Vaginal estrogen treatments (local or topical estrogen) is an effective form of HRT for treating vaginal symptoms, such as dryness, redness, itchiness, soreness, and inflammation. While hot flashes and other symptoms usually subside once the menopausal transition is complete, genital and urinary symptoms can persist and rarely go away without treatment. For certain single symptoms – such vaginal dryness – over the counter lubricants and moisturizers may bring adequate relief. But for multiple or more severe symptoms, vaginal estrogens are recommended as the next step. There are three types: cream, pessary (a small tablet insert in the vagina), or a ring (a soft silicon ring inserted in the vagina). It can be taken in addition to the estrogen in HRT and can also be taken alongside progestogen and testosterone treatments.
How effective has local estrogen been for relieving your symptoms?
Please share your review with the Caria community:
This poll ran on the Caria community site and is now closed. The final results are below.
- Very effective50.00%26 votes
- Somewhat effective40.38%21 votes
- Not effective9.62%5 votes
52 responses in total.
Community comments
16Real experiences shared by the community, from the original discussion to today.
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Share what worked for you — comments are reviewed before they appear.
Kate6 years ago
I was described pessaries and then the cream version by my GP after I persistently had the threat of urine infections and vaginal soreness. She reassured me that both versions are very low dosages and not systemic like other HRT meds. I found the cream more effective than the pessaries and have been using it for about a year. It has made a huge difference and I honestly don’t know how I’d do without it now.
Leslie5 years ago
If you don’t mind, how has it helped you? Like what type of symptoms went away or got better?
Andrea6 years ago
Tried the estrogen cream, works for me. I’m now 14years into a surgical menopause. Having not taken anything else for my symptoms.
Beth6 years ago
I would love to know if anyone has been prescribed this by their GP whilst taking tamoxifen following breast cancer. My consultant is considering it for me due to perimenopause symptoms which are painful and upsetting. I am so limited with anything containing oestrogen but can’t go on like this forever! Such a balancing act which is all so stressful.
Kelly3 months ago
My oncologist and primary told me they would feel safe giving it to me while I’m on tamoxifen because it stays local to that area.
Jolange6 years ago
Earlier this year after a lot of complaining to my young female doctor about odd sensations in the vaginal area and several infections a different doctor suggested it could all be down to dryness so I started with the cream, very uncomfortable to apply at first due to the dryness (chicken and egg?) the applicator would snag on dryness so I then had sore spots, back to the doctor and no help so I used cream more often then I began to have bleeds again, so stopped that eventually I worked out how to insert the applicator to different levels on different days to help, I still get dryness and use a lubricant externally as well is cream internally. The manufacturers could do with making a friendlier shaped applicator. I still get dryness most days but not so uncomfortable I can’t sit or walk. I would appreciate any other advice.
Jolange5 years ago
It would seem my brain fog has reached the point of brain absence as this is second comment I have made on this subject saying same thing! ??
Kelly3 months ago
I talked to both my oncologist and my primary about starting vaginal estrogen. My primary actually told me not to use the applicator. She said it won’t get where it really needs to be and most of it will just come out. She said to measure it out and use your finger to apply it so you can get it all around the walls where it really needs to be.
Leslie5 years ago
I just picked this up today, along with Effexor XR. I’m praying this stuff works! I’ll definitely update later! Oh, I’m waiting 3-4 weeks after starting the Effexor to limit difficulty telling what’s working. Any and all advice is happily excepted!
Lori5 years ago
What does the efferx do
Jolangereplying to Lori5 years ago
Please, please go back and talk to your Doctor again before taking Effexor for too long. I do not want to scare you but I do want you to know. I hope that I am wrong and that I have two similar named drugs mixed up. I was prescribed Effexer XL several years ago as an antidepressant and am presently going through the worst withdrawal trying to change to a different one because Effexor no longer works for me, I was on the highest dose possible because my dr increased it every time I had a dip in mood. I believe now that a lot of the depression symptoms I am and have been treated for relate more to menopause and fear than depression, but I am also now not sure if depression isn’t the catch all for drs ‘mental health we don’t know’. Good luck.
Heidireplying to Lori4 years ago
It’s an antidepressant. I’ve been on it for years. Wish I could stop taking it but the side effects are awful.
Jackie5 years ago
I am 55 and have been perimenopausal for the past 3 years or so, last bleed about a year ago so I guess I have come out the other side now. I had been experiencing increasing dryness, soreness, discomfort sitting, intercourse caused bleeding (even when using lubricant gel) and I had a long-standing urinary tract infection so I sought advice from my GP. She prescribed a course of antibiotics to treat the UTI plus Ovestin (estriol 1mg cream for internal use) to solve everything else. It worked! I inserted a dose every night for a week and then twice a week thereafter. It took effect very quickly, within a matter of days really. The relief from discomfort was liberating. I agree with other comments about the applicator being badly designed but you get used to it and the positive effects of the medication help ease the application. From the survey results at the top of this article it looks like the internal cream is not effective for everyone but for me it was a real turning point and I would certainly recommend trying it.
Jolange5 years ago
I have the cream but find when I am dry that the applicator is sharp and causes damage, it has no rounding across the top and even to my finger the edges are sharp. I spoke to the Dr and pharmacist who won’t inform producers as nobody else has made the same complaint, what if 1 at every surgery and every pharmacy is reporting this ? Bet that’s a few thousand.
Steff5 years ago
I had dryness, what felt like a terrible uti (but wasn’t) and pelvic pain for a few weeks. My GP prescribed vagifem and estriol cream. I’ve now been using the Vagifem pessary for a month and it has helped enormously. That and Yes VM during the day. Feeling so much better. The applicator isn’t great but it’s not too bad - worth it in my opinion.
Foxy5 years ago
Hi Steff. It was comforting to read your comment here. I just started a few days ago taking Vagifem and haven’t noticed anything really yet. Have you had any issues with it or thrush? Has it made sex more comfortable- if you don’t mind me asking? Thanks ?