His and Her Health

I am a 63 year old female that has had a hard time with menopause. Lately I have been experiencing a burning, achy sensation in and outside of my vagina. Saw a Doctor and she said that I had a bacterial infection which she treated. When she did the exam I mentioned that the walls of my vagina were so thin and sore that sex was not an option. She mentioned that I would probably have spotting from the exam because of the poor condition of my vaginal walls. She recommended that I start using vagifem. I did. This medication caused me pain in the lower abdominal area so I stopped taking it. What can I use or do to make that area healthy again and get rid of the burning and achy sensation? Should I be worried that this condition could be cancer? Thank you all for your comments.
Pattee

pattee,your post is in the archives so I would advise you to re-post in our menopause forum also visit www.redhotmamas.org or visit our websites at www.menopausewise.com and www.bermansexualhealth .com which has information on menopausal problems.

Make sure that the infection is gone first. you may also need to try another cream IF the vaginal tissue is thinning. Did your doctor press on th vaginal muscles? Because muscle and nerve irritation can cause burning and aching. A few questions: did you have any of these symptoms prior to menopause? Are there certain positions and activities that tend to aggravate the burning and aching, besides sex? Do you have any other symptoms that started with these symptoms: bladder or bowel changes? These questions can be helpful to assist in diagnosing the problem.

I recently had vaginal burning and painful intercourse, and it turned out that I did not have an infection, but my vaginal walls were thin. The doctor prescribed Estrace vaginal cream, which has been very helpful.