Who can and cannot take it - Vaginal oestrogen

You can typically use vaginal oestrogen if you are having perimenopause symptoms, or have already gone through menopause.

Who may not be able to use vaginal oestrogen

Vaginal oestrogen is not suitable for everyone.

To make sure it's safe for you, tell your GP if you have, or have ever had:

• an allergic reaction to oestrogen or any other medicine
• breast cancer
• tests for breast cancer, or a high risk of breast cancer due to family history
• any other type of cancer
• a blood clot in a vein (thrombosis), such as in the legs (deep vein thrombosis) or the lungs (pulmonary embolism)
• vaginal bleeding with no known cause
• a blood clotting disorder, such as protein C, protein S, or antithrombin deficiency
• stroke
• angina
• a heart attack
• liver, kidney or heart problems
• porphyria (a rare inherited condition)
• diabetes
• high blood pressure
• migraines or severe headaches
• fibroids in your womb, endometrial hyperplasia or endometriosis
• gallstones
• systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), an autoimmune condition
• epilepsy
• asthma
• otosclerosis, a disease affecting the eardrum and hearing
• very high levels of triglycerides (type of fat) in your blood

Vaginal oestrogen and pregnancy

If you think you might be pregnant, stop using vaginal oestrogen and talk to your GP.

Vaginal oestrogen is not known to be harmful during pregnancy. But it's generally recommended not to use it.

Vaginal oestrogen and breastfeeding

You should not use vaginal oestrogen if you are breastfeeding. Talk to your GP about alternatives which might be more suitable.

There is not enough information available to know if vaginal oestrogen is safe while breastfeeding.

Vaginal oestrogen and fertility

Using vaginal oestrogen is unlikely to affect your fertility, as it does not act as a contraceptive.

Even if you think that you've gone through the menopause, there is a small chance that you could become pregnant.

You're advised to use contraception for:

• at least 1 year from your last period if you're over age 50
• 2 years if you're under age 50

You can talk to your GP about this.

Oestrogen pessaries should not be used with latex condoms. This is because they can damage and weaken the latex in condoms.