By Ellen Dolgen –
“Not tonight dear. I have a painful vagina.” Say what? If you’re making excuses to avoid sexual intimacy with your partner due to vaginal pain, you owe it to yourself (and your partner) to treat it.
“The big O” does not mean “the big Ouch.” Recapture the rapture in bed.
Pain during intercourse is called dyspareunia (Say what?). If you’re experiencing pain during sex, you could be suffering from vaginal atrophy (VA). Vaginal atrophy is a thinning and inflammation of the vaginal wall. VA occurs when estrogen levels drop. Estrogens, produced by the ovaries, maintain the structure and function of the vaginal wall, elasticity of the tissues around the vagina, and production of vaginal fluid.
Unfortunately, like the rest of your menopausal body, your vagina is aging too!
Hot flashes, sleeplessness, memory loss and weight gain get top billing when it comes to menopausal symptoms. But vaginal discomfort is every bit as difficult and critical to deal with as those symptoms. Vaginal symptoms can negatively impact not only on your relationships and sexuality, but can affect your quality of life and self-image.
If you’re experiencing these symptoms, you could have VA:
You’re not alone. Vaginal dryness affects as many as 75 percent of postmenopausal women. Between 17 and 45 percent of postmenopausal women say they find sex painful, according to The North American Menopause Society (NAMS).
According to the Women’s Health Concern, only 25 percent of these women seek treatment. What’s more, according to the International Menopause Society, 70 percent of women say their healthcare providers rarely or never raise the subject with them.
The Closer survey revealed that vaginal discomfort caused 58 percent of the North American women who were surveyed to avoid intimacy and 64 percent to experience a loss of libido.
Pain during sex (or simply the fear of pain during sex) can trigger performance anxiety or arousal problems in some women, according to the NAMS. This also can cause dryness or involuntary — and painful — tightening of the vaginal muscles, called vaginismus. It’s a Catch-22.
What’s are your options?
I can’t believe it’s been about a decade since my vagina first committed mutiny and my libido went AWOL. I’ve since vanquished my vagina problems and located my libido. You can, too. Get your symptoms treated, and you can put the va-va-voom back in your vagina.
Suffering in silence is OUT! Reaching out is IN!
Pingback: Make Sure You Are Comfortable EVERYWHERE You Travel - LivingBetter50 - LivingBetter50