Recently I hosted three events across three cities, known as HOT FLASH IN THE CITY. I have had a lot of feedback from peri-menopausal women, menopausal, and/or post-menopausal women who told me they learned a lot during the evening and now have necessary skills to navigate their health to manage the symptoms they have been experiencing. Some attendees had not been experiencing menopausal-like symptoms at all, but they felt that they were now better prepared if and when the symptoms of menopause strike!
There was one attendee, Margo, who worked in the field of personal vibrostimulation devices (development). She said that was so delighted to have attended the event because although she had developed a number of vibrators, she did not realize the importance of vaginal health, especially when women self-stimulate, use sex toys, and/or engage in intercourse.
She said she was very happy to learn all of this and that she would now share this information with women in her business network. Margo also said that she appreciated learning the differences between a lubricant and a personal moisturizer. Although she was very familiar with the use of water-based lubricants with sex toys, she learned the importance of a personal moisturizer for vaginal health. She did not realize that the reason women may be experiencing a delay in orgasm could be related to her vaginal health and that a personal moisturizer (such as Gynatrof®, RepaGyn®, Joy Gel or DrUAqua) may help.
She also did not realize the value of low dose localized estrogen therapy as the treatment recommended by the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada for the condition known as vaginal atrophy. She said she had never even heard of vaginal atrophy; many women, in fact, have not heard of vaginal atrophy. Many women feel they are alone when they are experiencing symptoms such as:
- Vaginal dryness
- Painful sex (also known as dyspareunia)
- Leakage of urine
- Recurrent urinary tract infections
- Thin, watery vaginal discharge
- Burning
- Itching
Education is key and you never know how you are going to impact someone’s knowledge. Margo is now going to set up an education section on her website. The more we spread the word about women’s health, the better. The healthier women are, especially in terms of their vaginal health, the better. And remember, that being healthy is extremely helpful in terms of getting back to the bedroom!
