VAGINAL DRINESS, CAUSES AND REMEDIES.

 

This is a fairly common complaint among women, especially those in the pre-menopausal/ menopausal category. Vaginal dryness can lead to itching and painful sexual intercourse burning, soreness and even bleeding. Inasmuch as vaginal dryness is common during menopause; however, women of any age can experience it. 
One major cause of vaginal dryness is a reduction in the level estrogen.

A drop-in estrogen can happen during, pregnancy, medication like oral contraceptives, stress, depression or menopause. Estrogen is a very important hormone in sexuality, it plays key role in keeping the vagina moist and lubricated. This hormone helps to maintain the vagina’s normal environment, acidity levels, and elasticity. So, by default, when the level is decreased, the lining of the vagina becomes thinner and less elastic, and the vagina produces less lubrication, leading to dryness

Management of Vaginal Dryness

1. Use of Topical Hormones
Management of dryness is based on the cause and the most common cause is reduced estrogen, which is can be treated using topical estrogen products. However, care must be taken while using estrogen. It must be prescribed by the doctor. Estrogen can cause some side effects, which include:

1. weight gain

2. fluid retention

3. nausea/ vomiting

4. headaches

5. breast tenderness/ heaviness

6. spotting of the skin

7. increased risk of stroke, blood clots, and some forms of breast and ovarian cancers

#OtherTreatments

Other treatments of dryness include:

1. Use lubricant or products that stimulate the natural moisture. The best lubricants are water-based products, which can help add moisture to the vaginal lining. Their effectiveness can last for hours at a time, making them a good alternative when dryness causes discomfort during sexual intercourse.

2. Vaginal moisturizers

3. Please, note, you must talk to your doctor before taking any of the above-mentioned treatment, as some might interfere with other medications.

4. Avoid vaginal cleansers

5. Avoid douches.

6. Use of Natural oils like, Grapeseed, olive, sweet almond, sunflower, or coconut are great natural oils that are gentle during or after bathing and even with sexual intercourse.

7.Avoid using soap on the vagina: This is because, these products will only make dryness worse.

8. Engage in regular sexual intercourse. This is because while dryness can make sex uncomfortable, having intercourse more regularly actually promotes natural lubrication, thus alleviating dryness.