Why Does No One Know About Topical Vaginal Estrogen?
Hi Mobsters, It’s Leah here, founder and CEO of The House of Hormones, delivering you your weekly dose of wellbeing intel.Last week on the school run, I had one of those conversations that lingers. A friend, who has overcome breast cancer and everything that journey demands, told me she had never heard of topical vaginal oestrogen. Not once. Not from her oncology team, not from her GP, not hidden in a leaflet during treatment. She was genuinely stunned. And the more women I talk to, the more I realise she is not an exception. Women everywhere are struggling with painful, intimate symptoms for years without being told that a simple, safe, effective treatment even exists.
It makes you wonder: how can something so transformative remain so unknown?
Part of the problem is that vaginal health is treated as a footnote in women’s healthcare. Most of us have dealt with thrush, BV, or UTIs at some point in our lives. But until we get older, very few of us realise that, just like every other part of our body, our vaginal skin ages too. The tissue becomes thinner, drier, more fragile, and more prone to irritation. It’s not just about “dryness” or libido, which is how topical estrogen is often framed; it’s about the entire vaginal and urinary ecosystem becoming more vulnerable. The recurring symptoms so many women quietly put up with, burning, discomfort, UTIs, bladder urgency, are astonishingly common and, in many cases, easily treatable with the right support. Yet these issues are rarely taken seriously. Once you’ve raised a family, juggled work, carried most of the emotional load, or even survived cancer, it’s as if you’re expected to simply endure these symptoms as an inevitable part of womanhood. Vaginal discomfort becomes something to “just get on with,” even though it impacts daily life, wellbeing, movement, intimacy, and confidence.A huge part of the silence stems from the lack of womens health/ peri/menopause education in medical training. Vaginal symptoms get barely a mention, which means many clinicians aren’t equipped to discuss treatments like local estrogen. And of course, there’s the cultural discomfort around discussing vaginas at all. If this were about ageing elbows or knee pain, everyone would know the treatment. But because it involves women’s intimate health, it stays in the shadows.So what exactly is topical vaginal estrogen?
It’s a very low-dose, localised form of estrogen delivered through a cream, pessary, gel, or ring. It works only where it’s applied and doesn’t circulate through the body in the same way systemic HRT does. For many women, including many with a history of breast cancer under specialist guidance, it is deemed safe. Its purpose is simple: to restore the vaginal and urinary tissues that become thin, delicate, and inflamed when estrogen levels drop. The result? Less dryness, less burning, less imbalance, more comfort, fewer UTIs, less bladder irritation, and a return to feeling like your body is yours again. For many women, it is life-changing. Also it's important to point out that vaginal estrogen falls under the UK HRT certificate that is £19.80 for the year! And you shouldn't have any issues getting it prescribed by your doctor, especially if you are 35+. And still… so many have never heard of it.I can’t help thinking that if men experienced these symptoms, even briefly, there would be national campaigns, medical alerts, and bold posters in every GP surgery. But because it’s women, and because it’s intimate, we’re expected to cope in silence. That silence is harmful.If you didn’t know about topical vaginal oestrogen before today, now you do. And this is exactly why THOH exists: to make sure women’s voices shape the future of women’s health. Let’s keep talking, keep sharing, and keep breaking the silence the system has allowed for far too long.
Why not join our next study to test new products coming on the market (you get sent the product for free)Join our next inHouse StudyTHOH, Making sure women's voices shape the future of women's health.
Leah x
