Description
What is Estriol 0.1% Vaginal Cream Vagimoist®
Estriol 0.1% Vaginal Cream Vagimoist® contains the oestrogen hormone estriol and is used to treat menopausal atrophic vaginitis, reducing symptoms like vaginal dryness, itching, irritation and inflammation and increased susceptibility to vaginal or urinary infections.
Estriol 0.1% Vaginal Cream Vagimoist® is identical to a female hormone, estrogen. It is used to treat symptoms associated with menopause. This topical preparation helps to treat vaginal burning, dryness and itching caused due to lack of estrogen. You should use Vagimoist® Cream in the way your doctor advises. It may depend on whether you have had any kind of HRT before. Even if your symptoms improve, you should continue the treatment as it has been prescribed.
When you start using this medicine you may experience irritation or itching. This usually goes away if you continue using it. You may also get pain in your abdomen, a genital rash, headache and vaginal thrush (candidiasis). Tell your doctor if you experience bleeding in your vagina. Your doctor may give you an alternative medicine. Before using this medicine you should tell your doctor if you have unexplained vaginal bleeding or if you have ever had a blood clot in your legs or your lungs. Once you have started using this medicine you should have regular check-ups to discuss the benefits of your treatment. It should not interact with any other medicines. It is not usually recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding.
Vagimoist® Cream is intended for topical use only and 1 gm cream to be inserted daily in the Vaginal cavity for the first week, then once or twice a week, using the applicator provided, for as long as suggested by the Gynecologist.
Brand names: Evalon
Estriol vs. Estradiol
Estriol (E3) and estradiol (E2) are two different forms of the female hormone known as estrogen (sometimes referred to as oestrogen). These forms of estrogen are steroid hormones that are naturally found in the body. Estriol and estradiol can be used as hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for women after menopause.
Estriol and estradiol are two of the three different types of estrogen hormones. The third type of estrogen is estrone (E1), which is produced in women during menopause and young women who are experiencing their first periods. Estrone is not typically used for HRT because it is considered a weak estrogen.
Estrogens work by binding to estrogen receptors (ERα or ERβ) in the body. While their locations can overlap, estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) is primarily found in the endometrium, breast tissue, and ovaries. Estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) is found in other parts of the body such as the brain, heart, kidneys, bones, and lungs.
Estriol is sometimes referred to as E3 or oestriol. It is the weakest form of estrogen in the body. Like estrone, estriol levels naturally increase during pregnancy. Estriol is FDA approved for urinary incontinence in female dogs after removal of the ovaries and uterus. Estriol is not FDA-approved as a prescription drug for humans. However, some compounding pharmacies may sell estriol compounded with other drugs.
Estradiol, or E2, is the most potent of the three estrogens. Some forms of estradiol can be found in low-dose birth control pills for premenopausal women. It is primarily used as a tablet, patch, or cream for estrogen replacement therapy. Estradiol can be found in FDA-approved products such as Estrace, Vivelle-Dot, Vagifem, and Climara, among others. The FDA has also approved estradiol in bioidentical hormone therapy with progesterone.
Out of the three forms of estrogen, estradiol is the most potent form. It is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat estrogen-related conditions. Estriol and estrone are not approved in the U.S. for women. However, these estrogens may still be used in some compounded medications.
No head-to-head trials have been conducted with estriol and estradiol. Some studies have shown that estriol is safe and effective for symptoms of menopause. When applied topically for vaginal atrophy, estriol has been reported to be effective with other drugs. Because estriol is less potent, it may have fewer adverse effects. Using estriol, like other estrogen therapies, can still increase the risk of breast cancer, endometrial hyperplasia, and endometrial cancer.
How does Estriol 0.1% Vaginal Cream work?
Vagimoist® cream contains estriol a naturally occurring oestrogen, which is the weakest of the three natural forms of oestrogen and normally present in small amounts. Unlike other forms of oestrogen (oestradiol and oestrone) estriol is short-acting making it particularly suitable as a topical treatment for urogenital symptoms of menopausal atrophic vaginitis caused by lack of oestrogen. Oestrogen is a steroid hormone produced by the ovaries that bind to specific receptors inside estrogen-responsive cells and stimulates them to make proteins involved in producing secondary sexual characteristics, including thickening of the vaginal wall and increasing vaginal secretion. When Vagimoist® cream is inserted into the vagina, estriol is slowly released and absorbed into the vaginal skin layer where it reverses changes in the vagina by stimulating thickening of the skin, reducing inflammation and restoring the physiological pH and normal microflora (the “good” bacteria that normally live in the skin and increases resistance to infection with other bacteria that cause vaginal or urinary infections). The restoring effect of Vagimoist® cream reduces symptoms of atrophic vaginitis which can be maintained with continued use.
Estriol 0.1% Vaginal Cream Vagimoist® is a short-term hormone replacement therapy (HRT) used to treat atrophic vaginitis (also called vaginal atrophy) which is a common vaginal symptom of the menopause, caused by a lack of oestrogen production by the ovaries. Atrophic vaginitis, caused by thinning and shrinking of the vaginal skin layer leads to symptoms such as dryness, itching, irritation and inflammation, which can lead to sex being uncomfortable or painful, and to an increased susceptibility to vaginal or urinary infections, also mild urinary incontinence. Vagimoist® cream provides a topical estrogen treatment which helps to restore the vaginal tissue, reducing symptoms and preventing recurrent infections. Vagimoist® cream is also used before and after vaginal surgery in postmenopausal women.
When should Estriol 0.1% Vaginal Cream not be used?
You should not use Estriol 0.1% Cream if you:
- are allergic to estriol or any ingredients in Estriol 0.1% cream
- have a past or family history of carcinoma of the breast, endometrial carcinoma or liver disease
- have deep venous thrombosis, thromboembolic disorders, cerebral vascular accident associated with oestrogen use
- abnormal genital bleeding of unknown cause
- are pregnant or planning to become pregnant
- have porphyria, a condition which affects the skin or nervous system
- are taking other medications that may interact with Estriol 0.1% cream, such as anticonvulsants like phenytoin and carbamazepin, anti-infectives like rifampicin, rifabutin, nevirapine, efavirenz or preparations containing St John’s Wort, corticosteroids, succinylcholine a muscle relaxant, theophylline for asthma.
How to use Estriol 0.1% Vaginal Cream
Vagimoist® cream is intended for topical use only and should be inserted into your vagina, using the applicator provided. You should use Vagimoist® cream for as long as recommended by your doctor, usually once a day, before going to bed, for the first week, then once or twice a week or once every two weeks, as instructed. Vagimoist® Cream should be administered intravaginally by means of a calibrated applicator (supplied) before retiring at night. One application (applicator filled to the ring mark) contains 0.5mg Vagimoist® Cream which corresponds to 0.5mg estriol. Each 15g tube contains sufficient cream for 30 applications.
