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.

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

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.

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,

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.

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.

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.

My wife tried for years to stop her vaginal itching. Nothing, MONISTAT cream, the pills the doctor gave her, or the other over the counter fungal creams worked. She couldn�t use steroids because of her diabetes. The best that she could hope for was to make the itching tolerable with the creams. I am not a doctor, but after searching the internet, I found a combination of answers that finally worked for her. The first is that we put away all her panties. She is too modest to go out in public without anything on, so we bought her men�s boxer shorts. She hated wearing them (but not as much as going commando); however, they allowed the air to keep her vagina dry. She made a solution of peroxide and water and put it in a squirt bottle to rinse with each time she went to the bathroom. Each time she wore the boxers or used a towel, they were washed in hot water with bleach. The result is that the itching she�d lived with for years went away. This solution may not work for everyone, but it did for her and cost very little to try.