About half of all perimenopausal and menopausal women experience vaginal atrophy -- the thinning and swelling of vaginal tissue. Along with this, women experience vaginal dryness. All of these symptoms result in painful sexual intercourse and urination.

Causes and Cures of Vaginal Atrophy

* Hormones: Vaginal atrophy is often hormone related. Since our progesterone levels are low during peri menopause, and our estrogen levels are low during menopause, these shifting hormones can be at fault for our soreness. Many women use estrogen cream and progesterone cream to boost their low hormone levels.

If you'd like to boost your estrogen level naturally, try eating 1 tablespoon of ground flax seed daily or use herbal supplements like chasteberry and black cohosh. (These can also relieve hot flashes and night sweats.)

A low level of testosterone could also be part of the issue. Your body needs decent levels of both testosterone and estrogen to maintain a healthy level of bacteria and blood flow in your vagina.

* Stress: It's hard to feel sexy when you are stressed. And there is a good reason for that. Besides the effect that stress has on our minds, stress also effects our hormones. When we feel stress, our bodies release the stress hormone, cortisol. If we are constantly stressed and constantly producing too much cortisol, the other hormones in your body are affected.

Incorporating some exercise into your life can help to relieve your stress. Or, focus on making some time for yourself. Sit down with a cup of tea and just breath for a few moments.

* Foreplay: Not enough lubrication during sex can be painful. If this is an issue for you, work with your partner to take sex a bit more slowly. By increasing foreplay, you increase the time for your body to respond and get naturally lubricated.

If you've done this and it's still not helping, consider using an over the counter, water based lubricant.

* Medications: Some medications like decongestants and oral contraceptives can irritate your condition along with smoking and drinking too much caffeine. See your doctor if you suspect your medications may be at fault.

* Sex: As the name "vaginal atrophy" implies, underuse won't do anything to help your symptoms. Keeping an active sex life will help your vaginal tissue to stay healthy. And, the more sex you have, the more sex you will want.



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