Vaginal Atrophy - Enjoy Relief...Vaginal Atrophy, also known as atrophic vaginitis or urogenital vaginitis, is a condition that no one should ignore, but due to the privacy of the body parts, that is exactly what many women do, if they can. Nonetheless over time, if left untreated, the condition can be so difficult that it becomes impossible to ignore. That's when a woman sees her doctor... Conventional medical wisdom considers this condition to be a symptom of a lack of estrogen caused by menopause. Generally speaking the answer to the problem in their minds is to prescribe an estrogen supplement, or a hormone replacement supplement, frequently Premarin. However, let's be sure we understand what this condition is. Symptoms of Vaginal Atrophy
I took the majority of these symptoms from Wikipedia, but all of the research I've done has been consistent in describing the same basic symptoms. If you are menopausal and you are suffering from these symptoms, please understand that you aren't alone. My research showed that somewhere between forty to sixty per cent of post menopausal women have vaginal atrophy. Please understand however, it is difficult to be sure how many women suffer from this condition because many with light to medium symptoms never see a doctor. For those who see their doctor the treatment of choice, according to my research is estradiol, the strongest of the natural estrogens in a woman's body. If estradiol is not prescribed, the second most likely treatment is hormone replacement therapy using Premarin. Health Risks of Conventional ApproachThere are two major problems with this approach according to my research. The first is that estradiol is the strongest natural estrogen present in a woman's body. In the average healthy young woman, it only comprises 7% of the estrogen present in her body. There is undoubtedly a reason that this ratio is so low since research also shows that estradiol has very strong cancer promoting tendencies. After menopause estrogen levels do drop, but since fat also makes estrogen, those levels don't drop nearly as much as do the levels of progesterone. Unbalanced estrogen is strongly implicated in the increasing cancer rates in the western world. So prescribing more estrogen when a woman already has too many estrogens in her body can easily be a recipe for disaster. If a hormone replacement drug, such as Premarin is prescribed, the problem is that it is not made up entirely of naturally occurring hormones. In order for the drug companies to get a patent on the drugs they can't be entirely natural. Half of Premarin is a natural female estrogen. The other half is made up of horse estrogens. Unless you are half horse and half human, it isn't natural or good for you. There is a better Way!Before beginning to use an estrogen supplement for Vaginal Atrophy, check to be sure your problem isn't a hormonal imbalance.If you have many of the symptoms of estrogen dominance, you probably don't want to put more estrogen in your body. If you're not sure what those symptoms are, please check out the symptoms of estrogen dominance here. If you are already suffering from estrogen dominance, the best way to solve the problem of vaginal atrophy is probably to begin supplementing with a natural progesterone cream. If you'd like more information about it, its use, and where you can get it, please click on the preceding link. I actually began researching and writing on women's health issues because of a good friend who was struggling with constant symptoms of atrophic vaginitis. They were serious enough that she was miserable. Her quality of life had been so affected that she had seen her doctor. Her doctor had put her on a drug made up primarily of estradiol, but she had become increasingly uncomfortable with using it. She asked me to see if I could find a natural alternative. As I researched the topic I shared my findings with her. About a month ago, she decided that she probably needed natural progesterone rather than estrogen. She ordered a natural progesterone cream from an internet supplier and started using it. She stopped using the estrogen prescription two or three days after starting the progesterone. When I talked with her about a week ago, she told me that she has had no further problems with the symptoms of vaginal atrophy and she is feeling better overall. I wanted to share her results with you since this is a problem I really haven't had to face yet. Some Women Will Need EstrogenPlease understand however, my research does show that some post menopausal women do need small amounts of estrogen therapy to overcome this problem.If a natural progesterone cream doesn't take care of your symptoms, you will need estrogen. According to the authors of What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause (TM): The Breakthrough Book on Natural Hormone Balance They recommend a vaginal cream for symptoms of vaginal atrophy. If balancing your hormones with natural progesterone doesn't resolve your problems, a vaginal estriol cream will take care of the problem. Beware of excess estrogenAfter acknowledging estrogen's value and explaining that estriol is the safest estrogen to use, they caution...,"But taken in even the slightest excess, estrogen becomes a potent promoter of cancer, and you need to always have that in the back of your mind when you're using it." With that understanding I'm sure you won't use estrogen needlessly or carelessly. If you can fix the problem with a natural progesterone cream as my friend did, that would be the safest course, but if not, at least be sure to use estriol, not estradiol, or estrone, to resolve the problem. The good news is you shouldn't have to suffer from the symptoms of vaginal atrophy, effective treatment is readily available.
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, and several other sources, the safest form of estrogen to supplement is
