Menopause symptoms and riding....

[Wheresthehoofpick]

TMI alert I am going to use the V word so if that's too much please don't read on....

HELP!!! I am getting so sore riding in the last month. Dry itchy, raw vulva. To the point I can't sit down. I've been to the GP after weeks of trying to get an appointment. I am waiting for swabs to come back. I had vaginal atrophy when breast feeding and I think that is what it is but the GP wasn't convinced. I haven't ridden for a week as daughter at home isolating. Did a thrush treatment in case it was that though it feels different. Was much better. Hacked this morning and it was ouch. Going for a wee afterwards. OMG. As for trotting while out. Just a no go
I have a Le mieux sheepskin on a Solutions saddle.

What to do oh wise ones. Riding is such an escape in these vile times.

 

[Baccara]

Sudocreme plastered over the offending bits. It worked for me x

 

[bouncing_ball]

There are riding knickers worth trying?

 

[bouncing_ball]

https://www.treehouseonline.co.uk/p/ladies_padded_shorty_by_derriere_equestrian

 

[Laurac13]

Sorry to hear of your pain I’ve Been menopausal for years but I’ve always been ok riding. I’d check with your doctor it’s not an infection or thrush hope you soon feel better it sounds extremely painful x

 

[PoppyAnderson]

You need vagifem for vaginal atrophy. Horrendous itching is one of the main symptoms. Insist on it from your gp.

 

[Wheresthehoofpick]

Thank you. I am going to insist on Vagifem. I had it years ago and it worked. OMG. I just had no idea that this was a thing. Thanks for your help. Some questions are hard to ask in real life!!

 

[planete]

Definitely Vagifem. I have been using it for years and do not intend stopping ever (I am in my seventies now)

 

[Jellymoon]

A friend went through exact same thing during menopause, awful, poor you. She also rides in Solutions and found the saddle balance made a difference. She got the saddler fitter out who adjusted the saddle with shims and she felt much more comfortable. Perhaps it’s tipping you too much onto your lady bits.

 

[Wheresthehoofpick]

A friend went through exact same thing during menopause, awful, poor you. She also rides in Solutions and found the saddle balance made a difference. She got the saddler fitter out who adjusted the saddle with shims and she felt much more comfortable. Perhaps it’s tipping you too much onto your lady bits.

That's a good idea We have only had it a few weeks. It's worth checking out along side getting treated.

 

[Skib]

Is your horse or saddle too wide? I learned to ride in old age and except for the occasional lesson completely in sitting trot, I never had problems. My RI taught me to sit so my weight was back on my seat bones and the front of my groin was pretty much closed so the vulva was not really exposed. The sitting back on my seat bones was formative in my riding. Through them, and my hips, I felt (was taught how to feel) the movement of the horse's back legs.

 

[TheOldTrout]

A friend of mine suffered for years with itching in the vulva and vagina, tried all sorts of things from the GP and consultant. Bathing with cider vinegar put a stop to it.

 

[Odyssey]

If you want to research treatments further, the Menopause Matters forum is really helpful. There are lots of expert patients on there, and this topic comes up all the time (not about riding though!) ? Apparently Vagisil isn't at all good, and when I mentioned this to a friend who was suffering she said she'd been using it for a while and it hadn't helped at all. She bought a generic version of Sylk (from Amazon), which is often recommended on the forum, and It made a big difference almost immediately.

 

[PoppyAnderson]

The only 2 lubricants recommended are Sylk and Yes but vagifem will hopefully sort you out. There's no substitute for it. It's not about thrush. It's a thinning of the vaginal walls and atrophy due to decreasing amounts of oestrogen. Just another treat that mother nature chucks at women........

 

[PurBee]

Maybe agnus castus supplements can help smooth out menopausal wacky hormone levels for you?

You have the option to lubricate as mentioned, which is instant help for riding, but if youre getting horrid everyday symptoms of menopause like hot flushing/headaches/anxiety/depression you can try bio-identical estrogen supplementation...which is tricky to get hold of, but better than horse premarin! With estradiol supplementation you can take a wee bit daily...cream you apply to soft skin parts like inner arms, belly....and then you can taper the dose down slowly over time. It’s a method used to be able to lessen the peaks and troughs of hormone levels which menopause can sometimes bring, especially at the beginning of it.

however, how’s the pommel on the saddle youve been using? I once rode a riding school pony with the worst saddle in my life. The pommel was so high/steep, it literally cut into me with every move the pony made. Trot was agonising! After half hour i got off, waddled like tina turner in heels to the loo to see the damage...and ive never been so sore and inflamed in all my life! Took ages to heal. Never happened with any other saddle either!