Side Effects Of Vaginal Oestrogen

Like all medicines, vaginal oestrogen may cause side effects, but it's common to have no side effects or only minor ones.

Common side effects

These common side effects of vaginal oestrogen happen in more than 1 in 100 people. There are things you can do to help cope with them:

Speak to a pharmacist or doctor if the advice on how to cope does not help and a side effect is still bothering you or does not go away.

Serious side effects

Serious side effects from vaginal oestrogen are rare.

See your doctor if you:

• find a lump or changes in your breasts, especially dimpling of the skin, changes in the nipple or any lumps you can see or feel - this could be a sign of breast cancer
• experience any changes in vaginal bleeding after you have been taking oestrogen for more than a few months - this could be a sign of womb cancer

Call a doctor or call 111 for advice now if you have pain, redness or swelling in one of your legs - this could be a sign of deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

It's important to attend your breast screening (mammogram) appointments while you're taking HRT.

Call 999 or go to A&E if:

Do not drive to A&E. Ask someone to drive you or call 999 and ask for an ambulance.

Bring all the medicines you take with you.

Serious allergic reaction

In rare cases, it's possible to have a serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to vaginal oestrogen.

Call 999 now if:

• your lips, mouth, throat or tongue suddenly become swollen
• you're breathing very fast or struggling to breathe (you may become very wheezy or feel like you're choking or gasping for air)
• your throat feels tight or you're struggling to swallow
• your skin, tongue or lips turn blue, grey or pale (if you have black or brown skin, this may be easier to see on the palms of your hands or soles of your feet)
• you suddenly become very confused, drowsy or dizzy
• someone faints and cannot be woken up
• a child is limp, floppy or not responding like they normally do (their head may fall to the side, backwards or forwards, or they may find it difficult to lift their head or focus on your face)

You or the person who's unwell may also have a rash that's swollen, raised, itchy, blistered or peeling.

These can be signs of a serious allergic reaction and may need immediate treatment in hospital.

Other side effects

These are not all the side effects of vaginal oestrogen. For a full list, see the leaflet inside your medicines packet.

Reporting side effects

You can report any suspected side effect using the Yellow Card safety scheme.

Visit the Yellow Card website for more information about reporting side effects.

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