Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation | Breast Cancer

Anything placed in the body that can be absorbed can affect the whole body, whether it is the Estring, Vagifem, or estrogen creams. The question is, how much absorption and might it be a potential problem?

All of the research on the various vaginal remedies used to decrease vaginal dryness has been done on women who have not had breast cancer. These studies found that the estrogen creams appear to have a higher absorption than the Estring or Vagifem do. That's because both the Estring and Vagifem are very low-dose estrogen products. The amount of estrogen that is in the Estring and that would be absorbed into your body over 90 days is equivalent to the amount of estrogen you would get if you took a regular dose of estrogen for two days.

We currently have no data on the use of these products in women who have had breast cancer. But because of the very low systemic absorption and because vaginal dryness and painful intercourse can be a real quality-of-life issue, oncologists have become more comfortable having women who have had breast cancer use either Vagifem or the Estring to relieve vaginal dryness.

Vagifem is a tablet that sticks to the vaginal wall and delivers about the same amount of estrogen that an Estring does. After a week of daily use, it is used twice a week. The Estring is a ring inserted into the vagina that delivers interval small doses of estrogen. It can stay intact for up to three months.

Some women also try one of the over-the-counter vaginal lubricants, such as Replens or Astroglide. Vitamin E oil is another option and may work for some women. But for most women with extreme vaginal dryness, the Estring is best.