I have been on Tamoxifen orginally and will get swapped to AI once everyone convinced i am post menopausal. Feel really lucky doing it this way as i know if cant manage AI side effect can go back to tamoxifen. I have had no big symptoms with tamoxifen and could happily take for 10yrs. Remember you are important as a person its not just anout putting up with side effects. Ask about % difference drug actually makes in your case and also ask for ongoing help and support. Your breast nurse / breast care now nurse. Menapause clinic referal. Have you had a look at menapause and cancer facebook/ podcasts. Lots of exeperts doing podcasts around these topics. Really hope you get a sokution to SE that lets you enjoy life again.
My vaginal atrophy started mid chemo, itās horrendous and I completely sympathise.
Tried all sorts of hormone free treatments and nothing touched it.
It was agreed in the end that my quality of life was so bad because of it that estriol 1% cream was the only option. You use it on an applicator so it targets the area directly.
I had concerns as my cancer was triple positive but the consultant assured me that the risks are minimal because itās such a low dose and is absorbed in a completely different way to other hormone treatments.
I have to say, itās changed my life for the better.
I honestly do understand your concerns but please speak to your oncologist or GP and keep pushing until you get help, you shouldnāt have to suffer xx
Hi . Iām on Letrozole too and had the same problems ā¦ itās due to the lack of Oestrogen . My oncologist agreed to me having Estrogel intervaginal cream that I use twice weekly . This has helped a lot . There is also an online company called NAYDAYA that sell Victory Oil which has great reviews so maybe worth a try xx
I see you have lots of helpful responses. Just wanted to say I swapped from Letrozole to Exemestane because of side effects and the vaginal issues are now way better. Almost normal. Hope you find a way forward x
Thank you everyone for all the advice and kind words. Iām not a particularly pushy person, but I think I need to have more conversations with my gp and oncologist about alternatives/ risks etc - youāre all so right that we shouldnāt have to suffer unnecessarilyā¦
I havenāt really thought to consider a menopause clinic or watch YouTube podcasts- as I thought that breast cancer kind of excludes you from all the advice and treatment! @edna a friend has also recommended NAYDAY - but I was worried that although itās natural, I wouldnāt be allowed to use it! So thank you
Iāll keep you all posted xx
I have a friend who has not had cancer but menopausal and tried Naydaya and had a terrible allergic reaction. She spends hundreds of pounds trying the latest thing for vaginal dryness and has never been to her GP. I have suggested she go to GP or even pay privately for a menopause clinic but she seems to think that all these new companies trying sell us menopause stuff is the way to go. She still hasnāt found anything to help.
For me I would rather see GP or menopause specialist and see what can be prescribed privately or NHS and know that it has been thoroughly tested and approved for use, which many of these companies do not have the research behind their products.
Another sufferer here. My consultant told me that I could not use estriol cream with Letrozole but that I could switch to Tamoxifen for a few months and use it with that. I decided to stay with the Letrozole.
I have a prescription for Hyalo Femme which I have to use every day to keep UTIs at bay (severe atrophy) but it works. For sex, I find that hormonal creams are the only thing that work with my atrophy which kicked in two years after menopause.
If you want to try the Hyalo Femme (which is prescription only) Boots have a pessary called Menopause which contains Hydeal (which I think is hyaluronic acid, the active ingredient in Hyalo Femme) and which worked for me when I was unable to get my prescription in time for a holiday. It is located with their lubricants.
I hope you get some relief soon. It is very difficult.
@pumpkin3. I was on Letrozole and saw a menopause specialist and was prescribed imvaggis and Blissell both lowest dose estriol. The specialist wrote to my breast surgeon for my predict score and they agreed I could use.
There are studies that show you can have oestrogen vaginally with Aromatase Inhibitors.
Hi if your concerned worried about intimacy i sincerely do not think that you definitely do not have to wait three years and there are ways in which maybe perhaps you could with vaginal atrophy bypass your dryness and you could try to use and do just as me and my wife use to make intimacy enjoyable with out the worry of fear and pain and both myself and my wife use KY jely water based washable stain free which we both apply thoroughly a generous amount of the KY Jelly over your private areas and god bless you and your husband and your health my heart goes out to you over your health issues and i hope that you give it try and see if at all this works for you both
Iām really concerned now!
I had terrible atrophy that started after chemo and I wasnāt listened to for months, eventually my gp prescribed me estriol and I havenāt looked back!
However, Iām on Zoladex and Letrozole and didnāt know that having vaginal oestrogen with Letrozole was an issue. My gp knows Iām on it and never mentioned it
Im not sure that itās the Letrazole but rather the fact that you, we, have hormone positive breast cancer. My GP knows Iām on Letrazole and vaginal oestrogen and is happy with that.
I suppose it is a bit contradictory to take Letrazole to lower oestrogen and then have it another way. Evidence suggests though that minimal if any oestrogen, is absorbed vaginally
Thanks for reply, I just had a small panic lol!
My doctor said that the benefits far out weighed the minimal risk. I was at the stage where I couldnāt even leave the house and felt like I permanently had a severe case of cystitis! The estriol has worked so I definitely donāt want to stop it
goes out to you over your health issues and i hope that you give it try and see if at all this works for you both