What is hormonal replacement therapy (HRT)?
HRT is a treatment that replaces the hormones in your body that
decline over the course of the menopause. There are many types of HRT,
varying in the hormones they replace, the ways they are taken, and the
treatment schedules they follow. Most women take a combination of
oestrogen and progestogen. In most circumstances, women who have had
their womb removed can take oestrogen on its own.
Ways of taking HRT include sprays, vaginal or oral tablets, patches, gels,
vaginal creams, pessaries, and rings.
Vagirux as a local HRT
Vagirux is an HRT to relieve menopausal symptoms in the vagina such as
dryness or irritation, also known as vaginal atrophy. Vagirux is not
for treating non-vaginal symptoms (such as hot flushes). Vagirux
replaces oestrogen normally produced in the ovaries of women with
estradiol (estradiol is exactly the same as the hormone oestrogen).
Vagirux is inserted as a tablet into your vagina, so the hormone is released
locally, where it is needed. The tablets adhere to the vaginal wall and
release the oestrogen in a controlled way through the hydrated gel layer
it forms. This replacement oestrogen can reduce irritation by keeping the
vagina moist, elastic, and acidic. Vagirux works locally, as it is inserted
directly into your vagina. This means that Vagirux has a lower risk of
side-effects compared with other systemic HRT treatments that work throughout
the body (e.g. those taken orally or as patches, gels or spray).
The Vagirux dosing schedule is as follows: use one tablet every day for
two weeks, then one tablet twice a week (leave three or four days between
doses). If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember; you should
avoid a double dose.
Vagirux is supplied as 24 tablets with a reusable applicator. This aims
to reduce the amount of plastic waste contributed by Vagirux, versus other
products with single-use applicators. The Vagirux applicator can be recycled.