What Causes Vaginal Dryness?
May 29, 2009
A condition that troubles many women is the dryness of their vagina. Irrespective of the age, profession and physical attributes, every woman experiences this condition at some stage of her life. Usually the problem of vaginal dryness occurs to women during or after the menopause, although other reasons could also be responsible. The hormonal changes after menopause bring many changes in a woman’s body like drying of the vagina. This condition can also be caused due to complicated pregnancy and faulty breast feeding.
Vaginal dryness is a very disturbing and irritating condition for any woman. During this period, a woman experiences irritation, soreness and dryness of her vagina. She constantly feels a stinging pain in the lower portion of her vagina. This condition is so frustrating that it also affects intercourse, adversely. A woman can no longer enjoy the intercourse with same excitement as it takes more time to arouse her due to dryness in vagina. And once aroused, she has to bear a lot of pain which can be really troublesome.
So what are the factors that cause dryness of vagina?
The main factor causing this condition is decrease in the level of Oestrogen (female hormone) after menopause. This hormone is responsible for maintaining the elasticity of the vaginal tissues and producing moisture from the cervix. As the secretion of Oestrogen decreases, the elasticity reduces and also the moisture levels, thus causing dryness. Due to dryness, the vagina loses its acidic nature and this exposes vagina to many infections causing irritation and pain.
Other causes for vaginal dryness include unhealthy diet, constant stress, improper lifestyles and having intercourse too often. After childbirth, a woman may experience some dryness in her vagina for about six to eight weeks; but that is temporary and usually does not last more than eight weeks time. Improper cycles during menstruation may also be a cause as is indulging in intercourse with multiple partners within a short period of time.
This condition requires proper medical assistance as a woman may feel depressed and might also lose her self esteem as her womanhood is being challenged. Therefore, it is better to consult an expert gynecologist and get yourself examined and treated to avoid further complications.
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