Hi,

I'm new to this board, hope I post this correctly!!

I am 45 years old. I had a hysterectomy 2 years ago, but kept the ovaries. Had a grapefruit-sized fibroid and we were done having children, so this was a great surgery for me, and I am happy I did it!

After the surgery, our sex life returned to a wonderful level again. It had been slowed by pain from the fibroid. All was great, a little on the dry side for me, but KY always came tp the rescue!

In the last 6 months or so, I've started signs of menopause (hot flashes and increased vaginal dryness).

I used an OTC product from Wal-Mart called NewPhase, which stopped the hot flashes, and I haven't used it for 3 months. Used Replens, too, but it wasn't that great. However, the dryness continued to worsen.

My nurse RX'd me Estrace cream, and I have used it for a week+. I don't particularily like it as it is messy. I haven't really noticed any change in anything. She wanted me to use it for two weeks and then use this Estring ring-thing.

So anyway (thanks for sticking with me here!), my BIG concern is something I read in the paper the other day. It was in one of those doctor advice columns. He said that estrogen creams can cause impotence in your sexual partner when used during the course of "relations". According to him, the penis absorbs the estrogen and impotence can occur.

My husband and I are at a loss here. Use the estrogen cream/ring for dryness and expose HIM to needless hormones, or continue and skip sex??? I would assume that this estrogen could be absorbed during oral sex, too. Doesn't leave us in a great place, huh?

Anybody have any information on this? I've searched the internet, nada. Asked my nurse and pharmacist, they hadn't heard this.

In the meantime, I've stopped using the cream, deciding dryness is better than exposing my husband to something he certainly doesn't need or want!

Thanks, inadvance, for ANY information!

Saucy

Back in '97 I had surgical menopause too for HUGE fibroids. I'm single & not sexually active but after I developed dryness last year & my gyn exams became excruciating because of atrophic vaginitis I decided to do something. My gyn had to use the smallest possible speculum & it still hurt.I heard about vitamin E oil & capsules. I applied the oil on the outside & vaginal entrance. Then I found an old premarin cream applicator that I'd once used & put a 200 IU vitamin E capsule in it & inserted it as far up as it would go. Did that about 3 times/week for a month before my recent exam. VOILA ! No more dryness & a very easy exam ! I've continued to use the capsules 2 or 3 times/week & everything remains fine. Doc said it was a good idea. Hope this helps. Never heard about the impotence thing,but if the capsules help you may not have to use any hormones at all.

This is a good idea , I think I will tell my mom who's in her 70's . I never thought of using an applicator to get the capsule in far enough . Her doc won't give her estrogen at all . Say's she's too old to start . I wonder if the vitamin E would help with weak bladder when inserted into the vaginia like it helps with moisture .