According to statistics, up to 40-60% women in menopause, 26% women over 50 years old and 12% women under 40 years old suffer from vaginal dryness. It can be seen that vaginal dryness is a common problem, but many women ignore it or accept it without finding a solution. In some cases, women do not understand that vaginal dryness is a health problem that they need to pay attention to. Let's learn about this vaginal dryness with Atlantic Medical.

1. Common manifestations of vaginal dryness

Dryness is a condition in which the vaginal mucosa is thin and lacks moisture with the following symptoms: 

• There is a very uncomfortable burning and itching feeling in the vaginal and vulva areas 
• Frequent urinary tract infections: urine has an unusual color and odor, little urination, burning sensation, and in more severe cases, there may be blood in the urine 
• Vaginal dryness often leads to pain during sex, which is a cause of decreased libido. 
• It also causes discomfort for women when participating in sports or other physical activities. 
• It can even lead to the vaginal opening and vagina narrowing

  

This condition seriously affects quality of life. In addition, if not cared for and treated promptly, it will affect women's fertility. 

2. What causes vaginal dryness in women?

Estrogen produced by the ovaries helps women's vaginal walls thicken and maintain moisture and elasticity. As levels of this hormone decline, the vaginal walls become thinner, drier and less elastic. These changes gradually lead to vaginal atrophy or atrophic vaginitis. 

Reduced estrogen levels are often due to the following main reasons: 

– Premenopause, menopause 

– Surgical removal of the ovaries 

– After giving birth, breastfeeding 

– Cancer treatment, including chemotherapy and radiation therapy 

– Use anti-estrogen drugs to treat breast cancer or endometriosis 

Some other causes can also cause vaginal dryness in women: 

– Sjögren's syndrome – an autoimmune disease that involves inflammation of the salivary and lacrimal glands 

– Use antihistamines to treat flu or allergies by drying up secretions and may also cause vaginal dryness or difficulty urinating. 

– Using antidepressants causes side effects such as vaginal dryness, decreased sexual desire and difficulty reaching orgasm during intercourse. 

– Stress and anxiety can also reduce sexual desire and vaginal lubrication 

– Conditions that reduce blood supply to the vagina  

– Flammer syndrome, in which blood vessels react abnormally to stimuli such as cold and stress 

– Women who smoke will experience premenopause and menopause earlier and vaginal dryness in these people will also occur earlier. 

3. Diagnosis of vaginal dryness

Vaginal dryness is a health problem that affects many people and also affects the quality of life of many people. Your doctor can advise you on solutions to relieve the discomfort and pain that women endure. 

Your doctor will ask you questions about your symptoms, changes in your menstrual cycle, perform a pelvic exam, or take a sample of vaginal fluid for testing to provide the most appropriate diagnosis and advice for you. your condition. Don't hesitate to share the problems you have with your doctor. 

4. Solutions to reduce vaginal dryness

There are a number of solutions to help solve the problem of vaginal dryness in women, including solutions you can easily find at pharmacies and solutions that require a doctor's advice. 

Solutions you can make at home 

There are a number of lifestyle measures that can help alleviate vaginal dryness and the discomfort it causes. 

Have sex regularly 

Regular sex, either alone or with a partner, helps improve vaginal dryness. 

When there is sexual desire, more blood will flow to the vagina and trigger the production of vaginal mucus. 

In particular, quality foreplay will help increase vaginal lubrication, making lovemaking more fun and harmonious.  

Avoid using some bad hygiene products  

Some personal care and hygiene products are available Contains flavoring, coloring, high pH May cause vaginal irritation or dryness. 

The female vagina contains beneficial bacteria and has a self-cleaning mechanism. Therefore, you should not use products containing strong detergents or use scented soaps with artificial fragrances to avoid affecting women's very sensitive private areas. 

Choosing sanitary products is very important, so you need to consider and read the ingredient list carefully when choosing to buy a sanitary product. You may consider using it RosyCare daily cleaning gel pH 5.5 with main ingredient Damask organic rose water, STEPHAN-MILD® gentle cleanser, apple cider vinegar extract Helps optimize pH, along with ingredients that nourish the intimate microflora: bio-saccharide GUM-1. 

Use foods containing phytoestrogen

Phytoestrogens are compounds that have a structure and mechanism of action similar to estrogen in the body. It is abundant in foods such as Fenugreek seeds, flax seeds, soybeans… However, the phytoestrogen content in raw seeds is quite low. Therefore, supplementing health protection foods containing phytoestrogen is considered a safe, effective method and is chosen by many people. Some popular groups of substances on the market today: 

In addition, on the market there are many active ingredients that help regulate female hormones extracted from herbs such as: ginseng, flax seeds, alfalfa sprouts...  

When hormones decline sharply with symptoms appearing rapidly, women need to see a doctor for intensive intervention. At the same time, when choosing endocrine regulating supplements, you should choose to buy them at reputable establishments with a team of experts to advise on use appropriate to the condition of endocrine decline, avoiding buying the wrong products. fake, poor quality goods.                                                                                                        

Use lubricant 

Using lubricants during intercourse will help improve vaginal moisture, helping to reduce friction that causes pain during intercourse.  

Water-based lubricants are preferred over oil-based lubricants because oil-based types are more likely to cause irritation and tear condoms. 

Measures require a doctor's prescription 

When vaginal dryness becomes more severe, your doctor may prescribe estrogen cream to be applied directly to the vagina to help alleviate the symptoms of vaginal dryness. Estrogen in topical cream is less absorbed into the body than in pill form, so it also causes fewer side effects. 

However, people with a history of breast cancer, planning or currently pregnant, and those who are breastfeeding should consult a doctor to consider the benefits and risks before using this method. 

If you have any questions, please pick up the phone and contact us immediately Hotline 0936.236.283 or leave a question here to be the pharmacist's Atlantic Medical answers and advice 

Wishing you and your family good health and quality life!