Vaginal dryness - small problem, big secret, simple solution

Question: What embarrassing little problem causes discomfort for around half of women after menopause, may trigger depression or even divorce and yet can be relieved by a simple water based remedy?

Answer: A dry vagina

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Read more about dry vagina

Embarrassing and apparently trivial, but surprisingly important...

Sometimes in life there is a small problem that gets out of proportion and causes all sorts of complications, simply because people prefer not to talk about it. The water remedy that works. Read more

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Vaginal dryness is one of those sort of problems. A dry vagina may seem trivial on the scale of human suffering, but this embarrassing problem can be the seed that sparks considerable distress: not only for the woman herself but also for her partner, their relationship and anyone who is affected by their relationship.

There’s no rocket science about this, or even high powered medical theory - it’s quite a simple matter: if you don’t feel comfortable "down there", or if you feel pain or soreness when you make love - then it’s hardly surprising that you going to go off the whole idea.

And if you go off sex because of this simple reason, then this may damage your self-esteem and your sense of sexuality and sensuality - with obvious negative implications for your relationship with your partner.

Communication problems may arise, stone-walling, arguments, tension, depression ...

...and hey presto - a mega-mountain from a little molehill doth grow...

... and all because the lady has a little problem ...

Vaginal dryness and soreness is an embarrassing problem that many women would prefer not to have to talk to anyone about, even their doctors.

And curiously, the effect on libido may either be direct because of the dryness itself causing discomfort, or indirect, because sometimes just the perception of dryness can make a woman feel less sexy. .

But whatever the mechanism, the fact is that a dry vagina can cause an escalation of effects on libido, self-esteem, relationships and overall psychological and physical wellbeing.

Consequently it is perhaps no exaggeration to say that vaginal dryness may be one of the most under-stated, under-estimated and under-treated, of all midlife and older women’s complaints.

When you think about it, a dry vagina may be a potential source of life shattering discord and discontent - if relationship difficulties cascade beyond a simple sexual trouble.

And that makes it something worth treating – right? Read about a simple treatment for vaginal dryness.

How common is this problem?

A recent population study of over 1000 community living, postmenopausal women in North America found that almost half had at least "a little problem" with vaginal symptoms, including dryness or itching, and about one fifth had a "moderate" problem.

The authors of this study point out that very little is known about vaginal problems and painful sex after the menopause. Although women seem to complain less as they get older, no-one knows whether this is because they are less sexually active as they age - it’s unknown if this a cause or an effect of vaginal problems - or whether the discomfort has resolved naturally(1).

What causes menopause vaginal dryness?

Vaginal dryness occurring around or after the menopause is one of the very few discomforts that has been shown to be directly associated with the reduction in levels of the hormone oestrogen, which occurs with menopause - read more. Unlike hot flashes, which tend to resolve over time, vaginal dryness often persists after the menopause and into later life. It may seem a relatively minor problem, but if a woman is very bothered by it and particularly if it causes relationship or self-esteem problems because of sexual difficulties, it is certainly worth treating.

Treating vaginal dryness

When choosing your remedy for this problem, it is important to remember that our bodies are not mechanical machines with simple levers and push buttons. Read about a water remedy for dry vagina.

A woman’s body is a complex biological system, in which everything is maintained in a delicate balance. If you change one thing, you more than likely cause minor alterations in a whole network of related mechanisms throughout the body.

So even if one of the main reasons for developing a dry vagina may be reduced oestrogen levels in the blood stream, this does not mean that the best and healthiest way to return moisture, is to try and bring the body’s oestrogen levels back to premenopausal levels.

Why not treat dry vagina with systemic hormones?

Oestrogen has a wide range of effects throughout the body, of which only one, is moisturising the vagina.

Remember, that chemically speaking, oestrogen and progesterone are both steroid hormones that have powerful and important, whole system effects, only some of which are fully understood by today’s medical science.

For this reason...

it is very unwise to use either oestrogen or progesterone in any form, anywhere in the body, without a qualified, medical doctor’s prescription.

In younger women, high levels of circulating oestrogen are needed (along with progesterone) to maintain fertility.

But nature and evolution have determined that as women get older, we do not need to fertile - we have other work to do.

We therefore do not need to have our bodies exposed to such high levels of these powerful steroids - and menopause is nature’s way of protecting us.

What’s more, it seems likely - and the evidence from the HRT trials is building up to support this read more - that the harmful effects of high oestrogen levels become more dominant as we age and after menopause these negative effects outweigh the positive effects of the hormone on younger bodies.

For this reason, the body of expert medical opinion now supports the use of hormone therapy only in low doses for the shortest possible time(2), for debilitating hot flushes around menopause.

And systemic hormone treatment (ie oral or skin patches) for the treatment only of vaginal dryness is not generally advised.

But menopausal vaginal dryness – is an uncomfortable problem that can be a key trigger, that causes the house of cards of a woman’s wellbeing, to collapse... so it does require treatment...

Hormone creams for local application in the vagina are the usual treatment that doctors recommend but ... before you go down that line, there’s another product you should consider trying first....

And you will be pleased to hear – that it is completely unnecessary to let this discomfort upset your life... through fear of treating vaginal dryness with hormones...

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First try the simple remedy...

Vaginal dryness may be common and irritating, but it is a condition that is very easily relieved with a simple harmless remedy whose only active ingredient is, believe it or not, WATER.

It hardly seems credible, but today, in the second decade of the 21st century, many women do not know about one of the most simple, non-toxic, natural remedies for vaginal dryness and the discomfort that it often causes.

You can read more about this natural remedy for vaginal discomfort.

Bibliography

1. Huang AJ, Moore EE, Boykp EJ et al. Vaginal symptoms in postmenopausal women: self-reported severity, natural history, and risk factors. Menopause 2010;17:121-126

2. Nelson HD. Menopause. Lancet 2008;371:760-70.

Published March 8th 2011. International Women's Day.

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