Vaginal Dryness

Vaginal dryness is thought to effect 75 percent of women during perimenopause or menopause. As woman age, they experience a reduction in hormone levels. This is due to ovaries shrinking when they go through menopause. Decreasing estrogen through this time is the primary reason for vaginal dryness. We see many women at the clinic with this problem. Thankfully there is a solution.

Years before menopause starts, we see hormone levels fluctuating and decreasing on tests. Our tests are always done on either saliva or urine as blood levels not accurate for sex hormone levels. The American College of endocrinology has stated that blood levels simply are not accurate. Therefore, we see many women being told their hormone levels are normal. Even though they are told everything is normal they feel poorly. We then run these more accurate tests and many times see things that need corrected.

When these estrogen levels fluctuate or drop a woman can get vaginal dryness and inadequate vaginal lubrication. This may indicate vaginal atrophy which is a thinning and inflammation of the vaginal walls.

Other signs of general vaginal dryness include recurring urinary infections though there are other reasons for this, urgency in urinating, and increased frequency of voiding. Other symptoms may also be pain or some light bleeding during intercourse, burning, itching, or stinging around the vagina. 

The first time that women experience these symptoms are during menopause. They may have no problems having intercourse before this. Suddenly sex is uncomfortable. This is due to the thin layer which moisturizes the vaginal wall has decreased. They are no longer creating enough so the result is dryness.

Thankfully with clinical nutrition there is an answer to this problem in most cases. With proper nutritional supplement your goal is to wake up the estrogen receptors in the vagina so women can not be dealing with this any longer.