The Va Ja Ja Monologue

Let’s Talk Vaginal Dryness

Hello Golden Divas!

In this post, I would like to talk about ‘Vaginal Dryness!’ I know say it isn’t so,  but the truth is it is so; especially when you hit a certain age. You know that age of being on the other side of fifty when we suppose to feel free, liberated, and more confident in our bodies.

Just when we thought we had this stuff down packed here is another unwanted gift attacking our womanhood? I mean seriously some of us are at the stage in our lives where we are either going through perimenopause or menopause; (which I hate to say, never really ends) or the fact that our Va Ja Ja may be drying out much sooner than later! 

Whatever the stage you are in there is so much to discover about our inner self and our bodies. Contrary to how we may be feeling or what we may be going through this is the decade of being more in tune with our bodies, their needs, and the mere fact that our Va Ja Ja needs plenty of MOISTURE.

This may be hard to fathom that your lady parts are starting to feel dry and if you are feeling pain during sexual intercourse you may need to use a vaginal moisturizer at least twice a week. A moisturizer is a different animal than lube. It will give you long-term relief from dryness by holding the moisture on the surface of the cells in the vagina.  You can use olive oil (it doesn’t need to be extra-virgin or expensive) or vitamin E oil for this. However, don’t use coconut, almond, vegetable oil because they haven’t been conclusively studied and may cause irritation.

Lubricants (lube) will help relieve pain and minimize friction during insertion. If you’re over 50 and having sex, lube is essential. Popular brands include K-Y Jelly and Astroglide.

This is why every year I get my annual checkup with my gynecologist around my birthday to make sure that I’m not going through ‘vagina atrophy’ (the deterioration of my vagina) and this year will be no different.

Ladies, as we age, so does our lady parts, that is why it is so important that ‘Vaginal Health’ for women over 50′ should be at the top of our priority list. Check out this video!

Vaginal Dryness: What You Should Know

According to Dr. Adelaide Nardone; Board Certified Gynecologist   

Vulvovaginal dryness is very common, and most women will experience some degree of vulvovaginal dryness in their lifetime. Probably up to 70% of post-menopausal women and up to 15% of premenopausal women.

Vulvovaginal dryness is a condition whereby the external genitalia and the vagina become dry, thin, pale, fragile, and become vulnerable to trauma, infection, and even bleeding. 

The most common cause of vulvovaginal dryness is low, estrogen, at any stage of a woman’s life. Estrogen, if you will, is the life force of the vagina and the vulva. It promotes the production of glycogen, which is a substance that the good bacteria Lactobacilli, thrives on, and which in turn keeps the vagina in a healthy vaginal pH. It also helps promote the production of mucus, the increase blood flow; it makes it elastic. When the estrogen levels are low in a woman — usually in the postmenopausal stage, but it can happen at other stages of life — all those good things become reversed. And what happens is, you see these nice little ridges here in the vagina, those are called rugae, they flatten out, and the vaginal becomes thin, the blood flow decreases and the vagina becomes pale, the tissues lose the glycogen that I spoke of, and the good bacteria aren’t there, the pH goes up, and women lose lubrication and moisture. 

The same with the vulva. The vulva has estrogen receptors as well. And the estrogen in the vulva keeps the skin — like skin in your body — it keeps it very healthy. It increases collagen in the skin, subcutaneous fat. And when the estrogen levels are low, these qualities are diminished, so women notice that there is thinning of the tissues, hair loss, and just very vulnerable! The tissue becomes very fragile. 

The symptoms of vulvovaginal dryness and which, eventually with long-term low estrogen can lead to atrophy are varied, but some women present to me just with vaginal itching. Or they’re scorched and don’t lubricate during sex. And this has a tremendous impact on female sexual function. The leading cause of Female Arousal Disorder is vaginal atrophy. And it can impact one’s self-image, one’s self-esteem, and overall quality of life. But vulvovaginal dryness doesn’t just affect older women. 15% of premenopausal or reproductive aged-women also suffer from vulvovaginal dryness.

The important thing is that women address this problem. Over 60% of women are afraid to discuss it, and many providers fail to treat it as well. I’ve had patients come in and until someone asks I say, “How are you doing? How’s your relationship? Are you sexually active?” And one patient recently said to me. “Oh, Doc! I am dry as sand down there!” Which says it all.  Vulvovaginal dryness can make women feel old.

What are other causes of vulvovaginal dryness? 

It isn’t just menopause. Women can have low Estrogen at various stages of their life. They can be breastfeeding, they could have just had a baby where all the hormones have gone way down after being pregnant, they can be on anti-breast cancer medications that are anti-estrogens. They can be on Chemotherapy. They could have been exposed to pelvic radiation for pelvic cancers. Certain drugs can cause dryness — even nonspecific antihistamines. Some birth control pills are only Progesterone pills or Progesterone birth control, and they don’t have estrogen, and I’ve noticed over time, that women are on these a long time, they know that they have decreased lubrication and suffer from some vaginal dryness. There are even some lifestyle factors that come into play that can aggravate dryness: Smoking, excess alcohol, lack of sexual activity and even obesity can impact your vulvovaginal area.

I encourage women to speak to their doctors or their gynecologist providers about vulvovaginal dryness, and if long term left unchecked, it becomes atrophied.

There are numerous remedies for this. We have over-the-counter lubricants that can aid women during sexual activity and help with lubrication. There’re also moisturizers that they can use externally and then there’s also some localized estrogen therapies, which work very effectively because if you lack estrogen and you give it back locally, in that area, it works wonders to restore vulvovaginal health. And these come in many, many forms. We have rings and creams and tablets. So please, this is not a condition that women should suffer in silence. There are terrific remedies out there to improve your overall quality of life.  

Here are 6 Vaginal Health Tips to help keep your kitty refreshed and renewed during this decade

• Have regular checkups with a gynecologist who specializes in vaginal health for women over 50.
• Keep having sex, which can be more satisfying in your 50s and 60s at least once a week
• Address vaginal dryness and any pain it may cause during sex
• Be careful with lubricants that may irritate your skin or cause problems with your body’s balance of yeast and bacteria
• After menopause, you may experience a higher risk of vaginal infections due to changes in the balance of “good bacteria” in your body
• When a yeast infection strikes, try MONISTAT® products, which are available in a variety of treatment dosage strengths and forms

Note: Golden Divas, It’s important to keep your lady parts healthy to avoid burning, itching, irritation or infection from unhealthy bacteria.  

Source:

Dr. Adelaide Nardone; Board Certified Gynecologist

https://www.monistat.com/vaginal-health-blog-articles/vaginal-health-your-50s-and-beyond

https://www.babyboomster.com/vaginal-health-tips/