat anything with sugar added to it. I do have fruit though. Also no yeast diet - I only eat sour dough bread. I did the anti candida diet, and gradually built up until I could have fruit.
    • beverly52803
      beverly52803 Suki_girl

      Posted

      suki, all those supplements must be quite expensive! I went to the Women to Women clinic ( state of Maine, US)  because I had been having problems with infection during menopause and they put me on a no sugar-no yeast (no anything, it seemed) diet along with some costly supplements. Although I tested negative for yeast the theory was I probably had it intestinally if not vaginally, I believe. As none of this was covered by my insurance (out of state) I did not continue past 2 appointments. I had finally been prescribed Flagyll (which cured the infection) prior to finally getting my1st appt at this clinic, so I could not really say if the diet or supplements accomplished anything. Since then I have developed AV, have taken no supplements for it specifically but would be interested in trying anything that might help as I want to avoid hormone cream. The hyalaronic gel also is of interest to me. Have you tried that? There are so many posters I can't keep everyone straight!
  • beverly52803
    beverly52803 Suki_girl

    Posted

    Suki, Here we go with the moderator deleting useful info again! My guess is you maybe mentioned a brand of probiotics? This deleting process seems very random. Is Vagifem not a brand and it gets mentioned all the time. Links are also very helpful, but those get deleted as well. If we resort to a private message the others don't get the benefit. Am very happy with this site, but the Big Brother aspect is not helpful.
    • chris00938
      chris00938 beverly52803

      Posted

      I agree - links can be so useful and so can brand names.  We're not advertising products that we're selling or anything like that so it can be a bit of a pain not to be able to give a link etc. but if anyone wants to use a link and can't get it on the site, the best thing to do is to say 'message me privately and I'll give you the link/name etc.' so those who want it can get the information like that.  It's going round the houses a bit, but we can get there in the end:-)
    • Suki_girl
      Suki_girl beverly52803

      Posted

      I don't think I mentioned any brand names. I just listed all the various suppliments I take to combat candida, including probiotics. I also said I am on an anti candida diet - no sugar or yeast.
    • Suki_girl
      Suki_girl chris00938

      Posted

      Flippin heck, not again, I didn't mention any brand names or put in any links nor did I last time.
    • Suki_girl
      Suki_girl

      Posted

      In another discussion I gave a link to research showing that taking sea buckthorn oil orally significantly improved cell moisturisation. I thought you'd might be interested in seeing the science. That got deleted.
    • Suki_girl
      Suki_girl

      Posted

      Actually, just checked and it was moderated but has not been deleted!
    • Suki_girl
      Suki_girl

      Posted

      Donne of this sense. As you say Vagifem is a brand name, as is Yes and WooHoo and Balance Activ.
    • Suki_girl
      Suki_girl

      Posted

      Anyway. For the time being I am persisting with the Vagifem and hoping the swelling effect will die down. After all, I am not in any discomfort.if things get worse or I keep getting thrush, I'll have to stop it and seek alternatives.
    • chris00938
      chris00938 Suki_girl

      Posted

      I got it Suki.  It looked interesting.  The only thing that concerned me personally was it mentioned oestrogenic action and because I had endometrial cancer last year I steer clear of anything like that, but it could well be usefull for others.
    • beverly52803
      beverly52803 Suki_girl

      Posted

      suki, I just googled and can't believe what the claims are re sea buckthorn! I was all ready to plant it, but saw that it grows only in higher elevations in the Himalyas. But you did say it didn't help you, correct? I've tried all sorts of supplements also to no avail. Took chinese herbs once to shrink fibroids. They shrunk so I assumed that worked. Has anyone here gone that route?
    • chris00938
      chris00938 beverly52803

      Posted

      I had laser surgery to get rid of fibroids Beverly.  That worked too LOL!
    • Suki_girl
      Suki_girl beverly52803

      Posted

      I am not sure if Sea Buckthorn worked for me. I have been taking it for a few months now, so I can't say how I would be without it. I certainly don't have a fragile vaginal wall. Just not producing any, or only very little, of my own lube. This is a big thing for me because I used to produce lots - had to wear panti pads every day. Never used to need the help of additional lubes. However, I note that in the study I put a link to the participants were taking 3g a day. I take 500mg twice a day, which it says on the bottle. Perhaps I should be taking more. I also wonder what would be the effect of applying the oil inside the vagina. I have a bottle. I may try it. I'll let you know.
    • beverly52803
      beverly52803 Suki_girl

      Posted

      I noticed there was no mention of using the buckthorn directly in the vagina. To be on the safeside I would check that out before trying it. Might mess with your PH levels and cause other problems.
    • Emis_Moderator
      Emis_Moderator Suki_girl

      Posted

      I've reinstated the original post. The reason these went for moderation is because they talk about "candida diet". These go for moderation because several users have used the forums to try and sell products related to this diet. They also try to blame "candida overgrowth" for a multitude of conditions to try and sell products or promote websites.

      Posting links is fine as long as they meet the criteria for posting. There is more on this in the FAQ section linked at the bottom of the page.

    • chris00938
      chris00938 Emis_Moderator

      Posted

      Alan, I have said that if we want to find out brand names then we can ask to be messaged privately but when so much of the time we're talking about particular products that can't be described easily without giving the brand name, and we've obviously got no vested interest in them because they are only available through GP's or available in general stores, is this a problem?  I'm thinking, for example, about a feminine wash product that I've found good, and this is available from high street stores, so should I not be mentioning the name of it.  Also, we've mentioned stuff like Hydromol - should that not be mentioned by name?  I'm trying to clarify because I can see that there are a people who are confused why some things are picked up and not others.  I didn't realise we could post links so thank you for reminding us and I'm just going to read up on that now.
    • beverly52803
      beverly52803 Emis_Moderator

      Posted

      Is there more than one FAQ section? I didn't see anything about links when I clicked on the one I saw in the green section on the bottom of the page.
    • Emis_Moderator
      Emis_Moderator chris00938

      Posted

      Hi Chris,

      General mentions of products is fine. The problem is some users keep posting product names, websites, protocols, books etc repeatedly. It is hard sometimes to discern between genuine users and spammers/SEO posters. If they are posted and go for moderation I usually add a comment to the post that I've removed specific product names if they are removed. Probiotics is one area where this happens with some users promoting specific brands and websites over and over again hence the rules about repeated posting of products/brands as this is advertising. Things like Vagifem are ok as they are recognised treatments for the conditions and are listed in medicines websites such as

      https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/

    • chris00938
      chris00938 beverly52803

      Posted

      Beverly, I had the same problem but then I saw another bit on the right of a page where it said about links and basically as long as a link is relevant and we're not trying to flog something, we can use links!  i.e. when a couple of people were asking me about the hyalaronic acid studies I gave them links on private messaging, but could have done it here.
    • beverly52803
      beverly52803 chris00938

      Posted

      It was suggested I have a complete hysterectomy when the fibroids were detected (they weren't detected previous to my starting menopause). I thought that was a ridiculously extreme step to take so I went the chinese herb route. Something made them shrink & I still have all my organs, no thanks to that oncologist I was sent to for a 2nd opinion. As it's possible to have undetected fibroids that become noticable only when the uterus begins to shrink, I'm sure that was the case. I am not one to assume the doctor is always right which is how I found my way to this site.
    • chris00938
      chris00938 beverly52803

      Posted

      Well I do believe that we all have to take a certain amount of responsibility for our own health.  It's people who don't think of joining groups like this and don't research, who are much more vulnerable.  My fibroids weren't a problem at all once the lining was lasered BUT the operation may just have made me more vulnerable to prolapses and the prolapses were uncomfortable with the atrophy when there wasn't a supporting pessary, but the coconut oil is working to oil the end of the pessary and not had any irritation of the vulva for so long now - every product I've tried has worked well for that.  I'm grateful for that!
    • beverly52803
      beverly52803 Emis_Moderator

      Posted

      Thanks. I seem to be good at making the wrong choice every time! Best to keep it simple and give only one option or people like me are perpetually confused and frustrated trying to naviagte sites.
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