Discover the Most Common Symptoms of Feminine Dryness

Discover the most common symptoms of vaginal dryness and what causes it. Learn remedies you can do at home to help support overall vaginal health.

00:10 27 March 2022

Vaginal dryness can be a topic that women shy away from. It may be uncomfortable for women to ask their friends or even a doctor if vaginal dryness is common for women. It is important that women see that vaginal dryness is more common than one might think. Understanding the most common symptoms of vaginal dryness can help women learn home remedies for dryness and relieve the discomfort that dryness may cause.

 

What Causes Vaginal Dryness? 

Lots of women are wondering what causes vaginal dryness to begin with. Although many women experience dryness during menopause, it can actually happen for women at any age. The most common cause of vaginal dryness is the dropping of hormone levels in women. These hormones include estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. This typically happens for women around the time of menopause and can cause vaginal irritation due to the lack of lubrication naturally provided by the vagina. Home remedies for dryness may include a topical cream that has a low dosage of estrogen added to it. The cream can provide needed moisture to help relieve discomfort as well as support estrogen levels the vagina may need to stay balanced.

 

There are other causes of vaginal irritation and dryness that affect women. Yeast infections and UTIs can cause irritation to the vagina that may lead to vaginal dryness. Even things like lice, acne medications, and hormonal contraceptives can cause discomfort. A lot of times women do not pay attention to the shaving cream or wax they may use in the vaginal area. Using items with perfumes, herbal extracts or artificial colors may cause irritation and dry out the skin in the vaginal area. It is important for women to thoroughly check the products they are using to see if they contain ingredients that could lead to vaginal dryness and irritation.

 

Even emotional factors like stress and anxiety can contribute to vaginal dryness and lead to discomfort or pain during sexual intercourse. Anxiety can lead to a decrease of blood flow to the vagina and leave the vagina with less lubrication than normal. Using home remedies for dryness can help improve overall vaginal health by helping increase lubrication and decrease irritation.

 

What Are the Common Symptoms of Vaginal Dryness? 

With vaginal dryness, many women experience pain or discomfort when sitting, standing, urinating, exercising, and having sex. Vaginal dryness tends to affect many areas of women’s lives and home remedies for dryness may help with the common symptoms that occur with dryness. With menopause, women may experience thinning, drying, and inflammation of the vaginal wall from the decrease of hormone levels in the body. This is known as Vulvar and Vaginal Atrophy (VVA) and can happen to many women as they age. Unfortunately, this can be painful for women and lead to symptoms of vaginal dryness, urinary symptoms, and discomfort during sexual intercourse. Using a topical cream at home can be a remedy for dryness and the symptoms that come with it. Some symptoms of vaginal dryness include:

 

• Decreased lubrication during sex
• Soreness in and around the vagina
• Vaginal dryness, burning, itching, or discharge
• Frequent UTIs
• Discomfort or burning with urination
• Increase of vagina infections
• Vaginal pain or bleeding with sexual intercourse
• Lack of urinary control

 

Experiencing these symptoms can affect women in their everyday lives. Knowing that there are home remedies for dryness can help women experience less discomfort and more necessary vaginal hydration.

 

What Are Some Remedies for Vaginal Dryness? 

There are some things women can do to help support vaginal health. Having a balanced diet with foods that are rich in certain nutrients may help with vaginal dryness. Eating food with Omega-3 such as walnuts, chia seeds, and salmon can help support vaginal lubrication. Foods that are green and leafy provide many nutritional benefits for the body as well as helping increase stimulation in the vaginal area. Drinking cranberry juice and eating foods with probiotics can help keep pH levels balanced in the vaginal area and support hydration. Try to stay away from cranberry juice that is loaded with sugar and stick with a more natural version to reap the full benefits of cranberry juice.

 

Another remedy you can use at home is a topical cream that can help provide moisture and support vaginal health. With hormone levels dropping as women age, using a vaginal cream with estrogen can give one the comfort from the moisture of the cream as well as the benefits over time of potential increased estrogen levels. Because one of the most common causes of vaginal dryness is the drop in hormone levels, using a cream may contribute to the relief of vaginal dryness and irritation.

 

Understanding Vaginal Health

Knowing the cause of vaginal dryness can help one understand the symptoms that may occur when experiencing dryness. Using home remedies for dryness can help relieve a common thing women are experiencing every day so they no longer have to live in the discomfort and irritation of vaginal dryness.