We’ve started a blog and video series called “Why did nobody tell me?” which is aimed at providing information around health topics that have symptoms that are not talked about enough. This month we are focusing on perimenopause/menopause support and today we want to talk about vaginal dryness. To clarify, there is general mucus membrane dryness women may experience in perimenopause through menopause. This is due to lower hormone production of both estrogen and progesterone. In fact, a study found that dryness in one area of the body could relate to other areas in the body. (1)
What this means is if you’re experiencing vaginal dryness, it is not uncommon for you to experience dryness in other areas of your body such as your nose, eyes, and skin in general. This makes sense because women have estrogen receptors in mucus membranes throughout their body. So, if you’ve started noticing your eyes and nose feeling more dry than usual, it could be related to a decline in hormones. Now, that is just one possibility – and it’s always important to have things checked out. Your naturopathic doctor can assess your symptoms, order lab tests, and tell you if it’s related to a decline in hormones or another condition.
But getting back to the topic of vaginal dryness – this can affect many women, and can also bring about feelings of shame and embarrassment. It can also cause a strain in relationships if sexual intercourse has become painful and uncomfortable, making women want to avoid being intimate. Vaginal dryness leads to symptoms such as itching, burning, soreness, dry sensation and painful sex. Vaginal dryness can also lead to more irritation of the vulvar tissue which can increase the risk for bladder and yeast infections in women.
If this is starting to sound familiar, don’t worry. There are many options available. Your Toronto naturopathic doctor can talk to you about natural lubricants such as water-based ones, or even simply using vitamins such as vitamin E. Ensuring adequate daily intake of good quality protein and healthy fats can also help. Lastly, there is botanical support available to help boost hormones as well. The most important thing for you to know is that there are options to help ease your symptoms and boost your overall quality of life.
Reference:
- Ito K, Takamatsu K, Nohno K, Sugano A, Funayama S, Katsura K, Kaneko N, Ogawa M, Meurman JH, Inoue M. Factors associated with mucosal dryness in multiple regions and skin: A web-based study in women. J Obstet Gynaecol Res. 2017 May;43(5):880-886. doi: 10.1111/jog.13290. Epub 2017 Apr 19. PMID: 28422418.