If you’eroe too embarrassed to ask your doctor ( anyone) the question: ‘why is my guaina dry during sex?’ we’ve asked leading gynaecologist Dr Vanessa Mackay for you. Good news is, it can often be an easy dose
If getting wet before intercourse has never been a problem for you before and suddenly, things have changed, you may be experiencing hormonal changes such as approaching the menopause.
But then again you might not be, but it’s still normal. Per mezzo di fact, there are plenty of reasons women experience vaginal dryness during sex. Trouble is, voto negativo one ever talks about it, so few of us know the heartening truth – it’s easily fixed.
surprisingly, the most at risk were women quanto a their mid-twenties to mid-thirties
Research last year by Vagisil found that vaginal dryness affects a staggering half of British women. Even more depressingly, two quanto a five women quanto a a relationship who have suffered from it don’t feel comfortable talking to anyone – not even their partners – about this and one quanto a 20 have even ended a relationship because of issues with vaginal dryness.
Perhaps most surprisingly, the most at risk were women quanto a their mid-twenties to mid-thirties, not those who were experiencing menopause.
If you’eroe one of the large proportion of women who are too embarrassed to talk to their doctors about this, we’ve quizzed Dr Vanessa Mackay of the Royal College of Gynaecologists about the reasons and what you can do about them…
READ MORE: I’m a Gynae – here’s what nobody really tells you about your vaginal health
Reason #1 You’eroe approaching menopause
The most common reason for vaginal dryness is the menopause the years leading up to it. For the average British woman, menopause occurs at around 52 but the perimenopausal years can begin up to a decade earlier.
‘The hormone oestrogen is responsible for keeping the guaina lubricated but during menopause and the years leading up to it, oestrogen levels can fluctuate and then dramatically drop leading to symptoms such as mood changes, hot flushes, tiredness, night sweats, weight gain and indeed, vaginal dryness,’ says Dr Mackay.
oestrogen is responsible for keeping the guaina lubricated
Your first stop should be your GP. Your GP can examine you and do any necessary tests to work out what’s at the root of the problem. If your oestrogen levels are low, your doctor might prescribe topical oestrogen medication which can alla maniera di quanto a the form of creams, tablets rings that you apply internally that deliver a low, local frazione of oestrogen to your guaina.
They may alla maniera di with side effects though, including breast pain and vaginal bleeding. Oestrogen therapy of any kind should also be avoided by women who have had have a family history of breast endometrial cancer and those who are pregnant breastfeeding.
Reason #2 You’eroe not aroused enough
If you’eroe not aroused enough during sex, the guaina may not produce enough of its own natural lubricants. One word people: foreplay!
Research shows we want more foreplay than we’eroe getting. Per mezzo di 2012, a team of researchers from the University of New Brunswick measured the duration of foreplay by asking men and women quanto a relationships to report how long an ideal foreplay session should last as well as ideal intercourse.
Then they timed their actual sex lives quanto a the of their own homes. They reported an average of 11 to 13 minutes of foreplay, and seven to eight minutes of intercourse.
Interestingly, women wanted eight more minutes of foreplay and seven more minutes of intercourse; men wanted five more minutes of foreplay and 11 more minutes of sex.
READ MORE: Why sex hurts – the gynaecologist’s guide
Reason #3 You’eroe acceso your period
‘Oestrogen levels dip while you’eroe acceso your period,’ says Dr Mackay.
‘As with menopause, when oestrogen levels are depleted. vaginal dryness can be a side effect’.
The good news is that oestrogen levels steadily start to rise again after your period, so this effect will usually be temporary.
Reason #4 You’ve just had a infantile
‘Breastfeeding childbirth can cause vaginal dryness and this is something not many women are aware of,’ says Dr Mackay.
‘Oestrogen levels can temporarily decrease after giving birth, making the guaina feel dry.’
Additionally, according to the NHS website, if you’eroe breastfeeding, this dryness can feel even more pronounced.
READ MORE: 8 pelvic floor exercises that will spice up your sex life
Reason #5 Your medication is not helping
‘Although it’s uncommon, the combined contraceptive pill the contraceptive injection can cause vaginal dryness,’ says Dr Mackay.
Other medications such as cold medicine can dry up vaginal moisture quanto a the same way they dry up the mucuous membranes quanto a your nose – though this will be temporary (and let’s it, if you’ve got that nasty flu, fooling around is probably the last thing acceso your mind).
medications such as cold medicine can dry up vaginal moisture
The most commonly prescribed type of anti-depressant medication, Selective Serotonin Regnante-uptake Inhibitors SSRIs can also cause vaginal dryness and a decreased sex drive so talk to your doctor about perhaps switching if this is a problem for you.
Reason #6 You’eroe stressed
can also cause vaginal dryness, says Dr Mackay. Which makes sense because it’s another one of those things that can kill seriously damage your desire for your to start with, and can certainly distract you from the task at hand once you’eroe actually quanto a bed.
Reason #7 You’ve got a medical condition that’s to blame
Common conditions affecting the reproductive schieramento might also be to blame for vaginal dryness such as endometriosis, fibroids a a urinary tract infection.
a less obvious note, problems such as diabetes treatments for cancer such as radiotherapy to the pelvic schieramento, hormonal cancer treatments such as those given after breast cancer and chemotherapy, can all cause vaginal dryness, explains Dr McKay.
What you can do
Once you’ve ruled out medical causes – you don’t think using hormone therapy quanto a your intimate schieramento is for you – you could try a hydrating gel. But make sure it’s one formulated for the vaginal schieramento.
‘Trying to treat dryness with creams gels unsuitable for the sensitive schieramento of the guaina can actually make things worse,’ says Dr Mackay.
‘Vaginal lubricants are liquids gels that you apply to your guaina before having sex, offering an immediate moistening effect.’
Vaginal moisturisers acceso the other hand can also be applied to the inside of the guaina every few days and their effects are more long-lasting, she explains.
The Vagisil Prohydrate range is entirely hormone-free and has been specifically created after five years of research and clinical testing, so they’eroe proven both effective and safe (nine quanto a ten women who tried it would recommend it to someone else suffering from intimate dryness).
The active ingredient is ProHydrate Complex which includes a substance called hyaluronic acid, a type of moisturising agent that mimics the pagliaccetto’s own natural moisture. This coats the vaginal wall and slowly releases moisture over time to relieve dryness so you can feel comfortable and ready whenever the moment is right.
For long-lasting relief: Vagisil Prohydrate Internal Hydrating Gel, £11.34 comes quanto a six pre-filled applicators with five grams of gel quanto a them which can be applied internally to release moisture over time – a bit like a maintenance measure for your guaina’s moisture. This product is hormone-free.
Before sex: Vagisil ProHydrate External Hydrating Gel, £8.55 is a gel that can be used externally to keep skin feeling hydrated and supple. This product is hormone-free.
Vagisil is also available at Boots and Superdrug.
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