I've written before about my menopause challenges. Painful PIV sex, super prone to urinary tract infections.
I haven't made much use of Reddit in the past but, after I found the aFib group there I thought, "oh I wonder if there's a menopause forum?" and of course there is.
I was reading through the posts and on one of them a woman was raving about this product that's a cream with a small amount of estriol. What is estriol you ask? It's one of the weaker forms of estrogen. Estradiol is the stronger form that is FDA-approved and needs to be prescribed by a physician.
Hormone therapy is complicated for me because of my past history with recurring blood clots in one of my legs when I was younger. Because of that it was pretty much out of the question for me to ever do hormone replacement therapy with pills. When I was going through the worst hot flash phase, my gyno did prescribe Premarin cream. Do you know what Premarin stands for? Pregnant mare urine. 🤢 I tried it for a while. It didn't seem to make much difference with the hot flashes. I hated it because I would put the prescribed amount of cream in my vagina at night and then it would be seeping out of me the whole next day. Yuck. And, it was absurdly expensive - my co-pay for a small tube of it was $150.
Back to estriol. I did a little googling and found a small Swedish study that said transdermal estrogen (absorbed through the skin) didn't increase the risk of blood clots. The Cleveland Clinic site says estriol is less likely to cause side effects and may be helpful with relieving vaginal atrophy, reducing risk of UTI's and strengthening bones.
So I figured why not give it a try. The cream isn't cheap ($20 for one month supply) but it's sure cheaper than Premarin! Some people use one or two pumps daily. I'm starting out slow with one pump from the bottle every other day, to see how it affects me. I've only done two doses so far. Some people claim to have immediate improvement, but the makers say it can take 4-6 weeks. I will update if I end up having a miracle cure. 😃
There's also a FB group for users of the product that seems pretty fun.
In addition to estriol, I've been hearing good things about hyaluronic acid, and have been experimenting with using a vaginal moisturizer that contains it. Uh oh, I guess my scientific method is flawed! If I improve I won't know which thing did it. Perhaps I will back off on the hyaluronic moisturizer for a while.
Another recommendation I saw was for the book Come As You Are. I put it on hold at the library (huge waitlist to get it) and have listened to a couple of the author's podcasts, they're pretty good!
My dear, old age is like an airplane flying a storm. Once you're in it there's nothing you can do. You can't stop a plane, you can't stop a storm, you can't stop time. So you might as well take it easy, with wisdom.
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I’m one of the lucky few that didn’t have hot flashes or night sweats. Before I knew it, a year went by since my last period.
That is lucky. Not to be a downer, but sometimes it doesn't happen right away. I feel like I still had some vestigial hormones circulating for a couple of years after my period stopped.
@smartasswoman
I think it’s been about 4,5 years now 🤔
@JN63JPN I’d say you’re safe then. 😉
I’ve been pretty lucky with menopause so far, only hot flashes. But, good to know there are other options if I end up having more issues
Hot flashes can be bad enough! You are young still but the atrophy thing doesn't happen to everybody.
If I would have one piece of advice, it would be to continue doing insertion with a vibrator even when you don't have a human sex partner around. Apparently it's a 'use it or lose it' kinda deal for a lot of us.
This book did a lot to help me empathize with my ex in some profound ways, and understand some of the potential bases for our wildly mis-matched libidos. Highly recommended.
Thanks for a recommendation from someone who's actually read it!
Isn't Reddit great? I've found more info there than on many official sites (just this weekend, trying to figure out what areas of Richmond were free parking on the weekends!)
I too have the clot in the leg issue, so I'm leery of messing with anything hormonal at the moment. It's good to read so many posts and responses here about stuff I'm staring down the barrel of!
I was leery about hormones too, since when I had the blood clots, the very first question out of every doctor's mouth was, "Are you on the Pill?" (I wasn't, for what it's worth).
That was why after I impulsively ordered the cream, I thought "uh oh I'd better research this a bit". I think between the fact that it's the weakest form of estrogen, there's no progesterone, and it's administered through the skin, it's very low risk. Oh and also I am on blood thinners.
@smartasswoman that's good to know that it's a low dose... I'm also on thinners. Thanks!
I need to look up the book. I haven't started with hot flashes yet. My time will come. Too soon I'm sure. I hope this helps you return to frequent PIV sex.
Hugs!!
You never know, they might pass you by. Not everyone gets them!
Menopause is the time of hot flashes, night sweats and mood swings. You are in the post-menopausal age. The age of bladder issues, vaginal atrophy and thinning vaginal walls. The key to using a vaginal cream is to rub it in so it doesn't drip out. They do make a small insertable tablet - but I no longer remember the name. Peeing shortly after intercourse helps prevent bladder infections.
Thanks for the clarification, I haven't ever heard the term "post menopause" but I'm definitely past hot flashes and night sweats!
This particular cream doesn't go in the vagina - the instructions say to apply it to labia and perineum. And the amount is WAY smaller than what I was supposed to do with the Premarin so it's easy to get it to absorb with no mess.
I'm well aware of the peeing advice but it's usually not enough for me. I have to take a low dose antibiotic after having sex.
Oh the things I have to look forward to (sooner than later most likely). I was still ovulating a couple years ago when I got iud replaced but expect by the next time, it'll be unnecessary. Good to know there might be some options. I have heard good things about that book (funny enough from a vanilla friend group). That and "she comes first" have both been recommended. Alas...I still struggle.
I read the women's version of She Comes First, which was called Passionista and was about how to pleasure a man. Maybe I should try reading She Comes First to get some bullet points to relay to partners
It's good to try to find a doctor who's knowledgable about alternative treatments (a lot of women on the forum complain that their docs just want to do expensive prescriptions). Or at least open to them if you've done the research and want to try something!
My Mother had a difficult time with menopause, especially with the mood swings and hot flashes. I know I am lucky that it has been a non-event for me. My libido didn’t diminish either…if anything, it’s soared.
I want to say I didn't have mood swings, but that might not be true, haha! I was on a very intense project at work during the years right before and right after my official menopause date, so it would be hard to say whether a particular foul mood was because of the project or because of hormones going away.
You are indeed lucky that it was a non-event for you. 😊
The cream didn’t work for me. The best I found is Bonafide hyaleuronic inserts. My gyno said it’s ok to use. I have no heart problems. It can be pricey but I don’t need it every day. No side effects.
Yes, Revaree was another product that some of the women in the forum recommended. I only want to pursue one solution at a time (scientific method you know 😉 ) but if this cream doesn't help me I'll probably end up giving that a try.
Vaginal atrophy surely sounds like something to be avoided for sure.
Good luck in your quest! But yeah - lots of variables going here so, if success is found, kind of hard to know which method did the trick. Perhaps best to find success then back down little by little, ASSuming the only significant side effects are to your pocket book.
I'm assuming there would still be some maintenance level of applications that I'd need to do, even if the "rehab" is successful.
When I caught Covid I felt like I was going to die. I had hot flashes, felt like I had a temperature but didn't (hot and clod flashes) I felt diaphoretic and more. One of the nurses I worked with laughed and said now you kind of know what menopause feels like. From that point on I said I will never make fun of any woman who says something about it, and I haven't.
I hope you weren't making fun of menopause before that eye opener. 😊
Not to be flippant at all..."Sometimes it's hard to be a woman."
Actually it seems to me that it's nearly always hard to be a woman, no matter what Tammy Wynette says. Men are great whiners but women always have a tough row to hoe, especially from puberty on. I don't need to list all the handicaps and hurdles- you know 'em all already, better than I ever will. I don't think I could have hacked it as a woman, and I don't just mean because of my beard and penis.
Well, men get to deal with worrying about whether their penis is going to get hard, as they get older. When my vagina was still working, I remember feeling like I had it easy because I could "perform" no matter what. Of course, that's not so much the case any more...