Treatment Given Where It’s Needed
You can insert the Vagifem® 10 mcg insert with the slim applicator while standing up or lying down. You dont need to wash and reuse the applicator just dispose of it after use, as you would a tampon applicator. Learn more about how to take it, or read the complete instructions for taking Vagifem® in the Patient Information.
Is The Ingredient In Estrace Vaginal Cream The Same As In Premarin Vaginal Cream
Premarin is less expensive than estrase, so I want to know if the ingredients are the same or similar and if they are both equally effective. I only use 1/2 gram a week to strengthen vaginal wall after I experienced pelvic prolapse.
… normal? Sometimes it seems if the tube is 2-3 weeks old, it doesn’t absorb as well. Any thoughts?
Making Sexual Activities More Pleasurable
There are many products you can use to help make sexual activities more pleasurable. Examples are lubricants, lingerie, and sex toys. You can buy these online, over the phone, or from a specialty store.
The following is a list of specialty stores in New York City, as well as some national websites. You can buy products from these websites, no matter where you live. You can also search online for other specialty stores near you. MSK does not endorse any of these companies.
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Vaginal Estrogen Cream: Why And How To Use It
When hormones dont work like theyre supposed to, they can cause a variety of problems. Correcting these hormone levels is tricky and may include treatments that range from dietary changes to surgery. Another potential treatment for hormonal issues is a vaginal estrogen cream. Read on to discover how it works, how to use it, and any side effects you should watch out for.
What Are Bhrt Creams
Hormone creams are a popular way to undergo BHRT treatment. As the name suggests, this is a topical treatment. You apply the compounded cream, and your skin absorbs the hormones into your bloodstream.
Since the hot flashes, night sweats, dizziness, depression, and vaginal dryness can be debilitating, many patients choose this option since it is one of the easiest ways to receive estrogen or progesterone therapy.
Once your doctor decides that you are an eligible candidate for BHRT, they will determine the correct dosing for you.
Your doctor will need to determine how much estrogen or progesterone you need. The dosages are customized to you and your symptoms, whether they are mild or severe.
Once they do, you can take your prescription to a compounding pharmacy and ask the pharmacists to create a cream formula for you.
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What May Interact With This Medication
Do not take this medication with any of the following:
This medication may also interact with the following:
This list may not describe all possible interactions. Give your health care provider a list of all the medicines, herbs, non-prescription drugs, or dietary supplements you use. Also tell them if you smoke, drink alcohol, or use illegal drugs. Some items may interact with your medicine.
To Use Estradiol Gel Follow These Steps:
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How To Use Vaginal Estrogen Cream
If youre going through menopause and experiencing some of the discomforts of a hormonal imbalance, estrogen cream can help alleviate some of those symptoms.
To use vaginal estrogen cream, you need to be able to insert it into your vaginal canal. Follow these steps to get your applicator filled with the correct dosage:
- Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water.
- Remove the cap from the tube of vaginal cream.
- Screw the nozzle part of the applicator onto the open end of the tube.
- Find the correct dosage. The applicator has markings on it that indicate how much cream will be inserted. Your doctor will give you the dosage amount they want you to use.
- Gently squeeze the tube so the cream fills the applicator to the required dosage mark.
- Unscrew the applicator from the tube, replace the cap on the tube, and set the tube aside.
How to insert the applicator:
- Lie on your back.
- Pull your knees up toward your chest.
- Press the plunger to release the dosage of estrogen cream.
You need to clean your applicator after each use. Simply pull the plunger to remove it from the applicator barrel. Use mild soap and warm water to clean the applicator barrel and plunger. Dont use hot water or boil the applicator.
How Should This Medicine Be Used
Topical estradiol comes as a gel, a spray, and an emulsion to apply to the skin. It is usually applied once a day. Estradiol emulsion should be applied in the morning. Estradiol gel may be applied at any time of day, but should be applied at around the same time of day every day. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Use topical estradiol exactly as directed. Do not use more or less of it or use it more often than prescribed by your doctor.
If you are using estradiol gel, you should apply it in a thin layer to one arm, from the wrist to the shoulder. If you are using estradiol emulsion, you should apply it to both thighs and calves . Do not apply estradiol gel or emulsion to your breasts. Be sure that the skin where you will apply topical estradiol is clean and completely dry, and is not red, irritated, or broken.
If you take a bath or a shower or use a sauna, apply topical estradiol after you have finished bathing, showering or using the sauna and have dried your skin completely. If you plan to swim, allow as much time as possible between applying estradiol gel and swimming. Do not apply sunscreen shortly before, at the same time, or soon after you apply topical estradiol.
Estradiol gel may catch fire. When you apply estradiol gel, do not smoke or go near a fire or open flame until the gel dries.
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Can I Use Boric Acid Suppositories While Using Estrace Vaginal Cream
My doctor prescribed Estrace vaginal cream due to burning and itching NOT due to yeast infection or any other infection. I have been using boric acid suppositories almost every day to prevent yeast infections . Should I continue using boric acid supp. while using… read more
… applied it last night, can I have sex tonight and not transfer estrogen to my husband?
Does Estrogen Cream Make You Retain Water
Estrogen therapy increases osmotic sensitivity for mechanisms to retain body water so may help menopausal women control body fluids and avoid dehydration.
New research shows that women who have higher levels of the hormone estrogen not only look and feel more beautiful, but they behave more sexually aggressive, too Estrogen greatly impacts a womans fertility and has been shown to make women dress and behave more provocatively.
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What Are The Benefits Of Bioidentical Hormone Therapy
Since bio-identical hormones are not animal-derived or synthetic, they are generally well-tolerated. This treatment is a more natural type of hormone treatment because the hormones used are molecularly identical to the ones naturally occurring in the body. There are numerous benefits to this type of treatment.
Two of the most important benefits, however, are that research shows there may be fewer side effects with BHRT and more flexibility in adapting and changing doses than with traditional HRT. This allows for a quicker reduction in symptoms and a smoother return to improved quality of life.
The Most Critical Hormone Application Mistakes
Right now, Lets talk about the TWO most common mistakes women make with SHOWERING and Bioidentical Hormones.
1. Moisturizing their skin with lotions before applying their Bioidentical Hormones.
This is a real problem because the hormones are fat soluble. They WANT to snuggle up and absorb into the easiest fat around. So they will do so with the easiest and closest fat soluble substance possible.
If your skin has a layer of lotion on it, the hormones will stay on the surface of your skin all snuggled into the lotion that also is laying on your skin.
If you apply lotion to your skin and then apply hormones with the same bare hands the hormones may never even make it to your skin because they will PREFER to just absorb in the lotion on your hands!
So you won’t absorb your hormones very well at all if you are moisturizing the same places you are putting your hormones or if you are applying hormones with bare hands that have cream on them!
2. Moisturizing soaps! Even moisturizing soaps can leave a film of an oil based moisture residue on your skin preventing adequate absorption of your hormone creams. This isn’t as potent as a freshly applied layer of lotion after you get out of the shower, but these soaps can be problematic.
The winter is a common time for a lot of disappointment too because women are moisturizing far more frequently AND more aggressively because the weather is dryer and colder causing our skin to be dryer.
HOW TO PREVENT THESE COMMON MISHAPS!
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Where Should I Keep My Medication
Keep out of the reach of children and pets.
Store at room temperature between 15 and 30 degrees C . Protect from temperatures above 40 degrees C . Do not freeze. Throw away any unused medication after the expiration date.
NOTE: This sheet is a summary. It may not cover all possible information. If you have questions about this medicine, talk to your doctor, pharmacist, or health care provider.
Other Options For Vaginal Dryness:
It is clear that estrogen can be absorbed into the blood stream whether it is taken orally or intra-vaginally. That means that the benefits and risks of estrogen should be roughly comparable, regardless of the route of administration.
Many women would like to know what they can do, besides taking estrogen, to deal with vaginal dryness. There are a number of other options that can be considered. Visitors to this website have shared their experiences with non-traditional approaches:
Coconut Oil
I have been using coconut oil for vaginal dryness for quite some time and find it solves the problem. I use it whenever I feel an irritation occurring. It can be applied manually with the finger but this does not always get it to the irritated spot. I use a plastic plunger-type applicator that came with a vaginal lubricant I bought on line.
The coconut oil comes in a jar and turns to a liguid if kept in a warm location, but turns solid if in a cool location not necessarily in the fridge. If you have the plunger, all you need to do is be sure the oil is fairly solid and use a clean spoon to pack it in the plunger no problem. Vonnie
Olive Oil
Alove Vera Gel
My husband and I cant use KY Jelly or any other brand of lubricant we have tried. They make me itch and burn.
We have found, though, that the slimy gel that oozes from aloe leaf when you break off a piece is a very good lubricant. I hope this will add to your uses of aloe vera and help another couple.
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About Your Vulvovaginal Health
The parts of your vulva are:
- The inner and outer lips of your labia . The inner lips are called labia minora and the outer lips are called labia majora .
- Your clitoris .
- The opening of your urethra . The urethra is a tube that carries urine out of your body.
Figure 1. Your vulva
Some people can take the hormone estrogen to slow down this process. However, its not a safe choice for everyone. A hormone is a chemical that helps control how different parts of your body work.
Vaginal and vulvar dryness is a common problem for many people. There are ways to improve this. Below are some suggestions to help you manage vaginal and vulvar dryness and tightness. Talk with your healthcare provider about which ones may work best for you.
How Long After Applying Hormone Cream Can I Shower
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Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is one of the most popular requests we receive at our compounding pharmacy today. Naturally, if you are just beginning this treatment , you will have lots of questions. Many patients often ask, How long after applying hormone cream can I shower?
In this post, we will address the topic of hormone creams and aftercare, including how long you need to wait before showering or swimming.
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How Long Does It Take Estrogen Cream To Work
As we know, optimized hormones are essential for so many aspects of your health. They play a role in weight management, muscle tone, mood, sex drive, bone health, cognitive health, heart health and how your body manages pain. As hormone levels change you can experience a number of unpleasant symptoms that can severely impact your health and general well-being.
A bioidentical Estrogen cream is a great way to balance your hormones if you have low or depleted levels of estrogen. One of the most common reasons for this is menopause, which can lead to many difficult symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, pain during sex, a loss of bladder control, lower bone density, mood changes and changes in your metabolism.
All these symptoms can be very difficult to deal with and can have a huge impact on quality of life. However, using an estrogen replacement such as natural bio-identical estrogen cream can help raise estrogen levels in the body and reclaim a sense of normality.
If you are looking at using estrogen cream to help with any of these symptoms, to improve you skin, or for any other reason then one of the questions you are likely to want to ask is how long will it take to work?
Our Estrogen cream contains a two-month supply at one pump a day, therefore there should be plenty of time to feel the impact.
How Long Should You Undergo Hrt
Hormone replacement therapy is only recommended for a menopausal woman with severe menopausal symptoms or a patient who cant produce estrogen after going through a surgical procedure to remove the ovaries. Women who started taking HRT because of premature menopause may continue the treatment until they naturally expect menopause, but most patients only undergo HRT for about 5 years.
Although HRT is extremely effective, its also associated with serious risks. The dosage prescribed by the doctor must be low enough to relieve symptoms without affecting the patients overall health.
Most patients are reluctant to stop HRT once they start it because theyre afraid that the symptoms might return, which is why doctors suggest easing off HRT first before completely stopping the treatment.
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Side Effects And Risks
Different women undergo different hormone replacement therapies that are customized for their needs. During the treatment, most patients experience mild side effects, such as:
- Breakthrough bleeding
- Breast tenderness
These symptoms typically go away as the bodys progestogen, progestin, and estrogen levels return to normal. But if the symptoms persist, its better to call the doctor to make necessary adjustments to the treatment.
As effective as they are in relieving painful symptoms and reducing the risk of some health conditions, HRT also increases a patients risk of developing other diseases, such as:
- Deep Vein Thrombosis Blood clots might form inside the veins during HRT. The risk increases for patients who take oral HRT instead of patches or topical creams. Patients who combine progestogen with oestrogen also experience an increased risk of blood clots.
- Heart Disease and Stroke Women in their 60s who are taking combined HRT have an increased risk of developing heart disease or stroke. On the other hand, women who take HRT around the normal time of their menopause experience a lower risk of developing these conditions.
- Breast Cancer Breast cancer risk is higher for patients who take combined HRT instead of estrogen alone. Women over 50 years old who have been using HRT for less than five years have a significantly lower risk of developing breast cancer.
How Estrogen Cream Works
There are many natural and medical ways to help the symptoms that come along with menopause. While many women will feel the effects of menopause in different ways, they may be looking to try to feel the way that they used to before their estrogen levels started to lessen. This can be a very natural response to menopause and that is why there are so many ways to try to help yourself.
Menopause usually started to happen to women after their forties. It can cause their estrogen levels to decrease and cause symptoms like mood changes, vaginal dryness, itchiness, hot flashes, night sweats, slowed metabolism, and weight gain. While all women will experience menopause in their own way, these symptoms will cause some to want to find ways to keep themselves comfortable with these new changes. That is where things like estrogen replacement therapy come in. These can be as easy as taking a pill each day or applying cream.
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