Vaginal Dryness is uncomfortable, common, and may affect women of all ages who are at all stages of their reproductive life. Women who may experience vaginal dryness are women who:
- Are on the oral contraceptive pill
- Pregnant
- Postpartum
- Breastfeeding
- Peri-menopausal (the years leading up to menopause)
- Post-menopausal (women who have stopped menstrual periods for one full year)
Vaginal dryness may impact a woman’s sexuality in that it may lead to painful sex which may result in lowered sexual self-esteem. No one wants to do anything that is painful and therefore, this may be upsetting for partners in relationships with women who are experiencing vaginal dryness.
Many women and their partners do not realize that there are many hormone-free treatments that are effective for vaginal dryness. Some are over the counter products and some are found in your own kitchen cupboard.
Let’s start with your own kitchen. Coconut oil is a great source of saturated fat and when consumed by mouth may help people to live healthier lives and lose weight. It has medium chain triglycerides (MCT) boosting fat burn, is a great anti-bacterial substance and is rich in ketones, which kills hunger.
That is not all coconut oil is good for! Coconut oil is not only used for ease of digestion, acne, and/or weight loss, it may also benefit vaginal health. It helps lubricate and moisturize a woman’s vaginal area, without any side effects or irritation. It is devoid of harsh chemicals and can be used as a natural lubricant.
Other non-hormonal that options for treating vaginal dryness include:
- RepaGyn®-contains Tea Tree Oil, Vitamin E & Hyaluronic Acid (repairs vaginal tissues)
- Gynatrof- gel that contains Vitamin E and Hyaluronic Acid
- DrUAqua- a cream that contains tea tree oil
It is important that women have choices to treat their vaginal dryness because women have different needs at different stages of their lives. Busy moms of newborns may need to look no further than their own home for treatment. Other women may prefer something that is less messy and try RepaGyn which is an ovule inserted into a woman’s vagina at night twice weekly after an eight-night course.
Some women who are peri-menopausal or menopausal may be attracted to JoyGel because it contains African Yam, a natural form of estrogen. Whatever a woman chooses, the more information she has about her choices the better. It may also help her to know that if she starts with one treatment option, it does not mean she can’t switch to another that suits her needs better. Treating vaginal dryness at any time in a woman’s life will help her to get back to the bedroom if she is sexually active. But remember, vaginal dryness does not discriminate and women who are not sexually active may experience it as well.
