Early menaupause and ER negative, what are my choices

[fullofbeans]

Because sometimes when it rains it pours.. I am dealing with menaupause, hot flush but also mood issues (which is hard to distinguish with the challenge of treatments and effects), starting to have vaginal dryness..

I am assuming that low dose capcitabine or tykerb was not the source of it.

Anyhow I would welcome every of your tips to feel better as a woman, I expert HRT not a option however tempting..

[Laurel]

Boy, FOB, that is the 50 million dollar question. Wish I had a good answer for you. The vaginal dryness is a very acute problem for many of us accompanied by atrophy and thinning of the vaginal tissues themselves. Combined it makes for an uncomfortable sex life. Some gals here like replens and it seems it is enough, not me. I have to use a tiny amount of Premarin (estrogen cream made from pregnant mare urine) to combat the atrophy. I am older than you, so I can go until I really need to employ it again, then I am forced to use it for relief. Because I am paranoid about the estrogen, I try to keep it to a minimum. Needless to say, I am blessed with a very patient and compassionate husband.

Many,many years ago when I was a teenager working in a nursing home there was one old lady who used to say, "my vagina hurts. Hey, my vagina hurts!" We used to think it odd and really quite amusing. I remember sniggering along with the rest of us young aides. Well, NOW I know what that poor old lady was complaining about!

Guess this is what I get for laughing at her....

Good luck, kiddo. Wish I had more helpful suggestions. I will be watching to see if anyone has any new ideas.

[Trish]

FOB I just use lubrication which works for me. How low a dose of Tykerb/Herceptin are you on? I am having big trouble with 3 capcitabine and 3 lapatanib. Do you have a lower dose than that?
Trish

[Lauriesh]

Hi, I use vaginal estrogen cream for the dryness. I used it before my reoocurrence, and because my liver mets were er/pr - , I continue to use it.




Laurie

[snolan]

I use replense, though I don't have to use it very often, seems to keep working for several days.

[yanyan]

I experienced the same thing after the 3rd chemo. Period stopped, hot flashes, sweating at night, dryness. Now that my period came back 2 months after the last chemo, everything seemed to have resolved. I read coconut oil helps with the dryness. I bought some from vitaminshoppe, they come in capsules. Hope this helps.