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Anyone dealing with Atypical Ductal Hyperplasia (ADH)?
Breast Cancer | Last Active: Mar 20 11:43am | Replies (222)Comment receiving replies
Good Morning! Question for all, I had to take anastrozole for ADH diagnosis but had to stop because of side effects. I am left with extreme vaginal dryness thanks to the med and I guess menopause. What do people use to help? My doctor( GYN and breast surgeon in agreement) has prescribed a low dose vag estrogen cream( pea size 3 x a week), but I need something topical too. I am overwhelmed by the choices on the market and the whole trial-and-error process. Also trying to find one that is paraben free. I wish there was a vitamin one could take! ugh. 🙂 Please know I am not looking for medical advice, just trying to find out what is out there and what has worked for some. I just stare at the aisle in the store and online pulls up so many options. Also, I apologize if TMI but I figure women need to talk about this kind of stuff to get help.
Replies to "Good Morning! Question for all, I had to take anastrozole for ADH diagnosis but had to..."
I have some thoughts on this one....boy do I, ha ha!! I have extreme vaginal dryness and I have been using vaginal estrogen cream for a couple of years now. As a breast cancer survivor I worried but most of the current research and my doctors said it's pretty safe - as far as the amount of estrogen that is absorbed into your bloodstream, re: cancer recurrance. I didn't realize how bad your vaginal atrophy can become without it and got a little lax and oh boy....you don't want to do that. You can get (as I have) a prolapse of your bladder into your vagina, so keep after that cream and visits with your doctor on that. Also, I use the brand Replens. I've found it to work for general moisture and relief from the dryness. Also, with vaginal dryness and atrophy you can get more uti's and yeast infections.....yup, I just went through that, so make sure you keep either Replens or another brand, Rephresh on board regularly. If you have severe dryness (which I've managed to have) a doctor can prescribe a topical lidocane cream, in the event you get vulvodynia (pain in your vagina). I hope this helps and I hope you find relief and get a good plan to manage this very common concern. It was a surprise to me and I'm much more vigilant now. Hugs
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@leesal123, that is a really good question and worthy of a discussion on its own. Might you be comfortable starting a new discussion about solutions for vaginal dryness? It's definitely not TMI, but rather a topic that I'm sure many women would like answers for or have tips and solutions to offer.