Estrogen and breastfeeding?

Question

I'm a 27 year old breastfeeding mom and for the past few months I have noticed several tiny fissures on my labia minora and around my clitoral hood. They burn when they appear and itch when they heal. I had a doc examine me and was tested for any and all possible infections/STDs and I was given the all-clear. She said that what I'm experiencing is most likely a mild form of atrophic vulvitis since I'm breastfeeding. She prescribed estrogen creams, but I was hoping there was more I could do because it's really interfering with my day to day routines and I don't even want to think about what it's doing to my sex life.

I'm not going to force my baby to wean yet. What else can I do to help with this problem? What foods contain natural estrogen?

As a side note, I'm also using Mirena (IUD) for birth control. Could this have anything to with the problem? I'm guessing not, but throwing it out there anyway.

Thanks in advance for any helpful answers.

Answer 1

Poor thing!! That's great that you're not going to give up and wean. I felt the same way when I was fighting nipple thrush; I wanted to fight it, not deprive my daughter of breastmilk.
Foods high in natural estrogen are yams, tofu, beans such as split peas, pintos and limas, sprouts (clover and alfalfa), other soy products like edamame, and whole grains and flaxseed.
Don't eat a massive amount of flaxseed or soy products all the time though; in animal studies, nursing mothers consuming large amounts of each were showing signs of developmental abnormalities (the flaxseed) and cancer (the soy).
Since Mirena is estrogen free, it's possible the levonorgestrel is lowering your estrogen levels. That's what progesterone-only birth control, like Depo-Provera does. Ask your Dr.
Good luck!!

Answer 2

I have never ever heard of that ever.

Soy has estrogen in it- but the deal with estrogen is that it also stops milk production. Besides, you'd really have to eat soy all the time non stop constantly for it to have any effect on you what so ever.

I would go back to her and tell the cream doesnt seem to be helping. I would be inclined to think that the IUD might have something to do with it- perhaps the absense of estrogen (or repressed estrogen) from nursing, and the presense of progesterone isnt working for you.

I would talk to her about switching to an IUD that has only copper and no hormone in it. See if that helps at all.

Answer 3

You should be fine to use the low-dose cream.

"It is normal for a woman's estrogen levels to be low at this time. Though most women will not find it necessary to use an estrogen cream (available only by prescription), a study by Wisniewski and Wilkinson in 1991, found estrogen-based creams did not have any noticeable effect on lactation."

As far as the IUD, it should have no impact on lactation, but I have no idea if it would be a cause of your problem.

Answer 4

jsut to warn you, foods that containn even natural estrogen ( like soy) can be rough on your milk supply- this is the main reason you should take birth control containing estrogen while breastfeeding- i wouls stick to the topical cream
it says in the web site that i could be due to hormone changes or a method of birth control

Answer 5

Progesterone (Mirena, Depo, POP) is the 'anti-estrogen' so it could very well be part of the problem.

Tea tree oil, lavender, and soy all mimic estrogen.

(EDIT: Excuse my poor spelling. I had to hurry off without spell-checking)

Answer 6

my doc recommended depo, while breastfeeding, so that is what i use! its great and u have no periods for up to a year.