Estradiol Vaginal Cream

@bbeebe1943

Hi,

Have been taking estradiol vaginal cream for nearly 3 years..twice weekly …low dose,,,1/4gram or 0.1 mg with no side effects whatsoever or hair loss. In fact they say using estrogen even in low doses actually prevents more hair loss which is common in women with low estrogen after menopause and as we age. I have bladder prolapse, use a pessary which I remove twice a week to use the estradiol. I do notice the times the pessary is out overnight there is more frequent urination at night….not so with the pessary in. For reference I am a healthy 80 year old with a healthy head of hair lol. Of course there are other factors that contribute to that including diet. Hope some of this information helps.
Have you seen a urogynecologist to check for prolapse?

FL Mary

im with mary have used cream + vag. tabs with no trouble im 91 and using the estral lets me leave the house and live a normal day.

Thanks very much, obviously I have a lot to learn! I will be 79 in January. I've seen a urologist; didn't know there was such a title as urogyn...

Thanks very much for sharing your experience. I can't imagine why my frequent urination only happens at night when I've been lying flat. Weird.

@bbeebe1943

As we age there is a decrease in an anti diuretic hormone that helps to control the amount of fluid in our bodies. When we lose most of this hormone we lose the ability to hold it until morning. Sometimes our bodies make too much urine at night. If we drink too much fluid in the evening or drink caffeine in the evening or even have chocolate, we will pee more at night. Another cause is an UTI. You can have an UTI without any of the usual symptoms and not know it. It could be medication. Our bladder muscles are weaker as we age. …we are making less estrogen. You could have restless leg syndrome or just not be a good sleeper….once you are awake, you feel the urge to go. Normally we should sleep 6 to 8 hours without having to pee. You could be dehydrated during the day and not produce enough urine to pee as much.
Let’s blame it all on the aging process.

I know if my mind is racing or I just can’t sleep,I am up and sometimes the release of urine is just a trickle. My cause is prolapse. I have, on occasion, slept 6 or 7 hours without waking up. My normal night is waking up after 2 or 3 hours…4 hours is a good stretch. I try to be conscious of what I drink or eat after 7. Last night I had an urge for hot coco and knew ….just knew…I would be awake but drank it anyway at 9 pm. Bad move but I did get to watch all the old movies on TCM. I still arise at the usual time. How much I pee during the day depends a lot on how much water I drink but I can go hours.

Good grief I hope I didn’t overshare lol.

FL Mary

I want to add comment about using estrogen cream (or other form of estrogen) for treatment . If you have had breast cancer, check with provider / oncologist before using any product with estrogen.

It may be OK in your situation, depends on type of breast cancer and type of treatment.

You do not want to solve one problem and cause another.

Laurie

Thank you, Mary. I do not produce a lot of urine; in fact, I am dehydrated sometimes because I do not want to have to get up so many times during the night, so I don't drink enough fluids. And I don't have to go urgently, I lie there thinking, oh, no, not again. Without exaggeration, some nights/mornings, I was going to the bathroom more than 10 times, not producing much urine when I went. I have had 2 tests for a UTI; both were negative. I have seen a urologist a couple of times and boy, was that painful. She filled my bladder so full and asked me to tell her when I couldn't take it any more. She said I have a very sensitive bladder. I had an ultrasound at the local hospital to rule out kidney or other problems. The urologist said it's either the cream or taking hormones orally for some time to see if that helps. She also recommended taking melatonin with a couple of additives (I can't recall right now what they are) before bedtime to help me sleep. She is sending me info on taking the hormones; I guess it's not simple and isn't okay for everyone. The good news is that the condition has calmed down a bit to maybe 5 times a night. Don't ask me why.

@bbeebe1943

Well its great you have gone to the doctors and they have ruled out an UTI and, I presume, a prolapse. Perhaps you could drink during the day....make a goal of some kind and then decrease the fluids in early evening. Most of us don't drink enough water anyway. Melatonin never worked for me.....magnesium glycinate is calming but start with only 1 per day...I switched that one from night to morning.

I don't think anything can overcome a racing mind and what we really need is sleep. May I suggest advil pm maybe...lots of older people I know rely on that for better sleep. I don't use it because it is ototoxic. You sound like me...bladder doesn't wake me up...I just wake up, and, like you get up.

Let me know how you do on your journey to restful sleep and if you find something that work's for you.

Sweet dreams

FL Mary

I think the Melatonin works for a few hours maybe...then it wears off and yeah, my mind is hard to calm down. I can't take Advil; I take Xarelto (A-fib) and the only OTC pain killer I can take is Tylenol.
Sweet dreams to you, as well.

Melatonin is a sleep hormone, it makes you fall asleep, but does not keep you sleeping! I just had a meeting with my endocrinologist from the Mayo in MN, and she (a rather young,energetic woman) told me that my sodium level is to low. to correct this, I should drink less. It is an old myth that we should drink so much, she wants me to drink no more than 2 liters every day (0,528 gallons). The nice side effect is that I can sleep for 6 and more hours, without needing to go to the bathroom at night.