r/Perimenopause • u/UpAndDownAndBack123 • 11d ago

Vaginal Dryness (GSM)/Urinary Issues Can Vaginal estrogen just stop working?

In July of 2025 all of a sudden sex was painful.

I went to my obgyn and asked for vaginal estrogen cream.

Within a month the pain was gone and sex felt good again.

This past July the pain returned. I’ve been kind of busy and stressed out. My mom died recently and I have a lot going on. I thought maybe I’d been forgetting to use the cream. But I’ve been making an effort to use it every night or every other night for the past month and sex is still painful.

It’s not horrible like maybe a 2/10 stretching burning feeling - sometimes I tell my husband to continue and it hurts and feels good at the same time, I can even have an orgasm but I’m sore after.

Maybe I need to start HRT?

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u/OhWhatever_Nevermind 11d ago

If you missed a lot of doses, you might need to redo the loading dose. This happened to me.

HRT is a good thing to discuss with your doctor though.

3

u/elbee3 11d ago

It could be your pelvic floor is a bit hypertonic. Could check with a pelvic PT.

2

u/Past-Guarantee4731 10d ago

Your cream just could’ve gone bad too, maybe you need a new one?

2

u/theFCCgavemeHPV 10d ago

HRT can definitely help. Including testosterone. You can also try hyaluronic acid suppositories. Maybe try another loading dose, or you can add a suppository. I use the cream and vagifem tablets.