About vaginal oestrogen - Brand names: Vagifem, Gina, Ovestin, Vagirux

Vaginal oestrogen is a hormone replacement therapy (HRT) medicine that contains the hormone oestrogen. It's used to treat the vaginal dryness and irritation that can happen during the menopause.

Menopause is when your periods stop due to lower hormone levels. It usually affects women between the ages of 45 and 55, but it can happen earlier. It affects anyone who has periods.

The fall in the amount of oestrogen your body produces can cause symptoms. Using vaginal oestrogen can help dryness and irritation but it will not treat other symptoms of the menopause such as hot flushes, mood swings or problems sleeping (insomnia).

Vaginal oestrogen comes as a tablet, pessary, cream, gel or ring that you insert into your vagina. Using oestrogen inside the vagina only is called local HRT.

Usually, if you take or use oestrogen you must also use a progestogen alongside it, to protect your womb. But with vaginal oestrogen, little of the medicine gets into the rest of your body, so you do not need to take progestogen.

If vaginal oestrogen is not enough to treat your symptoms, you can also use a higher dose of HRT.

Vaginal oestrogen is only available on prescription, except the brand Gina (vaginal tablets) which you can buy from a pharmacy.

Other brands of vaginal oestrogen include Vagifem and Vagirux vaginal tablets, Estring vaginal ring, Imvaggis pessaries, Blissel vaginal gel and Ovestin vaginal cream.

Key facts

• Vaginal oestrogen is a local HRT. This means it's only used to treat menopause symptoms such as vaginal dryness and irritation.
• Common early side effects include headache, abdominal or vaginal pain and bleeding but these normally improve in the first few months of treatment.
• It can take up to 3 months to work fully.
• Vaginal oestrogen does not have the same risks as other types of HRT, because the dose is low and little of the medicine gets into the rest of your body.