Studies with these methods of estrogen delivery have shown that the amount of estrogen absorbed into the body is greater at first, when a lot of vaginal atrophy exists. For this reason, the vaginal estrogens do get absorbed to a greater extent for a few weeks until the vagina lining becomes thicker and begins to return to the thickness seen in women before menopause. When this happens, it is harder for the estrogen to penetrate the thicker tissue, and much less estrogen gets into the body. These must be inserted daily in the vagina and cause improvement of dryness, but do not thicken the vaginal lining. Many women find Replens very helpful.
Doctors never seem to ask about sexual concerns.
Many problems of a sexual nature occur because of urogenital atrophy. With the absence of estrogen, the tissues dry up and sexual intercourse becomes painful and may even cause bleeding. A low-dose vaginal estrogen cream or Estring can help this problem. Some physicians give low doses of male hormone for this condition and believe that it can be helpful. If your doctor recommends this treatment, make sure that the type of male hormone cannot be converted into an estrogen.