Vaginal Dryness: Treatment, Procedure, Cost and Side Effects

Vaginal dryness is one of the most common diseases that affect the level of comfort in females of all ages. This generally occurs during the menopause or even post the menopause in females. Though being experienced by most females, they hardly tend to move ahead in consulting a doctor for advice.

Most of the women keep it to themselves and survive with the uneasiness of vaginal dryness. The definitive quotient of vaginal dryness speaks of thinning of the padding of the vagina that results in acute dryness in that part.

A common cause of vaginal dryness is fluctuations in hormonal balance. According to the famous American Congress Of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the lack in the level of estrogen that deals with the hormone in the passing of fluid in the vaginal canal.

A lack of the estrogen level is also experienced during childbirth while breastfeeding, surgery cases in ovaries, chemotherapy or radiation effect for the treatment of cancer and even intake of anti-estrogen medicines.

Vaginal dryness does not only results in a feeling of discomfort but lack of lubricant can be dangerous for a female. It gives rise to excess problems during intercourse and leads to the growth of infection. If you are experiencing symptoms of dryness, itching or burning in the vagina, avoid neglecting it.

Further, painful intercourse or light bleeding after intercourse is alarming symptoms to opt for a doctor’s treatment.

Vaginal dryness may feel dry, sore, or itchy followed by pain or discomfort especially during sexual intercourse. One may also get an urge to urinate more frequently than usual. Females with signal dryness also complain about getting urinary tract infections (UTIs) and lowered sexual arousal.

The root cause of Reduced Vaginal Dryness is an imbalance in estrogen levels. Estrogen is known for regulating vaginal lubricant that maintains tissue elasticity and acidity. This imbalance can be caused due to underlying medical conditions or poor hygiene practices, some of them are:

• Breastfeeding
• Effects on your ovaries from cancer therapy
• Childbirth
• Douching
• Sjogren's syndrome
• Cigarette smoking
• Use of anti-estrogen medication
• Immune disorders
• Perimenopause (pre-menopause transition period)
• Use of allergy and cold medications
• Oophorectomy
• Menopause

If you feel any burning or itching sensation in the vaginal section of your body, consulting a gynaecologist would be safe. Feel free to speak all symptoms and uneasiness you are going through. Primarily, the doctor would have a thorough look at your health history.

A detailed look at the medical history helps the doctor in scrutinizing the issue and even figure out if something worse lies in your case. Further, the doctor is likely to prescribe a pelvic exam. This will enable the doctor to figure out the thinning and the redness in the area. This medical examination will evaluate the reasons for your vaginal discomfort along with a checking the probability of urinary tract infection. Even in some cases, Pap Test is necessary for which a test cell is taken from the vaginal wall.

In accordance with the result of your test, the doctor will prescribe you lubricants that would enhance the fluid flow in your vagina avoiding it to dry. He may also prescribe some dose of medication balancing the fluid flow to the vaginal canal.

However, only medication and cream for lubricants is not enough. These would provide you temporary relief. Your diet and lifestyle have got a huge influence in the treatment. It is essential for you to maintain a proper diet as most of the fluid comes from the intake of sodium, calcium, potassium and various other electrolytes.

A high diet enriched in fatty acid helps in producing additional lubricants in the body. Food items like fish, pumpkin(raw), sunflower seeds, sesame seeds are rich in fatty acids. Even intake of food that contains isoflavones is definitely an advantage. It helps to restrain the decline in estrogen level in the body. Added to that, it is very important for the person to remain hydrated as intake of more fluid in the body is both good for the skin and vagina too.

The females who are suffering from acute vaginal dryness are required to undergo a treatment. However, vaginal dryness is very common and experienced by 95% of females either during or post-menopause. In this regard, treatment for vaginal dryness is required for everyone at some point of time.

The females who aren’t experiencing vaginal dryness and generally maintain an intake of diet that provides sufficient fluid flow to the vaginal canal do not require the treatment.

Generally, doctors tend to prescribe Osphena for vaginal dryness. This drug influence certain adverse symptoms during menopause, affecting the flow of various hormones. A female suffering from vaginal dryness is generally prescribed cream as lubricants along with a dosage of Osphena.

This drug comes with various side-effects like hot flashes, severe muscle spasms, give rise to rashes or itching and often drastic increase in sweating habits.

The doctor is likely to prescribe some medicines and cream that would act as a lubricant in your vagina. However, when you are done with the treatment and feeling better, you should follow few post-treatment guidelines.

You must maintain a strict diet that would provide enough fluid flow in your body. Intake of protein and food rich in fatty acids turns useful in the process. Added to that, proper and careful cleaning is necessary. Even cannabinoid oils are an added advantage to maintain the fluid flow.

Vaginal dryness in a female lasts depending on its cause. Minor issues get recovered within few days of medication, whereas severe causes make the recovery process lengthy.

The cost involved in the treatment of vaginal dryness is basically the medication cost and the consultation fees of the gynaecologist. However, in case of severe reasons for vaginal dryness, the treatment cost gets higher.

Results of treatment for vaginal dryness is generally permanent considering it does not include any severe cause.

Water is the only natural source that keeps an individual hydrated. Drinking more water keeps your whole body plum and helps them flush out any toxins. In the case of Vaginal Dryness will help you in more than one way:

Hydration will help in easy orgasms. Your body will produce more lubricant when hydrated which gives you better experience orgasms.

Water keeps you active; its scarcity in the effects of the tissue may result in fatigue and dryness. Drinking enough water will keep your stamina up for a better sexual experience.

As mentioned earlier, water helps cleanse your system by maintaining the fine biochemical balance of your body. It also maintains the level of libido which controls your arousal during sexual intercourse.

The basic criteria are to maintain a diet that provides enough fluid flow in your body. Keeping your body hydrated avoids vaginal dryness. Even, water-based lubricants can help in adding moisture to the lining of the vagina. Moisturizers can be used for better results. These moisturizers are widely available in the market that promise to sustain the moisture for more than three days for each time used. Other alternatives to the treatment are black cohosh and wild yam.

Summary: Vaginal Dryness can be described as dryness, irritation, and mild swelling in the vaginal tissues due to decreased amount of estrogen in the body. In most cases, it can be easily cured by better lifestyle changes and regular sexual intercourse.