My 50 year old vagina hates me

[littlehands]

If you are able to see a gyno, have yourself checked for lichen sclerosis. It's an autoimmune disease that can include the symptoms you mentioned. Do you have any white spots in the area? That's a pretty telltale sign visually. Lichen sclerosis isn't curable, but it can be treated, managed and put into remission.

[mommy24babes]

Could you have a minor yeast infection? I get those symptoms from that.

[MandaMommy2]

I went to my ObGYN today for my yearly Pap smear and she told me to discontinue the vaginal estrogen cream her PA had prescribed me while she was on vacation. She told me that the estrogen cream was overkill and to just pick up a vaginal moisturizer and use it 3 times a week. It's different from lube. It's meant just for vaginal dryness so you'll still need to use lube during sex. Plus an added bonus was that it was only $4.99 at my local grocery store. It couldn't hurt to try it out.

[dani_p]

Thanks for all the replies! I love that I'm not the only one going through this. It's ridiculous how little info there is out there.

I'm feeling much better now that the most recent tears have mostly healed. Still haven't had sex yet... But that may be a while

What I'm doing:

1.) Coconut oil daily. I also plan to use it as lubrication when we eventually have sex. This has helped so much with the itching/irritation!

2.) Smoky Mountain Naturals Estriol cream (ordered from Amazon). Holy crap! Trouble falling/staying asleep is another problem associated with low estrogen. I just assumed I was still recovering from my daughter's night wakings (she just night weaned about 10 days ago). It may just be a coincidence, but after using the cream for the first time last night, I actually slept!!! Not sure if it will help with the vaginal atrophy... Fingers crossed!

I'll update here with my progress. I'm determined to breastfeed AND have a sex life.

[swrlgrl105]

Originally Posted by littlehands If you are able to see a gyno, have yourself checked for lichen sclerosis. It's an autoimmune disease that can include the symptoms you mentioned. Do you have any white spots in the area? That's a pretty telltale sign visually. Lichen sclerosis isn't curable, but it can be treated, managed and put into remission.

totally agree with this. I had the symptoms you mentioed off and on forever and finally went to the gyno thinking i had some weird from of BV or a yeast infection and was diagnosed with Lichen Sclerosis, but didnt have the white patches, just a million cuts that itched and hurt soooo bad. I cant remember what cream i was given but it helped a ton!

[carriek38]

Originally Posted by dani_p I am only 28 years old.... but I feel like I'm 50. I have (self-diagnosed) lactation induced vaginal atrophy. From what I gather, it is a fairly common, yet seldom discussed side effect of nursing. Low estrogen leads to menopause-like symptoms. Sex is bearable-ish... and sometimes enjoyable. The aftermath is NOT. It is the WORST thing I have ever endured. Ever. I get a bajillion micro-tears that itch like nothing I've ever experienced as they heal. Because of the itching and the involuntary scratching, they take a week or more to heal. I am up half the night in agony... crying and willing myself not to scratch. I am like a zombie all day; unable to perform even minor tasks. Sometimes even walking around the house is painful. My daughter is 13 months old and I'm not willing to force her to wean before she is ready. Has anyone else gone through this? What has worked for you? I prefer natural or homeopathic remedies if possible. I don't have insurance at the moment and can't really afford to see a doctor. At this point, I'm ready to avoid any sexual contact until my daughter weans... my husband, on the other hand disagrees.

It's a little bit different b/c mine isn't bf-related or hormonal...I recently had an allergic reaction to the solution they used when I had my IVF retrieval. It gave me OMGFIRECROTCH w/ itching & inflammation both internal and external. I couldn't use anything internal b/c of risk of infection, but I used a couple of things externally & woke myself up from the itching...scratching caused multiple little tears (of course). I eventually resorted to some CJ's that was up in the cabinet, leftover from CDing DD. It was like magic. It helped heal the tears, calm the itching, and life goes on.

[Spunkify]

I agree re: allergic reaction. You could be reacting to something, especially if you're using condoms or lube. I have to use a "dry" condom, can't use spermicides or certain lubes, or else I have the same symptoms you do. It's much easier for me/us to buy a dry condom and use a lube I know I don't react to if necessary. Here's the condoms we use, LINK.

It could also be a PH issue, which may or may not be related to yeast infection. To fix that you could treat you and your DH for a yeast infection and use something like the "RePHresh" linke, LINK.