Symptoms of a dry vagina can affect women of all ages but is particularly prevalent in menopausal and peri-menopausal women.  The figures are surprising.  Around 80% of women entering the menopause (peri-menopausal) suffer from vaginal dryness whilst 50% of menopausal women continue to suffer from this debilitating symptom.  This affects most notably the intimate health and the sexual wellbeing of women. Why is this symptom most prevalent at this phase of a woman’s life?

As the menopause looms, the ovaries stop producing estrogen in sufficient quantity to allow for conception, leading to a number of physiological changes, such as erratic or non-existent periods. One of the side effects of a lack of oestrogen is vaginal dryness. Oestrogen is a necessary ingredient of vaginal tissue lubrication and if this is not present, the vagina becomes dry, thin and prone to infection as the natural flora of the vagina, being normally acidic due to oestrogen, becomes less efficient at combatting vaginal infections.  The overall affect is the feeling of dryness and loss of elasticity, which can lead to pain on intercourse.

To date this has been viewed as an inevitable consequence of becoming more mature in years but the excellent news is that your gynaecologist can offer you effective and long-lasting treatments to combat vaginal dryness, making it unnecessary to put up with vaginal dryness any more than putting up with grey hair due to a lack of hair dye.