Susan a forty-year-old professional and active former Olympic swimming hopeful presented to my clinical practice after two years of trying to solve her vaginal dryness with kitchen products.
In addition to perimenopause (the years leading up to menopause), stress was a contributor to her vaginal dryness. Susan thought that her nasty divorce was a curse to her never being in a relationship again, but as life would have it, this was not the case. She met a fabulous new man to whom she was wildly attracted, but sex was painful!
She reviewed with me all the at home methods she had tried in an attempt to cure her vaginal dryness (which included everything from almond oil to olive oil to Crisco oil!), but none were sustaining her and the vaginal dryness would reappear. She also found it pretty awkward to be spontaneous with her new lover: “Oh, excuse me while I head down to the *ahem*…kitchen!” Needless to say, this killed the moment.
Susan was frustrated and wanted something that would improve the moisture in her vagina over the long term. She said her heart and mind were like a teenager again in this new relationship, but her vagina was like a granny! She was concerned that her new lover would leave her. She had to admit that although there were many issues in her first marriage, including, ironically, the fact that she was a terrible cook, vaginal dryness was also a contributing factor to her divorce because it had shut down their sex life.
Personal moisturizers are a fantastic option to treat vaginal dryness in women. There are ovules like RepaGyn (found behind the pharmacy counter in most drug stores) that are inserted into the vagina once daily for 2-3 weeks then every other day as directed by a healthcare professional. Susan was thrilled to learn about this product which contains natural ingredients (and can be kept in her night table, not her pantry!).
It is important that women not only avoid the kitchen when trying to manage their vaginal dryness, but that they also avoid the bathroom as well. Douches, bubble baths, scented soaps and lotions may worsen the sensitive vaginal tissues and make vaginal dryness even worse.
That said, Susan was happy to learn that having regular penetrative sex was also helpful for women dealing with vaginal dryness as that activates natural lubrication. I suggested Susan and her man take their time enjoying sex to ensure they are fully relaxed, as this will help with natural lubrication as well. Change it up……have sex in the kitchen, the bathroom, and then get back to the bedroom.
