Category: vaginal dryness

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It’s Ok To Talk About Women’s Vaginal And Sexual Health

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If we are comfortable talking about earaches, sore throat, and runny noses, why don’t we talk about vaginal dryness with the same ease? It’s ok to talk about women’s vaginal and sexual health, they are parts of our body and our lives.

Vaginal dryness and pain during sex are two of the most common and least talked about symptoms of perimenopause and postmenopause.

 

Vaginal dryness and pain during sex are two of the symptoms of the Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause (GSM). Other physical changes and symptoms that occur due to lack of estrogen (not aging) include

  • vulvovaginal (vulva and the clitoris are the fleshy parts that touch your clothes) burning or irritation, itching,
  • urinary symptoms of urgency, pain with urination, and recurrent urinary tract infection (UTI).

 

Vaginal dryness doesn’t affect only women who are sexually active. It can also make sitting, biking, and wearing tight clothes very uncomfortable.

 

If you’ve gone through 2-3 pairs of bike shorts in the last few years and none feels comfortable it may be that you’re experiencing vaginal dryness.

 

GSM affects more than 50% of postmenopausal women.

 

It is especially noted in breast cancer survivors, due to chemotherapy-induced ovarian

insufficiency, surgical removal of the ovaries, or radiation therapy, and unfortunately most cases are undiagnosed and untreated.

 

And the problem usually doesn’t resolve by itself.

 

In fact, if not properly treated, it gets WORSE.

 

In her podcast Tracy Seider Coaching | The Reshape Method™, Tracy Seider, a movement coach, asked me very important questions about:

 

  • WHY dryness, itching, burning, and discomfort or pain during sex happen at peri- and post-menopause

 

  • WHAT to do about it

 

You can watch “Intimacy & Menopause: How to get your MOJO back – and what to do about dryness and pain”  here.

 

What can you do to improve your vaginal symptoms?

 

First, if you’re experiencing symptoms of GMS it’s important that you make an appointment with your doctor for a physical examination to ensure a proper diagnosis and exclude other conditions that might mimic GSM, such as vaginitis (inflammation of the vagina caused by a vaginal bacteria or yeast), lichen sclerosus (a dermatological condition), a very tight pelvic floor, or other conditions.

 

Second, make an appointment with me to discuss the best therapies for your GSM.

 

Third, you can try a non-hormonal vaginal moisturizer. My favourite is Repagyn because it contains hyaluronic acid and helps keep tissues hydrated. In Ontario you have to ask the pharmacist for it since it is kept behind the counter. Vaginal moisturizers maintain tissue integrity, elasticity, and pliability and should be used on a regular basis.

 

Third (yes 3rd again because you can use moisturizers and lubricants together), use a silicone-based lubricant during sexual activity, with a toy or a person. The best out of the many I tried (yes, I’m usually the guinea-pig!!) is Uberlube. Lubricants reduce friction and discomfort during penetrative sexual activity. Available water-based lubricants can cause irritation and oil-based lubricants can damage condoms.

 

Fourth, moisturizers and lubricants do not regenerate the tissues that have been affected by the lack of estrogen. The most effective therapy for GSM is low-dose vaginal estrogen and other therapies available by prescription. When you book a consultation with me we’ll discuss what’s happening, how you’re feeling about it, what your expectations are, and the available therapies FOR YOU.

 

You deserve the best health and wellbeing.

 

The best way to ensure you get the best healthcare is by advocating for yourself.

 

I can arm you with the right knowledge so you can advocate for yourself.

 

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The Top Five Things Every Woman in Menopause Should Know

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Women should know more about menopause so they can have an easier transition, less fear, more confidence, and better support.

If I had to pick the top five things every woman in menopause should know, this would be my list:

1. Be aware of what your body is going through.

Menopause isn’t a mystery, or a disease, or the loss of anything. And it has nothing to do with men, either!

Meno (from menses) pause is the end of ovulation, menstruation, and fertility. Menopause is confirmed 12 months after the last menstrual period.

In the years leading up to menopause your body will go through hormonal changes – estrogen and progesterone levels fluctuate and decline. Changes are often challenging. You’re not crazy; what you’re feeling is real and it’s easier and less fearful to navigate the menopause transition if you know what’s going on.

2. Menopause isn’t something to be ashamed of.

Why would a human physiological event be something bad or shameful?

Some people call menopause puberty in reverse.

If you were born with ovaries, you can’t stop menopause from happening.

Culture and the media portray menopause as negative. But, in truth, menopause is not the loss of youth. Associating it with being old, over the hill, the end of womanhood, etc., is a myth, inaccurate, and misleading. The average age of menopause is 51 and many women can start perimenopause in their late 30s or early 40s.

3. You’re not alone.

Because there’s no intergenerational sharing, your mother and aunties may not tell you about their menopause, so you’re not prepared for it, you don’t know enough about it, and you feel isolated and alone in this journey. But you aren’t alone!  Millions of women worldwide are going through their own menopause.

If you’ve been through menopause then share your experience with those who haven’t yet, and if you’re not there yet ask older women to share.

Talk about it with other women, help break the secrecy and the taboo that surrounds menopause.

If we want things to change then we must be part of the change and not blame everything on the patriarchy.

4. Seek help and don’t suffer in silence and alone.

Ok, menopause is a natural thing but suffering through it is an option.

You shouldn’t just put up with the symptoms—hot flashes, night sweats, sleepless nights, brain fog, fatigue, urine leakage, vaginal dryness, painful sex, loss of self-confidence, anxiety, palpitations, worry, and anger—just because you can’t avoid menopause.

If these challenges are affecting the quality of your life, if you stopped doing things you used to do because your menopause is bothersome, if it is affecting your intimate relationships, and/or if your work is being negatively affected by hormonal changes, then seek help.

There’s help. I can help you!

5. Don’t exclude hormone therapy from your tool box.

Google isn’t the best source of information and you shouldn’t choose your treatment options based on what you read on the internet.

I know, Google says that menopause hormone therapy (MHT), aka HRT, is bad for you, can cause breast cancer and strokes…

You shouldn’t confuse your Google search with my pharmacy degree (see photo!).

Anyone can post on the internet, and what they post can stay there FOREVER. There’s a lot of old information that’s no longer accurate since research is ongoing and treatment recommendations change based on the latest information.

Therefore, do not automatically exclude MHT as a possible solution to your menopause challenges without first educating yourself about the benefits and risks of MHT.

Seek the advice of a healthcare provider who’s well-versed in all things menopause, a NAMS Certified Menopause Practitioner (NCMP) like myself, and get the facts about MHT.

It takes time—which most physicians do not have—to explain what MHT is, how it works, and the immediate and long-term benefits and risks. Once you have spent the time, and learned accurate and updated information about MHT, then and only then you’ll be properly equipped to make an educated decision about your treatment.

If you’d like to know if MHT is appropriate for you book a Discovery Call and let’s chat.

Rocking Midlife Podcast “Navigating Menopause with Teresa Dias”

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In this Rocking Midlife Podcast, “Navigating Menopause with Teresa Dias”, my esteemed and very funny hostess, Cat Coluccio, and I cover all sorts of areas, ranging from night sweats to dry vaginas.

Ten years ago, when I was in my late 40s and my oldest son was in his late teens he asked me if I was bipolar because my moods were so extreme. That led me to research what could be contributing to my moods and I discovered that I was in perimenopause.

I realized, WOW! If I, a well-educated healthcare professional, had no idea of what was going on in my body and my mind then a lot of other women who’re going through similar challenges must know even less.

That’s when I decided to get my menopause practitioner certification (NCMP) through the North American menopause Society (NAMS), so I could make women’s midlife journey easier.

There’s a lot of secrecy, shame, denial, and taboo about menopause.

I’ve learned a lot through experience, listening, counselling, and educating women going through the hormonal changes of midlife.  I believe there are three things that must be accomplished so that ALL women can have an easier menopause, not feel they’re going crazy, and realize that they’re not alone on this journey:

  • We must normalize menopause, talk about it, and break the taboo because ALL women go through menopause and there’s no shame in it.
  • Women need to be aware of menopause, be prepared for it, and understand what’s causing the changes, in order to avoid worry, fear, and needless suffering.
  • Women need to know that for every challenge that (peri)menopause poses there’s a solution, and they need to know where to find support when they need it.

Cat says

This Rocking Midlife Podcast, “Navigating Menopause with Teresa Dias”, is one that every midlife woman needs to listen to.

In fact, every woman’s family should listen in too so they can learn how to support the menopausal woman in their life.

I certainly learned things that I didn’t know, as let’s face it, menopause is rarely discussed as being a normal season of life. Teresa’s business is called MenopausED, a virtual women’s health practice specialized in menopause. She raises awareness about menopause and provides education and support to women in midlife to help them navigate this season.

You can find the podcast here, https://catcoluccio.com/2020/12/10/navigating-menopause/

 

Teresa Isabel Dias is a pharmacist and Certified Menopause Practitioner (NCMP) who provides education and support on symptom management for women at work and at home so they’ll feel like themselves again and enjoy a vibrant and productive life.

Grab a quick guide and subscribe to the MenopausED Newsletter on the MenopausED home page.

If would like to know how Teresa can improve your menopause transition then schedule a complimentary Discovery Call at MenopausED.org.

 

 

Vaginal dryness – no one talks about it but it’s common

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I was at the National Women’s Show (NWS) in Toronto this weekend raising awareness about vaginal dryness.

Between 10% and 40% of menopausal women have at least one of these signs and symptoms – vaginal dryness, itching, burning, and discomfort or pain during sex. And even though this is a common problem, very few women talk about it and get relief for it.

At the NWS I would approach women and ask them if I could ask them a question about the health of their vaginas; sometimes I would ask them if they have discomfort, dryness, or itching, sometimes I would show them a card with this question:

TRUE OR FALSE
Vaginal dryness affects millions of women worldwide?

About 10% of the women ignored me, 20% quickly moved away from me as if I had a contagious disease, 20% said they didn’t have any problems, and 50% of women engaged in conversation to varying degrees (some of them mainly wanted a drink of water from the fountain we offered at our booth!).

Testimonial wall about vaginal dryness at the Replens booth, National Women's Show, Nov 2019

Testimonial wall about vaginal dryness at the Replens booth, National Women’s Show, Nov 2019

Here’s some of what I heard:

Some women who’d had breast cancer had been told by their oncologists to use hormone-free lubricants during sex.

Some women were seniors and had vulvar (the fleshy parts that touch your clothes) dryness and itch, and needed some relief externally.

Some women shocked the female friends they were with when they told me that sex had become uncomfortable and they had tried lubricant—it was obvious women aren’t sharing these intimate issues with their friends!

When we started talking about how important it is for us to talk about these issues all agreed and some shared that they were going through similar experiences. It goes to show the importance of awareness and how many women are affected and yet so few speak up and seek help.

I also spoke to women who confided to me that they had stopped having sex because it was painful but they would love to be intimate with their partners again. How could I help them? My motto on the weekend was, SAY NO TO PAIN, NOT TO SEX!, added to my usual motto, There’s help. I can help you!

There are several products that can help restore moisture to the vagina, decrease discomfort and pain, and increase pleasure during sexual activity. There’s no need to suffer alone and in silence and jeopardize your relationships.

Let’s get into causes and relief.

CAUSES

One of the most common causes of vaginal dryness is menopause. Menopause is the natural transition that all women experience – it is the end of ovarian function, ovulation, menstruation, and fertility. As a result of menopause, estrogen levels decline, and because estrogen is the predominant female hormone and acts in so many tissues and organs of the body, many women experience physical, emotional, and cognitive changes during the menopause transition, like hot flashes and night sweats, sleep disturbances, mood swings, and vaginal dryness.

Most women experience menopause as a transition that occurs over the course of many years. There are three stages of menopause:

Peri-Menopause

5 to 10 years prior to actual menopause when physical signs of menopause begin due to hormone fluctuations.

Menopause

Confirmed when a woman hasn’t had any bleeding for 12 consecutive months. In North America the average age of menopause is 51 years. Menopause can also be caused by the surgical removal of the ovaries, or by certain medications that damage ovarian function, like chemo and radiation to treat certain cancers.

Post-Menopause

The years after menopause. Because Canadian women are expected to live until 84, many of us will spend one-third of our lives in post-menopause.

During the menopause transition most symptoms, like hot flashes and night sweats, get better with time, but vaginal dryness tends to get worse. Estrogen helps keep vaginal tissues healthy by maintaining normal vaginal lubrication, tissue elasticity, and acidity, and low estrogen levels can affect the vagina and urinary tract during menopause.

Over time, the vaginal lining can get thinner, dryer, and less elastic.

Women may feel vaginal burning and itching, more frequent vaginal and urinary tract infections, and frequent urination and decreased lubrication during sex which can lead to painful intercourse.

When a woman is sexually stimulated her vaginal tissues produce lubrication that aids with sexual penetration. In menopause, due to lack of estrogen, the vaginal cells do not produce as much moisture and sexual penetration may become uncomfortable and even painful. Vaginal dryness worsens 5 to 10 years following menopause because of this lack of estrogen on the vaginal tissues.

RELIEF

Several treatment options are available over the counter, without a prescription, and some can be prescribed by your family physician or gynecologist.

Treatment options available over-the-counter:

Vaginal moisturizers and lubricants

Moisturizers and lubricants can help relieve vaginal dryness and painful sexual intercourse. Moisturizers are used on an ongoing basis and lubricants are used during penetration.

These products offer relief but do not treat the problem – the thinning of the tissues that line the walls of the vagina and the shrinking of the external features of the vulva (labia minora, labia majora, and the clitoris).

Treatment options available on prescription:

Vaginal Hormone therapy

Some women experience narrowing of the vaginal opening which can make penetration painful. In this case the best treatment is local, low-dose topical hormone therapy (HT), available by prescription.

These products are available as ovules (estradiol) and cream (conjugated estrogens) that are inserted in the vagina. Because they are used locally in the vagina, studies show that the hormones are not absorbed systemically (do not cause any effects on other parts of the body) and have fewer adverse effects than HT used in pill form or patch.

A new medication recently approved in Canada for the treatment of post-menopausal vaginal atrophy contains prasterone (DHEA), a natural steroid.

Another prescription product to treat vaginal dryness may be available in Canada soon and it is a hormone-free tablet, taken by mouth.

If your doctor doesn’t ask you about the health of your vagina and how it may be affecting your quality of life, self-esteem, and relationships—unfortunately the majority of doctors do not give women an opportunity to discuss these topics—I hope you have read enough here to encourage you to approach your family doctor, gynecologist, or me to discuss what’s going on with your vagina and how to improve your symptoms, sex, and quality of life.

Let’s break the menopause taboo. Let’s talk about menopause.

 

Teresa Isabel Dias is a pharmacist and Certified Menopause Practitioner (NCMP) who provides education and support on symptom management for women at work and at home so they’ll feel like themselves again and enjoy a vibrant and productive life.

Grab a quick guide and subscribe to the MenopausED Newsletter on the MenopausED home page.

If would like to know how Teresa can improve your menopause transition then schedule a complimentary Discovery Call at MenopausED.org.

 

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