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Don’t let symptoms like vaginal dryness stand in the path to your pelvic healing.
It’s easy to feel confused about your “Lady Parts” and let it stop you.
You start experiencing discomfort in your most private areas – the ones we’ve been culturally taught not to talk about – and you hope it’ll just go away. When, instead, it gets worse, it gets even more challenging to ask for help.
Maybe you tell yourself it’s your fault, or perhaps it’s because the doctor roadshow has let you down. Maybe you feel like you did something wrong. Or possibly you didn’t deal with past birth trauma, or perhaps your bladder and pelvic floor muscles are in a state of disharmony. Or maybe it confronts you with the possibility you’re getting older, whether or not it’s related.
And either way, who’s going to get up in the middle of her life and start talking about her vagina to strangers, or worse – your friends or your family?
It’s easy to think you’re the only one experiencing vaginal dryness.
The result? According to a 2018 study, more than 50% of women who are suffering from vaginal dryness don’t even tell their doctors about it, and less than 4% of women who are suffering are taking action to heal[1]. That’s likely because feeling like you’re the only one is isolating. It empowers the shame and the confusion and can keep you suffering when there are many ways to heal dryness naturally and holistically.
Get Your Copy of Isa’s Vaginal Dryness Survival Guide + by clicking here. Such much great actionable info to reduce vaginal dryness and related symptoms
Plus, vaginal dryness is explicitly a widespread physical situation and many times can help with internal and external vaginal massages and exercises. Look around a room full of women of all ages, and one in every five women may be going through the same situation, hoping she had someone to talk to. If you’re in a room full of postmenopausal women, it’s probably at least one of two. Yet many of us, and I was there myself, feel so alone.
So today, let’s talk about it. Let’s talk about the symptoms, the causes, and how we can claim our power and regain our vaginal health.
Symptom Checklist: What is Vaginal Dryness and How to Know if You Have It
According to DSLRF research, “vaginal dryness probably results from changes that occur when estrogen levels drop. Low estrogen causes the vagina and surrounding connective tissue to lose elasticity, and the tissue that lines the vagina becomes thinner and more fragile. Vaginal dryness occurs in about 20% of women, sometimes transiently and other times permanently. If you’re sore from vaginal dryness, you don’t want to have sex, and if you don’t have sex, your vaginal dryness gets worse—a classic catch-22.”[2]
According to DSLRF, this is how most women describe vaginal dryness:
According to NHS (National Health Service), a website funded by the Department of Health and Social Care in the UK, additional symptoms of vaginal dryness may include:
Does Vaginal Dryness Mean I’m in Menopause?
According to 2018 data from the Study of Women Across the Nation (SWAN), which tracked more than 2,400 women over 17 years… “it’s no secret that as a woman transitions through menopause and her estradiol levels drop, her body undergoes many changes. Among these changes is decreased vaginal blood flow, which leads to vaginal dryness and pain during intercourse,” [4] reported EurekAlert, a global news service by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
EurrekAlert also reported that “more than half of women develop vaginal dryness as they become more postmenopausal.” [4]
Similarly, a 2019 study reported by the US National Library of Medicine, concluded that “moderate-severe vulvovaginal symptoms are prevalent in both premenopausal and postmenopausal women and that these symptoms have a significant impact on sexual health.”[5]
But menopause is only one possible cause you’re experiencing vaginal dryness.
What Else Can Cause Vaginal Dryness?
Estrogen reduction levels, as well as other sex hormone reduction, which cause vaginal dryness, tend to be linked to menopause, but can happen for a variety of different reasons, including childbirth, which I witnessed firsthand at my busy NYC healing center Renew Physical Therapy.
Hormone production starts declining when a woman is in her 20s, and you may be particularly at risk for low estrogen if you:
According to WebMD and my personal experience, “estrogen levels can also drop, and vaginal dryness can develop because of:
NHS adds additional causes, including:
Of course, this is not an exhaustive list. Even if you don’t think any of these causes are related to your specific situation, if you’re suffering, I highly recommend doing something about it. Keep reading for my advice on how to heal your vagina.
Vaginal Dryness Survival Guide.
“It is estimated that up to 60% of post-menopausal women suffer from vaginal atrophy [which can include vaginal dryness]. And due to embarrassment, cultural taboos, and the fact that many women don’t feel comfortable speaking to their healthcare providers about the intimate details of their sex lives, many women suffer in silence,” [6] wrote Dr. Christiane Northrup, a women’s health expert, wellness speaker, and a New York Times bestselling author.
In that article, Dr. Northrup covered multiple ways to keep your libido high during menopause, including getting your hormone levels checked, trying a progesterone cream, trying phytoestrogens, and exercising.
But her tips can be your gateway to claiming your power, even if you’re years before or after menopause. Specifically, I like her tip to “give yourself permission to explore your sexual energy on your terms.” Exploring your sexual energies includes correctly exercising the pelvic floor muscles and making sure they stay supple and flexible.
Tight pelvic floor muscles decrease circulation to the vaginal area and tissues. Pelvic floor tightness many times creates pelvic congestion, and this tightness can affect the quality of the vaginal tissues. That’s why I always encourage you never to be ashamed of your sexual health, and that’s why I’m going to give you the straight scoop on healing vaginal dryness.
How to Heal Vaginal Dryness and Get Your Vaginal Tissues in the Best Shape Ever at Any Age
In the 17-year study I covered above, “19.4% of women (aged 42-53) reported vaginal dryness. By the time the women… were aged 57 to 69 years, 34% of them complained of symptoms,” reported EurekAlert.
That means you are not alone.
Vaginal dryness is widespread.
What’s not expected is asking for help (less than 50% of women do that) or taking action to heal (less than 4% do that).
I want you to be in the latter “uncommon” group. I want you to live a life free of suffering, and I know it’s possible because I’ve helped thousands of women heal. Heck, I even healed my own vaginal dryness when I went through menopause at the age of 41 ( that’s another crazy story I will share later on), and I did it naturally. In these healing processes, I’ve found certain vaginal products, sexual lubricants, and food that help more than others across the board.
I’ve compiled it into a quick list for you, divided by categories. It’s completely free, but as you download it here [link to landing [page], I want you to make a promise to yourself that you will take at least one step forward this week to get your vaginal tissues in the best shape they’ve ever been so that you can live a fulfilling, pain-free life.
Vaginal Dryness: Your Opportunity to Claim Your Power
“It is estimated that up to 60% of post-menopausal women suffer from vaginal atrophy [which can include vaginal dryness]. And due to embarrassment, cultural taboos and the fact that many women don’t feel comfortable speaking to their health care providers about the intimate details of their sex lives, many women suffer in silence,” wrote Dr. Christiane Northrup, a women’s health expert, wellness speaker, and a New York Times bestselling author.
But her tips can be your gateway to claiming your power, even if you’re years before or after menopause. Specifically, I like her tip to “give yourself permission to explore your sexual energy on your terms.” Exploring your sexual energies includes correctly exercising the pelvic floor muscles and making sure they stay supple and flexible.
Tight pelvic floor muscles decrease circulation to the vaginal area and tissues. Pelvic floor tightness many times creates pelvic congestion, and this tightness can affect the quality of the vaginal tissues. That’s why I always encourage you never to be ashamed of your sexual health, and that’s why I’m going to give you the straight scoop on healing vaginal dryness.
How to Heal Vaginal Dryness and Get Your Vaginal Tissues in the Best Shape Ever at Any Age
In the 17-year study I covered above, “19.4% of women (aged 42-53) reported vaginal dryness. By the time the women… were aged 57 to 69 years, 34% of them complained of symptoms,” reported EurekAlert.
That means you are not alone.
Vaginal dryness is very common.
What’s not common is asking for help (less than 50% of women do that) or taking action to heal (less than 4% do that).
I want you to be in the latter “uncommon” group. I want you to live a life free of suffering, and I know it’s possible because I’ve helped thousands of women heal. Heck, I even healed my own vaginal dryness when I went through menopause at the age of 41 ( that’s another crazy story I will share later on), and I did it naturally. In these healing processes, I’ve found certain vaginal products, sexual lubricants, and food that help more than others across the board.
I’ve compiled it into a quick list for you, divided by categories. It’s completely free, but as you download it here, I want you to make a promise to yourself that you will take at least one step forward this week to get your vaginal tissues in the best shape they’ve ever been so that you can live a fulfilling, pain-free life.
1- https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/727446
2- https://www.drsusanloveresearch.org/vaginal-dryness
3- https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaginal-dryness/
4- https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-06/tnam-wia061918.php
5- https://www.webmd.com/women/guide/vaginal-dryness-causes-moisturizing-treatments#1
Medical Disclaimer:
The information provided on this blog is intended for general knowledge and educational purposes only. It is not intended as medical advice and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your doctor or other qualified healthcare providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read on this blog. The author and publisher of this blog are not responsible for any adverse effects or consequences resulting from the use of any suggestions, products, or procedures mentioned in this blog.
Isa Herrera, MSPT, CSCS is a New York City-based holistic women's pelvic floor specialist, author of 5 books on pelvic health, including the international best seller Female Pelvic Alchemy, and the ground-breaking self-help book, Ending Female Pain, A Woman's Manual. She has dedicated her career to advancing awareness of pelvic floor conditions so that more people can find relief from this silent epidemic that affects over 30 million people in the US alone. Ms. Herrera holds a BA in Psychology and Biology from Fordham University and also a Masters in Physical Therapy from Hunter College.
