Estradiol topical for Atrophic Vaginitis User Reviews

• Ell...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 21, 2020

"Horrible itching, burning, swelling from any topical estrogen I tried - Estrace, Vagifem, Premarin. After 3 years of suffering, all with normal cultures (no infection), I insisted on biopsy of vulva - showed probable hypersensitivity reaction from allergy!!! Stopped all estrogens, but atrophic vaginitis returned with different burning and dryness, and painful sex. Then researched and found out that topical estrogens can cause all my symptoms from allergic reaction to the preservatives and other ingredients! My gyn had no clue. I researched this, and told doctor to order Estriol cream in VERSABASE cream base - VERSABASE is hypoallergenic. I AM CURED - the compounded Estriol in VERSABASE has fixed my atrophic vaginitis without allergic reaction. I have my vagina back! Find a compounding pharmacy - I use Estriol 1 mg/gram compounded - daily x 2 weeks then twice a week. Call around as the different compounding pharmacies have huge price differences for the same compound. Good luck!!!!"

• twi...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 23, 2016

"So, I was prescribed this and was shocked when I went to the pharmacy, and she said $135. Dr. never mentioned this. I said, 'doesn't my insurance pay anything on this?' She checked and said, 'It's normally $350.00' or something. I was really angry. Angry, embarrassed and this whole experience is humiliating to women. Why do I think a prescription of Viagra has a co-pay of like $10? IT'S TIME TO STOP DISCRIMINATING AGAINST WOMEN. Especially us older women!! That is ridiculous!! I did not buy it, I was so angry. I may... but I doubt it. I was prescribed this with an oral progesterone -- anyone have experience with these two items combined? Thanks for letting me air that - take heed, Big Pharma."

• Won...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 18, 2021

"I was prescribed Vagifem finally after a year of burning, painful sex and constant urine infections. Literally after 3 days, the burning was 70% better and I actually enjoyed sex for the first time in ages! Totally recommend Vagifem and I've had zero side effects. Still got every other perimenopause symptom but one less to deal with is a huge relief! Good luck, ladies!"

• Jla...
• May 28, 2013

"I'm 71 years old. The tearing and associated pain started a few months ago. Just hoped it would go away but it did not. I would not let my husband touch me. Spoke with 2 doctors I know and they said it's normal but Estrace would help. It did. My prescription is dated 3/7/2013. Within 10 days, the tearing stopped and all was healed. Use 1 gram 3x a week. Nothing bad has happened. My libido nearly immediately was through the roof. I am amazed and nobody needs to try and take this medicine away from me! I'm loving it and my husband is happy too. Yes, my age up there is right."

• Zer...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 3, 2021

"The pessaries might be fine, but the packaging is insane. Each pessary has its own plastic applicator and is individually wrapped in foil and plastic. It's an absolute disgrace. Pessaries and one reusable applicator, please. Stop wrecking the planet with this sort of ridiculous overpackaging."

• Gal...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 17, 2020

"I left a comment in August regarding Vagifem and gave it 10/10 for curing my symptoms of repeated urinary tract infections, but over the last few weeks since starting a new box of Vagifem, I have noticed that for the first 2 days after using it, I too am getting a stinging feeling in the vagina, which also makes me feel like I have a urinary tract infection and tingling in the breasts, which I have not experienced before. Reluctantly, I have stopped the medication as these new symptoms are too uncomfortable, and I am wondering if the manufacturer has changed the formula. Not happy."

• let...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• July 16, 2013

"I'm 65 and had ovaries removed 11 years ago, along with uterus and cervix. Since then, I have almost no sex drive and intercourse was super painful. Estrace Vaginal Cream really helps, and I only have to use a pea-sized dab every other day. Just using a finger to apply at bedtime works great. It seems to me that the dire warnings about using estrogens are misleading since no studies have been done on just vaginal estradiol rather than on oral estrogen, and much higher doses are still prescribed than are needed for maintenance. Without Estrace Vaginal Cream, intercourse would be impossible, and my husband would be very unhappy."

• Poo...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• March 10, 2020

"Does anyone know if any of the ingredients have changed recently? I have been using Vagifem for almost 15 years once a week and never experienced any burning, but recently, out of the blue, I have burning and cannot understand why, as I am using the brand and not the generic as that caused horrible problems. It works great but not happy with the irritation. Thank you."

• Gra...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 6, 2019

"I am 71 years old and my doctor prescribed estradiol for vaginal atrophy. I was reluctant to try it, but my symptoms worsened, so I started the estradiol three times a week. After a few weeks, I was symptom-free and feeling great. However, after three months, my symptoms gradually returned, and now I have burning all day and the urination urgency off and on during the day. My symptoms abate at night. My doctor doesn’t have any answers as to why the medication stopped working. Does anyone else have this problem, and what was your solution?"

• AEa...
• October 23, 2019

"Amneal had two companies producing their Yuvafem product. One company located in the USA (pink packaging) and the other in Denmark (blue packaging). I did not experience issues with the product manufactured in Denmark although the packaging was inferior to Vagifem. Amneal no longer uses the company in Denmark. The product in the pink packaging manufactured in the USA is as awful as the many negative reviews reflect. Burning and itching was the worse negative symptoms for me. Why is the FDA not aggressively addressing this? I have been battling with Amneal and it isn't a pleasant experience. I plan to escalate to the Attorney General of my state. Unfortunately, too many politicians take money from the pharmaceutical companies so they do nothing to help stop this abuse. I also take issue with the majority of insurance companies refusing to cover Vagifem or charge exorbitant copays for a medication women need to maintain good health, yet many have no problem with covering Viagra."

• Man...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 12, 2021

"Worst 'medication' I've ever had. Horrific headache, couldn't even get up out of bed safely the day after one and only application, extreme nausea and dizziness, next few days spotting, vaginal pain, burning for the next two weeks until I took some acid regulators. Subsequently have been sleepless, extremely low on energy, cystitis, cold sore - basically everything saying the body's taken a beating. One pessary. Still battling it four weeks later. Never again."

• Sar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 30, 2019

"I was using Estrace and was doing very well. Then they approved the generic Estradiol. I can already tell the difference. I’m itching and sex is painful again. Estrace is too expensive now that the generic has been released. Also, Allergan offered free applicators but Mylan won’t even answer an email regarding this. I think it's very unsanitary to expect one to reuse the tubes. Allergan won’t even respond when I asked if I could buy the applicators for the generic. I did find them on Amazon for $33 a bag. Thinking about paying full price for the Estrace to get the free applicator program again. I’m going to try this generic a few more times. If I don’t see improvement and still have issues, I’m stopping it and reporting it to the FDA. Does anyone else have problems with generic but was doing great on Estrace brand?"

• whi...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 6, 2021

"I'm 65 years old. I started Imvexxy when I turned 62, and it worked for me. I thought life was great again. Then I turned 65, and Medicare/Blue Cross entered my life. The price is over $200 a month for me, and of course, my insurances will not cover that at all, so it is out of my pocket! I had to turn to a different brand. This brand does not work for me, sad to say. Why would Imvexxy get you hooked and then once you really need it at our age and you can't afford it!"

• sam...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 3, 2020

"I tried Vagifem for two weeks, and while I think it probably helped with soreness inside and plumped things up, it also caused irritation of the urethra, whereby I had a constant pressure, feeling like a need to wee all the time, burning, and stinging inside. I couldn't live with it, and it kept waking me up at night. These symptoms started when I used Vagifem and stopped when I stopped it. I really hope there is an alternative, as I think, for many, Vagifem is a miracle."

• Lol...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 9, 2021

"I've been using Vagifem for a few months now & definitely took several weeks for my symptoms to calm down. Before using this, my entire vaginal area had become dry, hypersensitive & sore, and sex was so painful. Vagifem has restored lubrication & I feel like me again, so happy with results. Also, I have had no hot flashes since I started taking it & these were happening multiple times a night. I also have not had a UTI since & have been having them every couple of months most of my adult life."

• Cha...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• May 7, 2021

"I have been using Vagifem for many years now, and although it's helped my symptoms a great deal, I find the recommended dosage of 1 pessary twice a week is not enough to keep me comfortable. However, my doctor refuses to prescribe me any extra. Imagine my surprise on visiting the Menopause Matters site to find many women there are prescribed it 5 times a week as twice a week doesn't relieve their symptoms. Apparently, each Vagifem pessary used to be 25mcg (equal to 50mcg a week), but for some unknown reason, they reduced it to 10mcg per pessary (which equals 20mcg a week)."

• Ano...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 19, 2018

"For those who commented about burning from using Estrace... I also had burning from it. My research led me to believe that the propylene glycol and/or glycerin in the product were the culprits. I switched to a hypoallergenic form of estradiol from a good compounding pharmacy and that solved the problem. No burning and the estradiol was so helpful."

• Ley...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 3, 2014

"Just posting an update from my last post a few months ago. The hypoallergenic estradiol (basically, a compounded version of Estrace from a compounding pharmacy) continues to be very effective for me - relieving vaginal burning/pain and urinary urgency/frequency. For women out there suffering those issues in perimenopause (when it hit me), know that it was suggested that I had interstitial cystitis and that I was off-base when I told doctors I was reacting badly to propylene glycol and glycerin, ingredients in many vaginal products. The compounded version of Estrace has been SO helpful for me and after many painful, difficult months, I feel myself again."

• Sex...
• March 30, 2016

"Very sexually active until severe abrupt menopausal symptoms at 55. AV symptoms the most bothersome as overnight I shrunk up, dried up, itched, burned, and tore. Intercourse was out of the question. Dr. gave me a sample of Estrace Vaginal cream. I admit I was afraid to use it and had little faith that it would help, so I used only a pearl-sized amount on clean, dry skin every night for 2 weeks. That amount is sufficient to cover all the external parts and more, it emulsifies. I am COMPLETELY healed as far as pain with intercourse and also pain upon urination. It was a MIRACLE for me. Side note: If you stop using it (3X a week after the initial 2-week nightly use), you'll be back at square 1. I give Estrace a 10+ rating C: A tube lasted 6 months"

• den...
• November 18, 2013

"I am 50 years old and post-menopausal - basically in full menopause. I was prescribed this cream for thinning of the vaginal wall. I had increased urinary tract infections. I believe it helps with my libido which had dropped to zero! I hope this review helps. I didn't have dryness or pain with intercourse. My urologist prescribed it for me. It is really great to have doctors who 'KNOW' what we are going through as females."

• Anonymous
• October 20, 2017

"Help! Can anybody who has had burning after using this horrible cream tell me how long does the burning last? Anyway how do you stop the burning? I put it in once and have been burning for 24 hours... any way to stop the burn?"

• Cee...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 16, 2016

"I've been married for 35 years. After menopause, intercourse became impossible due to dryness and pain. I do not go to the doctor as often as I should, so I suffered for years and tried to find 'natural remedies' on my own to no avail. I finally gave in and went to a gynecologist. I was embarrassed to even tell him, but I knew I had to do something. He was familiar with the problem and put me on Estrace cream. Within days, I was a new person. Saved my life and my marriage. Excellent results and fast!"

• kap...
• March 31, 2014

"Vagifem truly changed my life. Intercourse was almost impossible for me before my doctor prescribed Vagifem. Intercourse felt like knives in my vagina, and my tissues were so dry, raw, and painful that I was in constant pain. I have been using it now for about a month, and the difference is unbelievable. No more pain or irritation. No side effects so far."

• Mar...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 30, 2015

"I used Vagifem as prescribed by my Gyn. I used this product as directed for on an off for a period of 2 years. I developed fallopian and ovarian cancer last year. I have had to have a hysterectomy-oophorectomy and excision of tumors. I feel that this was related to my taking the Vagifem even though my Gyn stated that this was a small dose of hormone and would not cause any adverse problems. I have since found that this is not the truth!"

• MoB...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• March 17, 2019

"I had painful sex, vaginal bleeding, thrush for years due to a very early hysterectomy. I've been using Vagifem for seven years now and my life has completely turned around. I was first prescribed its use in the UK every time I had vaginal bleeding, but a wonderful gynae in South Africa told me that I should be on small doses for the rest of my life."