Breast Cancer Now Forum

Two and a half years on each. I also visited a medical herbalist for a while and she prescribed marigold (calendula) products for healing the tissues. It did improve things a bit actually. Good luck! ... View more

I was on Tamoxifen then Exemestane as well as having 3 years of Zoladex injections. I've posted on here before about various things I've tried for vaginal soreness and I'm now seeing a gynaecologist who specialises in menopausal symptoms. She's recommended a number of things and I'm currently using Vagifem plus a vaginal wash, moisturiser and lubricant so we'll see how we go. I'm seeing her privately and self-funding so I said to my husband the other day that I must have the most pampered (and most expensive) vagina in Kent!  ... View more

I've posted on here a few times and have found that some of the things suggested have helped. I've been using the Yes water-based lubricants and find these pretty effective but, like a lot of us on here, driness is not the real problem. It's the soreness and tenderness that seem the most difficult symtpoms to relieve. I've recently self-referred to a gynaecologist and she has come up with a number of options, many of which are mentioned on here. She told me that the most recent research suggests that low-dose oestrogen replacement treatments are not absorbed into the blood stream - although I think medical opinion does vary (my cancer was ER+). Anyway, she recommended that I try an Estring to start with and then Vagifem pessaries combined with the use of vaginal dilators. If none of these work (or I can't get on with any of them) apparently there is a new, laser treatment called Mona Lisa (!) which is meant to be very effective. It's not cheap but if you have health insurance, some companies will consider covering the cost. She's also trialling a new, natural range of skincare products so I'm going to give those a go as well! I am a bit nervous about using the oestrogen-based products but they are very low-dosage and my onc. did say that he considered that any risks attached to them were very low. I'm hoping that a few months of these won't do any harm and if they help my quality of life, it's got to be worth a try. I probably will give the laser treatment a go because this isn't continuous and obviously isn't hormone-based. No-one tells you about all this when you're diagnosed, do they?! ... View more

There is help available (if you read the posts below you'll see a number of people have found things which have helped them). The key seems to be finding a sympathetic GP who'll refer you to a gynaecologist with expertise in this area - pardon the pun! I went to see a medical herbalist who gave me a marigold mixture to take orally and this did make a difference. Marigold (calendula) helps with healing and I found it had the unexpected side effect of helping the wound site on my breast to heal! I've also been using the Yes lubricants which have been far more effective than others I've used. Things still aren't perfect so I'm going to make an appointment to see a gynaecologist who collaborates with the herbalist to see if there's anything further she can do to help. Don't give up - it might take a while but hopefully you can find the help you need. Good luck! ... View more

I've found that the water-based Yes Yes products are excellent. I use the applicators and the lubricant and things hanve improved quite dramatically.  ... View more

I really feel for you and am having the same problems. I posted in a previous thread about a couple of things that helped me. Aloe Vera is pretty good as a lubricant and my GP suggested I visited a medical herbalist who has really helped me. She prescribed a mixture based on marigold extract to help with healing and it has definitely made a difference and eased the pain of intercourse. She works with a gynaecologist who specialises in the menopause. I've also recently started using Yes products as lubricants and they seem to be quite good so I'll persevere with those too. Lack of libido is still a problem so I will probably ask my herbalist if there's anything she can give me to help with that. Good luck! ... View more