Causes of vaginal dryness and how to deal with it

Have you ever felt your vagina dry? When experiencing it, you may suspect various reasons, even anxious about experiencing the early symptoms of menopause. However, vaginal dryness experienced by young women can be caused by several factors.

According to Journal of Women's Health published in August 2015, vaginal dryness is also a problem for women under the age of 60. This is a very common case experienced by women. It is important for you to keep your vagina moisturised, as this moisture can keep tissues healthy and help prevent infections and sexually transmitted diseases.

What are the symptoms of vaginal dryness?

You will feel pain during sexual intercourse. Apart from that, pain is also experienced when you sit, stand, exercise, urinate and even when you are working. This problem can interfere with women's activities, whether they are sexually active or not.

Changes also occur in the appearance of the vagina and vulva, the vaginal lips will look thinner. You may also experience irritation and a burning sensation.

If you experience burning, itching and discomfort in the vaginal area, you should immediately visit your doctor. These symptoms will be diagnosed with questions about how long you have had these symptoms, about the medications you are taking, or how you cleaned your vagina.

Usually the doctor will do a pelvic test, checking the vagina to make sure there is redness or not. This test will help you find the cause, or possible infection, such as a urinary tract infection.

What causes vaginal dryness?

In treating a disease, you must first know the root cause or cause, as well as to treat vaginal dryness. There are several causes that you can see:

1. Hormonal changes

According to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the most common cause of vaginal dryness is a drop in estrogen levels during menopause, premenopause, after childbirth, or during breastfeeding. Chemical treatments for cancer such as chemotherapy and radiation to the pelvis can cause decreased estrogen and vaginal lubrication.

2. Certain drugs

Allergy, asthma, and cold medicines contain antihistamines which have an effect in the body, resulting in decreased vaginal lubrication.

3. Lack of passion

One of the causes of vaginal dryness could be low libido or sexual problems with your partner. For example, still according to Goldstein, partners may have poor sexual performance, skip foreplay, or experience premature ejaculation.

4. Irritation

Personal care products can also trigger vaginal dryness, such as chemical soaps, various hygiene products, and perfumes. Some women have problems with allergies to detergents and soaps. Even with clothes, such as underwear and towels, can also irritate your vagina. Allergies that arise can be in the form of problems with lubrication or objects; like bacteria residing in your vagina.

5. Anxiety

Psychological and emotional factors can interfere with sexual arousal and make your vagina dry. According to Goldstein, when women are anxious, there will be a lack of blood flow, resulting in dryness in the vaginal area. Anxiety will also trigger the hormone cortisol, this hormone can interfere with how estrogen works.

How to deal with vaginal dryness?

As explained above, you must find the root cause to treat vaginal dryness. For example, for women who have problems with vaginal lubrication due to hormonal changes, their doctor may recommend estrogen therapy as treatment.

Treatment of vaginal dryness with hormones

The hormone estrogen is inserted into the vagina for cases hot flashes , vaginal dryness, and skin discoloration. This hormone is put in the form of a ring, tablet, or cream.

There are three types of vaginal estrogen:

1. Vaginal estrogen ring (Estring): the doctor will insert a soft, flexible ring into the vagina. There, this estrogen will be released directly into the vaginal tissue. However, this type is not permanent, you have to replace it every three months
2. Vaginal estrogen tablets (Vagifem): You use a disposable applicator to insert the tablet into your vagina once a day for the first two weeks of treatment. Then, you will enter it twice a week until you no longer need it
3. Vaginal estrogen cream (Estrace, Premarin): You will also use an applicator to insert the cream into the vagina. The cream is applied for one to two weeks, then the frequency is reduced by one to three times a week as directed by the doctor

However, estrogen therapy is not recommended for:

• Breast cancer sufferers
• Women who have a history of endometrial cancer
• Pregnant and breastfeeding mothers

Treatment of vaginal dryness by changing habits

There are other ways that are more comfortable, this method can also be used for dry pain due to sex, such as:

• Use lubricants during sex: There are a number of lubricating products that can help with vaginal dryness. This lubricant is based on silicone, oil and water. Usually, lubricants are more often used to make it comfortable during sex than as long-term vaginal lubricants.
• Use a special vaginal moisturizer: You can look for a special vaginal moisturizer, because the moisturizer helps to enter water into the vaginal tissue.
• Avoid washing the vagina with soap. You should avoid cleaning the vagina with lots of lather , scented soaps, and lotions. This can make the dryness worse. If you want to prevent vaginal infections caused by fungi and bacteria, you can use a feminine cleanser that contains povidone-iodine. When used on the outside of the vagina, povidone-iodine has been shown to be effective in killing parasites that cause infection, but at the same time maintaining the vaginal pH balance and not making the vagina dry.

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