Adults » Women's issues » Vaginal Dryness

What is the cause?

When a women goes through the menopause her ovaries stop releasing eggs and her body produces less oestrogen.

After the menopause, as the levels of oestrogen drop, less and less lubrication is produced in the vagina and it can become quite dry. As a result women can pick up infections in the vagina more easily and sexual intercourse can become painful and sore.
 
Vaginal dryness is not only caused by lack of oestrogen  related to the menopause. Dryness can occur from lack of arousal, anxiety, stress or from some forms of contraception such as the contraceptive pill.

When intercourse is painful and uncomfortable many women feel less inclined to make love and some find that what was once a very enjoyable part of their lives stops altogether. The medical term for painful sex  is 'dyspareunia'.

What  can help vaginal dryness?

There is no need for women to suffer in silence. There are various treatment options to choose from.

It is a good idea to talk to your GP, practice nurse or local sexual health clinic before making a decision. It is important that somebody examines you just to make sure that there is nothing seriously wrong that could be causing the discomfort.

Lubrication

One simple solution to the problem is to use a lubricating jelly available over the counter in chemist shops.  KY jelly is the most commonly used jelly but it can be quite thick and messy. There are other lubricating jellies that are not quite so thick and messy and your local chemist will be able to advise.

SYLK is an alternative lubricant that equates to the natural vaginal environment. It has a non chemical base,  comes from an extract of the Kiwi plant and mimics normal secretions. It is available on prescription from your GP and information is available from their website at www.sylk.co.uk

Local oestrogen therapy

This can come in a number of forms, vaginal tablets, pessaries or creams which can be inserted directly into the vagina. These treatments  allow oestrogen to be secreted  into the dry walls of the vagina making sexual intercourse less painful. As these treatments help to restore the tissue in the vagina  back to its pre menopausal state they do not need to be used immediately prior to sexual intercourse like lubrication.
They are only available on prescription, so you will need to go to your GP for them.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)

Again, available on prescription only.
HRT is usually taken by mouth or as a patch that is placed onto the skin. It can help with all the symptoms caused by lack of oestrogen associated with the menopause.
Sometimes though it is not enough to cope with vaginal dryness and local oestrogen is also required. 

It is possible to refer yourself directly for advise regarding the menopause to the Menopause Clinic at Dumfries Royal Infirmary (telephone 01387 246246)  or log onto
www.menopausematters.co.uk for lots of  helpful information