Dear Maureen,
I listen to your Sunday Night Sex Show on News Talk 980 CKNW frequently and I have heard you speak about vaginal dryness. I am a fifty year old women still very much in love and attracted to my husband, Thomas. The other night not only did I have two hot flashes, when I went to do the “dirty deed,” it also hurt….alot. Can vaginal dryness happen overnight like that? I’d had sex the night before and there was no problem. What can I do? When the vaginal dryness struck out of the blue, I was feeling frisky so I used Vaseline. Is that Ok? What else do you recommend? Help, I need to get back to the bedroom.
Thanks,
All Dried Up Debbie
Dear All Dried Up Debbie,
Thank you so much for your note and for listening to the show. To answer your question, many of the symptoms of menopause have a rapid onset. Indeed vaginal dryness may come on suddenly. Depending on the study, the average age of the onset of menopause is 52 or 53. That is the average so there are women who may experience the symptoms you describe at the age of 50 and even earlier. A woman should speak to her doctor about any menopausal symptoms she may be experiencing. Each woman’s situation is uniquely their own. It is up to you and your doctor to determine if you need treatment for hot flashes and/or any other symptoms a woman may experience like night sweats, heart palpitations, anxiety, mood fluctuations, painful joints, low sexual desire, etc.
That said, there is something you can do immediately for your vaginal dryness. Please do not use Vaseline ever again on your sensitive vaginal tissues. Rather I recommend personal moisturizers that are developed specifically for vaginal health. RepaGyn is a hormone-free over the counter personal moisturizer that will help to restore your vaginal health and help you stimulate your own lubrication again. The estrogen receptors decrease in the vagina at menopause and this is what leads to vaginal dryness. But not to worry, after a couple of weeks of a nightly insertion of the RepaGyn ovule into your vagina, then twice weekly thereafter, you will maintain that friskiness (which is great because sex is so beneficial for women!) So head on down to the drugstore and ask for RepaGyn because you don’t need a prescription. After a couple of weeks of nightly use, you will begin to feel better. Then make an appointment with your doctor and tell her your symptoms and that you have begun to moisturize your vagina because…it is just as important to moisturize your vagina as it is your face!
Warm regards, Maureen
