Vaginal Health & Dryness

Vaginal dryness can affect your vaginal health

A woman’s vaginal health is an important part of her overall health. Vaginal issues can take a toll on a woman’s emotional state, relationship, self-esteem, and desire for sex, just to name a few.

A decrease in estrogen secretions (eg. around menopause) can have several negative effects on the body, one of which being inadequate lubrication of the vaginal walls which leads to vaginal dryness. This is extremely irritating and uncomfortable for a woman, and can also negatively impact her vaginal health (by causing soreness, painful intercourse and/or light bleeding, recurrent infection, etc.) and overall health (by affecting self-image, emotional intimacy, etc.).

A thin layer of clear fluid typically helps the vaginal walls stay lubricated. Estrogen aids in sustaining the production of this fluid and helps to maintain a healthy vagina in terms of adequate moisturization, thickness, and elasticity of the vaginal walls. This means that when estrogen is decreased, vaginal tissues can become dry, thin and less elastic. This lends itself to more fragile tissue that may tear and/or bleed, and can also be more susceptible to infections.

While vaginal dryness is often associated with menopause, it can be prompted by other causes at various ages.

Possible Causes of Vaginal Dryness

Vaginal dryness can occur at different times in a woman’s life which can be prompted by various causes, including:
• Peri-menopausal state
• Chemotherapy or hormone therapy for cancer treatment
• Surgical removal of ovaries
• Childbirth
• Breastfeeding
• Some medications (allergy or cold medications, or anti-estrogen medications)
• Immune disease (such as Sjorgren’s syndrome in which your immune system attacks healthy tissue)
• Frequent douching (disrupts the vagina’s chemical balance and can cause inflammation)
• Lack of foreplay prior to sexual activity

The Impact of Vaginal Dryness on Daily Life

The severity of vaginal dryness may vary from woman to woman, but nonetheless, it is commonly irritating and uncomfortable and can significantly impact a woman’s quality of life.

Vaginal dryness may be accompanied by:

Vaginal dryness can affect a woman’s daily life due to:

It is advisable to seek medical advice if you experience symptoms of vaginal dryness.

Treatment Options

There are many effective options available to help relieve vaginal dryness. These include topical or oral forms of hormonal and non-hormonal options such as suppositories, creams, lubricants, gels, moisturizers, tablets and estrogen therapies.

The most commonly used options are lubricants, moisturizers and hormonal (estrogen) therapy. Hormonal therapies are prescribed by a doctor, while other options such as moisturizers are provided over the counter. The table below (adapted from the North American Menopause Society) explains the options most commonly used.

Examples of Non-Hormonal Treatment

Water-soluble Vaginal Lubricants

Reduce discomfort with sexual activity when the vagina is dry by decreasing friction.

Vaginal Moisturizers like RepaGyn®

Line the wall of the vagina (adding topical moisture) and maintain vaginal moisture

Oral Estrogen Agonist/Antagonist

An oral tablet for the treatment of painful intercourse secondary to vaginal atrophy

Regular Sexual Stimulation

Promotes vaginal blood flow and secretions. Sexual stimulation with a partner, alone, or with a device (such as a vibrator) can improve vaginal health

Expanding your views of sexual pleasure

Include “outercourse,” such as extended caressing, mutual masturbation, and massage is an effective way to make painful vaginal penetration (intercourse) more comfortable or provide a way to remain sexually intimate in place of intercourse.

Vaginal dilators

Can stretch and enlarge the vagina after many years of severe vaginal atrophy, especially if sexual activity is infrequent and the vagina has become too short and narrow for intercourse.

Pelvic floor exercises

Can both strengthen weak vaginal muscles and relax tight ones.

Vaginal dryness and atrophy that are not relieved by lubricants or moisturizers may respond to estrogen therapy (ET), as lack of estrogen is often the cause of the problem. Prescription ET has been proven to restore the thickness and elasticity of vaginal tissue, restore a healthy vaginal environment, and relieve vaginal dryness.

Examples Hormonal Treatment

Systemic Doses of Estrogen

Can be used for hot flashes and night sweats, vaginal symptoms, and osteoporosis prevention; it is absorbed in the blood at high enough levels to have significant effects on all parts of the body (available as an oral tablet)

Local (Vaginal) Low-Dose Estrogen

Placed directly in the vagina safely treat vaginal symptoms, such as dryness and pain with sex (available as a vaginal cream, ring, or tablet)

What is Hyaluronic Acid?

RepaGyn^® is formulated with hyaluronic acid – known for its ability to retain moisture in the skin/tissue and its reparative properties. Hyaluronic acid is a type of compound that is naturally produced in the body. The highest concentrations of hyaluronic acid in the body are found in the fluids of eyes and joints. Hyaluronic acid also exists within most vertebrate tissues and is known to play a significant role during cell development, wound healing, and regeneration. The amount of hyaluronic acid in our bodies begins to diminish as we age; this is especially significant after the age of 40.

How does Hylauronic Acid work?

Hyaluronic acid enables cells to retain moisture in the tissue, which keeps the tissue/skin moist and hydrated. In fact, hyaluronic acid molecules are able to absorb up to 1,000 times their own weight in water. Hyaluronic acid also plays an important role in healing damaged tissue.

Hyaluronic acid has many uses, one of the most common being for the treatment of joint disorders such as osteoarthritis. In this sense, hyaluronic acid is injected or taken by mouth to lubricate joints. By providing extra ‘cushioning’ and reducing friction during movement, this helps to repair the damaged tissue.

Many people are familiar with the use of hyaluronic acid in cosmetic surgery as a filler, often used to create fuller lips or to fill in lines and wrinkles. Hyaluronic acid is also often applied to the skin as a moisturizer and to help heal wounds and burns.

Hyaluronic acid helps with cellular maturation and lowers the pH level in the vagina. It improves skin moisture and provides much-needed relief among women with genitourinary symptoms of menopause (GSM).

Find out if RepaGyn® is right for you.

Speak to a Pharmacist about RepaGyn^®

Call now: 1.800.663.8637

Email: [email protected]

Canadian Pharmacist counselling is also available via telephone or email.

Sources

Vagina: What’s Normal, What’s Not. Mayo Clinic. February 28, 2015. Retrieved on March 17, 2015, from
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/womens-health/in-depth/vagina/art-20046562

Vaginal Dryness: Causes and Moisturizing Treatments. WebMD. May 19, 2023. Retrieved on November 18, 2023, from
https://www.webmd.com/women/vaginal-dryness-causes-moisturizing-treatments

Causes of Vaginal Dryness. Mayo Clinic. December 21, 2012. Retrieved on March 17, 2015, from
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/vaginal-dryness/basics/causes/con-20029192

Symptoms of Vaginal Dryness. Mayo Clinic. December 21, 2012. Retrieved March 17, 2015, from
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/vaginal-dryness/basics/symptoms/con-20029192

Simon, James A., et al. Clarifying Vaginal Atrophy’s Impact on Sex and Relationships (CLOSER) survey: emotional and physical impact of vaginal discomfort on North American postmenopausal women and their partners. PubMed. Retrieved on March 17, 2015, from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23736862

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MenoNote: Vaginal Dryness. 2014. Consumer Education Committee of the North American Menopause Society. Accessed from:
http://www.menopause.org/docs/for-women/mndryness.pdf

The Menopause Guidebook. Seventh Edition. 2014. North American Menopause Society. ISBN 978-0-9701251-4-9

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Hyaluronic Acid. WebMD.
https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-1062/hyaluronic-acid

Dermal Fillers: The History of Hyaluronic Acid. Cosmetic Doctor. 2013
https://cosmeticdoctor.ie/dermal-fillers/dermal-fillers-the-history-of-hyaluronic-acid/#:~:text=First%20isolated%20by%20the%20German,ankles%20and%20other%20joint%20problems.

Hyaluronic acid: A key molecule in skin aging. Dermatoendocrinol. 2012 Jul 1; 4(3): 253–258.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3583886/

Necas et al. Hyaluronic Acid (Hyaluronan): A Review. Veterinarni Medicina, 52, 2008 (8): 397-411.
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Calve et al. A Transitional Extracellular Matrix Instructs Cell Behaviour During Muscle Regeneration. 2010 Aug 1;344(1):259-71.
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