Vaginal oestrogen is a hormone replacement therapy (HRT) medicine that contains the hormone oestrogen. It's used to treat the vaginal dryness and irritation that can happen during menopause.
Menopause is when your periods stop due to lower hormone levels. It usually affects women between the ages of 45 and 55, but it can happen earlier. It affects anyone who has periods.
Uses of vaginal oestrogen
The fall in the amount of oestrogen your body produces can cause symptoms. Using vaginal oestrogen can help dryness and irritation. But it will not treat other symptoms of menopause such as hot flushes, mood swings or problems sleeping (insomnia).
If you take oestrogen, you usually need to take progestogen too, to protect your womb. But with vaginal oestrogen, only a small amount is absorbed into your body, so you do not need progestogen.
If vaginal oestrogen is not enough to treat your symptoms, you can also use a higher dose of HRT.
Types of vaginal oestrogen
Vaginal oestrogen is only available on prescription.
Brands of vaginal oestrogen include:
- Vagifem and Vagirux vaginal tablets
- Imvaggis pessaries
- Blissel vaginal gel
- Ovestin vaginal cream