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Premarin for Itchiness in Vagina
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Posted by rmp (rmp@iopener.net) on Sun, Nov 18, 01 at 20:45
| Ladies: I believe I am going through perimenopause.I am 46. My doctor had prescribed Mircette birth control pills for the systems of perimenopause. They worked fine for a couple of months until I started to develop vaginitis a couple of times or so I thought. It usually happens after sex. I become itchy and feel I have to urinate a lot. A strange feeling in vagina area. She gave me Metrogel but when she took a culture she said it was negative. She believes it could be from a loss of estrogen in vagina. Have stopped taking the pill, trying to rule out different things.She prescribed Premarin three times a week. Said it does not get into the body. I used it once and felt better. Can anyone offer there advice or have a similar situation.rp |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Premarin for Itchiness in Vagina
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| rmp, I'm a little confused because Premarin is an oral medicine. If you're taking a pill it is going to get into the body. If you are using some kind of vaginal cream with Premarin in it, that would be a different story. Please post again and clarify. |
RE: Premarin for Itchiness in Vagina
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| I am reposting this message again. To clarify my doctor recommended Premarin, a vaginal cream for itchiness in vagina she thinks is due to lack of estrogen in vagina.It does help. Am a little apprehensive using it. My doctor says 3 times a week, my sister says once a week, because it is an estrogen cream. Any comments or advice.rp |
RE: Premarin for Itchiness in Vagina
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| My advice would be to experiment, over a period of weeks, to find the dose and frequency that will relieve your symptoms. Even though the doctor prescibes a particular dose, there is nothing wrong with using less. You might try the three times a week for two weeks, then wait until the symptoms return before you use the next application, see how many days that takes, if it's four days, next time use it after three days, then every three days thereafter. If the symptoms don't return for a week, then you know you can use it once a week, etc. It's also possible you may need less of a dose. I'm not familiar with how it is packaged so I dont know if it's possible to use less than the prescribed amount for each application, but if it's possible, you could also experiment with that aspect of the dose. For me the goal would be to use the least amount necessary to have the desired effect. Your sister is correct in saying Premarin is an estrogen preparation. That doesn't mean you have to be afraid of it. Yes, any estrogen increases your risk of cancer, but locally applied creams have the least risk, and it's a choice between suffering with all those vaginal and bladder symptoms or using estrogen responsibly and for only as long as you need it. |
RE: Premarin for Itchiness in Vagina/burning too!
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I too have had similiar symptoms but much more burning urogenitaly. I am 50.My Dr. has recommended "VAGIFEM". It is a vaginal pill:no mess at all. I have been using it less than a week. You might want to discuss about it with your Dr.
Has anyone else used Vagifem? I know of no one....Thanks, |
RE: Premarin for Itchiness in Vagina
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| Actually, there are a lot of vagifem users. Since it seems to be fairly effective, there are very few posts about it--only those still having problems tend to post. Many claim to have switched because of the lower "messiness" factor in the tiny pill as opposed to the creams. Another option for long term use is the Estring. It's a silicone ring, worn in the vagina, that releases very low (local) doses of estradiol for about three months. Unlike the creams or vagifem, however, the dose cannot be individually tailored. |
RE: Premarin for Itchiness in Vagina
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| I'm not sure how this preparation affects the male partner during intercourse. Intravaginal estrogen creams should not be applied for several hours before intercourse (ie they should not be used as a lubricant) because they can be absorbed into the body of the male partner. So far as I know the E-String is supposed to be removed before intercourse. I don't how one protects one's male partner from the estrogen in the vagifem tablet. Perhaps one of the people who uses this preparation could explain. |
RE: Premarin for Itchiness in Vagina
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| Good point Leigh. I'd like to know the answer to that also. I wonder how often it's used and what the recommendations are for when to use it in relationship to intercourse. Of course, the male could always use a condom to avoid exposure to the estrogen from creams, rings or tablets. |
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