I agree Steviechaser that post can be terrible. My last period was in the summer of 2000 but I didn't start getting the unbearable symptoms until The Spring of 2006. I always feel so bad when I read people who are looking forward to their symptoms ending with their last period or after the first year has passed without a period because it's not always like that. I hope you can find something that gives you relief soon.

Miss Tibbs

I have had VA so bad for 6 years, I almost gave up but those VITAMIN E suppositories did the trick./
I used one eachnight for 18 days straight, then wewnt to one of week. I feel fabulous. I think I must have spent thousands of $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ terying to find a remedy. I even found a place o n line that sells the vit e supoositories in a box of 24 instead of 12 so I bought 5 boex & keep them in the fridge.
If I hadn't heard about them here I would have never known. I guess the real test is if I can wear jeans again, I have been wearing spandex/athletic pants for 5 months now.

I already received the Lubricare and gel in the mail and I used for for three days so far. I am so afraid to say this out loud...lol...but I think I feel an improvement.......for the first time in over nine months!!! I am so grateful that I found the info here! Thank you so much for sharing your discovery! It really does tingle...kind of like menthol! But when the tingling stops it seems like some of the usual burning stops too! I have an appt with the gyno next week and I printed out some info for him to see what he thinks about this stuff....but I'm sure he'll put his nose in the air about it! It's not putting money in any pharmacutical (eek...not good at spelling!! Mental pause, you know! lol) companies! But I'm curious to see what he says. I'm still using the estrace cream too.....although I stopped it for five days and my anxiety seemed to ease...but I'm afraid to stop altogether, at least till I see the gynocologist. I just wish this would all go away. Anyway, I hope this stuff keeps on improving things for me. It really is better than anything I've tried.
Steviechaser

Hi All, I'm new here and found this post through a google search on vaginal dryness.
I am only 40 and have suffered dryness for years, it was my first symptom of perimenopause even before the irregular periods started. Even now I still don't have hot flashes yet but the dryness has been a nightmare. From everything I have read the dryness and atrophy is not supposed to start until you are post menopausal. Has anyone else experienced it as an early symptom of perimenopause?

Hi again.
I haven't posted in a while, been trying to get better. I have come to the conclusion that there's no such thing as "better". I have been so depressed with this atrophy! It is now going to be a whole year in december that this all started and I'm no better, even with the estrogen that I finally gave in to. I've been using vagifem for over five weeks...two weeks was every night and then the last few weeks have been every other night...more than is usually prescribed. I'm in pain all the time and I feel abandoned by my doctor. He was all interested and concerned for the first month or so...way back in june. But now that I tried premarin which caused me to bleed, causing him to do a uterine biopsy, and then estrace, which made me worse, and now the vagifem he has lost interest. I only get to talk to the nurse who suggested going back to using the vagifem every night...which I won't do.I hate using estrogen and feel like I'm doomed. My family, who did understand at first...now seem to have the idea that as long as I had this pain for almost a year now, I should be "used to" it. It's dragging me down. Making me so tired, so depressed. I go nowhere and don't even have energy to clean the house. I don't know if that's the depression or the estrogen. Or the pain. Every morning I wake up hoping this will be the day that the estrogen has finally started to work. By afternoon I'm crying again when I realize I'm still the same. Why isn't the estrogen working?? I did try moisterizers and calendula ointment, vitamin E etc etc etc. I am now having nasty palpitations and am wondering if estrogen can actually cause them. I always had palpitation issues but take a beta blocker for them. That was just changed to a generic form and I'm wondering if the generic is playing havoc with my heart. I'm sorry, I'm rambling. Any hugs out there for me?? lol
Steviechaser

sorry, I just want to clear up something I said in the prior post...I said it's almost a year that I have this atrophy, which it is. Then I said the doctor was understanding the first month..which was june. June was the first month I went to this particular doctor. I saw two others before him when this all started last december. Sorry for any confusion. lol
Steviechaser

Just sending some hugs for you Steviechaser. I don't know what to suggest. One of the other posters here who was experiencing considerable external pain and soreness is using steroid cream.

You know I have had palpitations since a year before the peri menopause started five years ago. They got so bad I thought I was having a heart attack, so I ripped up 4 packs a ciggerettes and NEVER smoked again(after 26 years) I ran to the doctor and I had him do every test in the book. After 4 months, I finally found out about the perimenopause....and I started HRT. I still have them but only BEFORE & after my periods and just a few nothing like before. As my hormones change the paliptations show up. They are actually a common trait in menopause. I also takr 850mg of chealated magnesium each day which helps. as far as the atrophy, the vitamin e supposotories saved me. I had to use them for 18 days straight and now only 4 times a month, but they work pretty well.
As far as doctors are concerned....UK or US if they are male...have have no vagina...they can't possibly know! It P*&%$ me off!

Just so you know, any time that estrogen does not work for vaginal atrophy your doctor is supposed to do additional testing on you. Estrogen treatment is 100% effective on dryness that is due to lowered estrogen levels. if the estrogen doesn't work for you then it is because something else is wrong. They are supposed to do blood work on you to test for diabetis and other diseases that cause dryness.

this website is a godsend. I have been told and am feeling like i am going crazy! I have had burning and stinging in my vaginal area. the pain is maddening. Doctors have diagnosed this as vaginitis and have almost killed me with antibiotics. Are there any docs that understand menopause.
I am 52 now and wonder if i will survive this. It has totally changed my life. Is the burning and stinging dangerous or am i just going to have to live with this. I feel physically terrible and am getting very depressed. I am finding it hard to function. Is there hope? I have had exams, studies for severe stomach pain, blood work,you name it. And finally after all tests were exceptional physically i was told i needed to see psych. has anyone had similar experiences? please reply

Hello Ganelda

I'm so sorry for what you've experienced. I had stinging, some burning, some itching around the urethra, vulva, perineum and entrance to the vagina and estrogen cream (estriol) has taken it away. I'm 53 and don't have regular periods any more. The longest I've gone without a period was 10 months and I noticed changes in that area when my estrogen levels obviously dropped corresponding to periods becoming infrequent. I don't know if this is the cause for you, but you do seem to be around the right age for these sorts of hormonal changes. There are lots of suggestions on this forum as you can see, for things that people have found relieve vaginal pain and discomfort. I consulted a doctor (privately) who specialises in the menopause and its effects and it was she who prescribed the estrogen cream, as well as recommended something else - I use two products.

The most troubling symptom I experienced with peri and menopause was anxiety and yes, I had a doctor tell me that Anxiety was NOT a symptom of the menopause and offer to refer me to a psychiatrist. Well the doctor who I eventually consulted whose specialist area is menopause prescribed progesterone, phyto-estrogens and a host of dietary supplements and now I don't suffer anxiety any more.

What you'll find from the forum is that we're all different and we all need to find what works for us. There's lots of information here including articles on different aspects of menopause as well as people's personal experiences. I hope you manage to find something that helps you.

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• i too am suffering from some form of vulvar problem. i was diagnosed in 2003 with lichen sclerosis. i was put on clobetosol cream and used it religiously for 3 years. last year everything went wrong. I started buring and i got a horrible yeast infection that went everywhere. my had andfacae started buring and of course the docs thought i was crazy. my vulvar area looked like an orangutang in heat. i tried all kinds of herbs nad alternative meds and thenwent on the yeast diet and got that cleared up. lost aboaut 20 pounds too. and also my scalp was burning and i lost larage patches of hair where it was burning. it is just now growing back, vry slowly. i also wnet to the gyn who did not feel even though i was all raw and had to stay home from work for 2 weeks with ice on my vulvar area. i fee alot better,but the area around myclitoris is still hurting and very tender. it also has a whitish color to it. i wa at the gyn today for myannual pap and she recommende eucerin cream for a month and then a mile cortizone cream over he couonter if that does not work. i havae tried aloe vera and also vitamin e, but never inserted it. i use estrace on the outside and also estroil lotion several times a week. any suggestion? i also havae dark skin around the whole vulvar area since the burning last year when i swelled up. the doctor stated that will stay. i just want the skin to not be so tender?.
• sorry for the typos, but this is hard to type in this small space without reviewing it. i don't know how to do this yet.

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does anyone know of or have used any holistic treatments for atrophic vaginitis? i'm considering acupuncture because i've tried HRT and topical creams and nothing has helped. i've lived with this for four years and i'm at the end of my rope. please help!!!

Hi, I finally found my solution after trying many things, and it was a 500IU Vitamin E capsule inserted
in the morning and at bedtime for 14 days. (make sure it is the real vitamin E and not the synthetic one). My last day on that was November 24th and the itch and soreness has not returned. Prior to that I was in total agony and just about in tears walking my dog! I tried Estriol cream, calendula cream, the Bioclyn Gel, which although was soothing, I got through a whole tube with no actual improvement. The Vit E caps will cause a slight drip an hour or so afterwards so I just wore a thin panty liner to work! It was a very simple and easy treatment after all the other things I had tried, Hope this helps, regards, Lillsie

I've had this problem. Sometimes I get complete relief but I've never really gotten it to go away permantly, the closest thing that's ever done that is an herb formula I got from my acupuncturist called Eight Flavor Rehmannia ( actually I take a variation now called Rehmannia and Scrophularia) but its basically the same thing. Its for something in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) they call Yin Deficiency Heat. Most of the time that works but it can take a while for it to really kick in. One drawback is you can't take it while you have a cold or flu, that I have to stop it, is usually the cause of a relapse. Right now I am having a relapse for that reason. Things that have also helped tremendously during a relapse are Thursday Plantation Tea Tree Oil inserts, used VERY sparily, only in the beginning, and then you have to spend a lot of time soothing it because it is actually a little irritating that seems to kill off some fungal aspect of the problem but then you have to way overcompensate for the drying effect. One of the best things I've found is a product by Alta Health Products called Pau d'arco with Calendula Cream. Right now they are reformulating it and I am kind of panicky about that as it can be a major contributor in the relief department. Also Vitamin E Oil and Vitamin E suppositories from Carlson products. Its taken all these things and more like cutting back on carbs and I NEVER eat sugar. If I eat the smallest amount of sugar I will have a relapse. Instead I developed a taste for Stevia. Its taken all these things to get some relief from this and I still have relapses. I've had it so badly but also now I've had long periods without it.
Those are a miracle and I'm hoping for another one soon.

I'm thinking of making my own salve, subbing out Vit E oil for the peanut and the last two things are available at websites that sell cosmetic making products. Still, I'd rather buy the stuff, I hope they put it on the market soon. I've got enough on my platter. I hope this helps somebody. This condition is very painful and depressing and nobody deserves to have to suffer with it. I hope I get over this recent attack really soon.

Pau'd arco 8%
Calendula flowers 3%
Hydrogenated Peanut Oil
Emulsyfying Wax
Proplylene glycol

Having VA since 2000..tried a million things from every country..best thing ever...Vitamin E suppostories by Carlson Labs....I bought a case of them after I found out how great they worked. I keep them in the refridgerator....and when I feel a flare up, I use one very night for a week....this has never failed me..and I had VA so bad, I couldn't even walk....due to the burning and the vaginal pain...so this has been a godsend for the past 3 years, and they are cheap....9$ for 24 inserts.

I felt the same way--treating it like I had an infection and using monistat and then diflucan. What it is -is dryness that feels like a yeast infection.I am now using estrogen cream 3 times a week .5 gr. On days i don't use it It burns--so I've been using 400mg vitamin E inserted at bedtime. That helps! Today i got Burt's Bees-Baby Bee diaper ointment. It has vitamin e, almond oil and lots of the other ingredients recommended.. I'll let you know how that works.

Hi Jean
I am 54, and have been going through peri menopause since age 43.....my periods are very short & sweet now. However the first year the Vaginal Atrophy was so bad...I kept wishing I'd die. I felt like I had a yeast infection & UTI all at the same time. My doctor finally figured out if he gave me Diflucan for the yeast infection, it caused a UTI, and if he gave me bactrim for the UTI, it would cause the yeast infection. I am surpised you can even use MONOSTAT, my VA was so bad, that stuff burned liked HELL FIRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nothing has worked for me as wonderfully as the VITAMIN E Vaginal Inserts. These saved my life after years of trying EVERYTHING. I do take HRT..and that did help some but even on Hormones, I still got occassional flare ups of the Vaginal burning, aching & itching. I just use one of these inserts everynight for 10 days and they are gone.....I keep them in the fridge. Who knew that 10$ and a box of 24 inserts would save me from going crazy. I swear by these, and frankly my doctor told me in the beginning BEFORE I used these, that the inside of my vagina was that of a "used leather baseball glove" not very pretty but true....so there is hope, No worries....you can buy these on line...if you find them in a health food store they ONLY have the 12 insert box & its about 13$

Hi, I'm in the same state. Just started with Replens, but now have the pink/brownish discharge, but will persevere.

Yeah REPLENZ worked for me for a while, but then I tried the Vaginal Vitamin E inserts & I will NEVER use anything else. They are a lifesaver!

I just turned 35 and have finally figured out what has been plaguing me since the age of 19 (when I began have sex) -- hormonal shifts related to estrogen!

Once I became sexually active I started taking birth control pills. I used to get yeast infections and had a lot of trouble with burning during and after intercourse (once my partner had finished). Once I stopped the pill many years later I found that these problems went away EXCEPT for a few days before my period and the first days of my period -- I knew hormones were playing a role but didn't know what role.

After childbirth and during breastfeeding the problem returned and ever since I've found that I have a lot of burning during and after intercourse the week before my period and the few days during (when estrogen is at it's lowest) and then the problem completely dissapears the week before I ovulate and during ovulation. I have asked numerous doctors over the years about this problem (including gynecologists) and no one has had a clue what is "wrong" with me and all have just suggested I use more lubrication (I don't have a problem with lubrication). Anyway, I'm going to look into the Vitamin E capsules many of you have been suggesting to see if that helps me those few days a month when I have this problem; it would certainly make my sex life better (I have enough other hormonal problems going on and it would be nice to have I can solve).

KEY E By Carlson Labs. I buy the boxes of 24 by the case. These little things, saved my life & my sanity.
cheapest place on line i have found is www.luckyvitamin.com