Vaginal atrophy

[donni]

Any one out there suffer with this i have seen several gynocologists to no avail tried all the usual stuff that they give you and none of it worked, am now waiting to have a biopsy to see if its lichen planus am so fed up.

My sex drive well i dont have one it makes me very sad any advice would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

Donni

[galathea]

Lichen Sclerosus? My gynae gave me cortisone ointment ( not cream). And said to try it to see if it helped. If so then there was no need for a biopsy. Also gave me estrogen cream, much better than the pessaries. Apparantly its auto immune. :-(.

G x

[donni in reply to galathea]

Yes on doing some research it said that lichen sclerosus was auto immune bloody thyroid and its added problems. i get so very despondant at times

[galathea in reply to donni]

Have you tried the cortisone ointment?

[donni]

Yes but it didnt work for me sadly. Read about something called wild mexican yam cream thats supposed to be helpful. so might give that ago will try anything

[galathea in reply to donni]

Oh I think that might be progesterone. If so, have a look at serenity cream. If the cortisone ointment didnT work, then pretty sure itS not lichen schlerosus.

Xx. g

[Joyia in reply to donni]

It may be wise to have your hormones tested privately. You did not mention your age but as we age our hormones decrease. I am 74 years old so probably light years older than your goodself, my private specialist has placed me on PhytoB a natural hormone supplement but pretty powerful and yes it is made from Yams. I had never heard of it but when I googled to research I was amazed at how many women find it helpful.

[Angel_of_the_North]

I had vagifem (bioidentical estriol) for two weeks. It worked for me. Also biohrt, but the pessaries worked wonders. Can be prescribed by NHS but you can also buy it from certain online pharmacies.

[Lily905 in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

Is it possible you can PM me with the online pharmacies? I've been trying to find somewhere to buy it & it's either prescription only or the sites don't look right. Thanks

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to Lily905]

I found it in several of the ?indian ones that are suggested for T3, but I have mine of prescription so haven't bought online.

[Lily905 in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

Thanks for the advice. I've got the T3 sites. I'll try buy it from one of them. Thank You

[lupuslady29]

Hi Donni

I suffer with the dryness thing too it causes itching and irritable bladder like having mild cystitis I find replens MD helps me with mine you can get it at boots chemist or online too I get the ready filled applicators that you can throw away after use they moisturize the vaginal passage and help you feel more comfortable its normal to see a yellowish discharge for a day after apparently that's the womb shedding the dry dead tissues anyway if you haven't tried it give it a go it might help you

[TigerTea]

I am so sorry for your distress, and understand completely how you are feeling. I started having the same problems two years ago with no help from GP, even after I had been bleeding despite no womb/cervix, until I insisted I needed to see gynae, then GP offered me Vagifem pessaries, which helped somewhat, until started to alternated days as suggested; 'begged' for stronger long-term treatment & told 'it can cause womb cancer', I reminded my Gp I had a hysterectomy in 2006! reluctantly gave stronger estro cream instead which just fell out! tissues not 'strong' enough to keep it in? On several occasions I had asked about HRT & just got the 'tooth sucking' response as if it is inherently dangerous! I finally had to see a gynae I trust privately, who has operated on me on nhs (we are not 'made of money' so can't really afford to do this, but needs must sometimes :.-/ ) and he prescribed me some Premarin hrt tabs. I explained past GP/nurse responses to requests for it and as he said, I no longer have womb or working ovaries so couldn't have much lower risk, only benefits to body as not making any natural estrogen. Result a month on, 'downstairs' feeling much better, still a bit of discomfort after emptying bladder and bowels but hoping this will disappear in time.

Are you able to consider HRT? I can only say it has helped me.

Good luck 👼

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to TigerTea]

Regular HRT is inherently dangerous; bio identical HRT isn't. Vagifem is estriol, which is the "good" estrogen. I hate it that GPs would rather you have a poor quality of life and exist for years than have a good short life. Surely we should be able to choose?

[Silver_Fairy]

I have been reading about using DHEA pessaries, anyone here use them?

[donni]

Thanks everyone for your replies. have tried vagifem didnt help much am

using replens but the soreness is terrible its mainly on the vulva. But will give some of your suggestions a go

[donna]

Hi Donni ,sorry to hear of your problems

.. I have been on this road for two years this March ..I also have Hashi's , lupus SLE , Sjogrens ,APS/ hughes ,Fibro ( though it's ALL abou the Hashis!)

After seeing the GUM clinic ( and not having herpes!) i visited the Behchets clinic( where I was told my mouth ulcers were not the Behchets sort ...fine) I then was referred to a dermatologist by my Gynae , as ... Gynaes do in side ...and dermatologists do the vulva and vestuble and all skin....... From there I have been to the ear nose and throat .... And the dental hospital...

I have now the new add on ( to the rest of my autoimune stuff ) mucosal lichen Planus of the ...drum roll ***** vulva ,vagina ,throat and esophagus. And ear canal....

***** So.... First off ..I advice you to join Uklp.org.uk.*****

( there is no personal gain to me for publicising this site , they have just been the most informative and helpful)

There is also a Lichen planus support group on face book , which I have found emotionally helpful ..

They are all about Lichen planus and other derivatives lichen..a slow moving site but plenty to read and people to advise, there is a closed female forum as well which is helpful ..

I certainly wouldn't be self medicating in this situation.Lichen planus can be caused in some instances by a reaction to a drug or substance or even a virus .. Lichen planus isn't just about dryness , which may be helped with estrogen ,HRT though this can be of benefit in some cases ..Lichen planus is systemic can be erosive ,ulcerative ,it can damage different layers of skin , scar and form scar tissue which in turn can change the appearance of the female form.. And ****y painful... I would suggest any women diagnosed with oral lichen planus by her dentist ... Visits their GP for a referral to a dermatologist , if she is dry or sore below . The dentist would not think to ask how your below is! So the women/Gp doesn't link the two together and for years many women are treated for recurring thrush or yeast infections when it certainly isn't the case ... Because so many bodily parts can be effected , there is NOT a joined up writing approach and all consultants deal with their own bit ...( in my case a lot of new consultants!)

It is important to wear loose clothes , I Sooo miss my jeans! And hate wearing dresses ! It is important to lubricate the area ,as people have suggested replens is good as is aloevera gel and emulsifying ointment, I also use instagel ( comes in a syringe) which numbs the outside area and inside . any friction or pressure can cause damage and great pain. if your ever given a steroid cream , dermovate/ clobetasol is usually the best and most used , you should put a layer of emulsifying cream , under the thinest layer of steroid cream as the steroid can be to strong and cause damage to good skin or even make the bad areas worse ...I have recently had a steroid foam ( usually used in the treatment of bottoms ) for my vagina it helped whilst I was able to use it ...but I react to a lot of medicines and hydrocortisone and me don't mix well so I had to stop using it ..so I await my next Dermy appointment for a new plan.i do have a friend who is a herbalist , and I find that using calandular pessaries ,aloe Vera gel help down below ,and slippery Elm powder ( mixed with hazelnut milk as I'm dairy free ) helps a lot with my throat and larynx..

I live in London .so attend a lot of clinics here ..I have had a few duff appointments on my journey to diagnoses but my Dermy is good . Still waiting for a new gynae app as the last gynae was not any help..( only a few hospitals gave a joint dermy/ gynae clinic ) I know of two in London...

Lichen planus can be miserable it effects everything in your own life and your relationships .. Please don't go it alone ..I'm sure you will find help on the above sites ,and please feel able to PM me ..I might not always respond immediately as my health at the moment is not good .but I will get back to you ..sorry for such a long reply ..hope it might help ..

Bestwishes xx

[donni]

Thank you donna and apologies for the late reply, my computer has died a death so i am using the local library until i get a new one sorted out.

I have another appointment with my gyno a week today but i will definately try the calandular and aloe vera also.

Thanks to everyone else who replied your advice has been really helpful

Donni xx