Causes of Vaginal Dryness

03 Jul

Posted by Admin as Female health

Dryness of the vagina. This condition can result in the vagina feeling itchy and irritated and sex may become difficult and painful. The condition is most prevalent amongst menopausal women. A variety of other conditions can cause vaginal dryness as well: immune disorders, smoking, childbirth and cancer therapy.

vaginal dryness Causes

The causes of vaginal dryness are related to hormonal imbalance, and some of the vaginal dryness remedies are related to correcting hormone imbalance. Most women will also experience vaginal dryness after a hysterectomy and during menopause. It is believed that vaginal dryness affects over 80% of American women.

Here’s vaginal dryness info:

One of the causes of vaginal dryness can be related to taking contraceptive pills, which causes hormone imbalance. For women coming off HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy), vaginal dryness is often acute.

Is climacteric vaginal dryness related to menopause? Yes! Menopause and vaginal dryness are related. After menopause, vaginal dryness and reduced mucus production in the vaginal wall make women more predisposed to vaginal dryness and urinary tract infections.

the vaginal lining (mucosa) becomes thin and easily injured

the mucus glands which help with lubrication decrease in number leading to slow and poor lubrication when you are sexually excited

there is reduction in vaginal blood supply and the vagina shrinks (atrophies). This causes small wounds which occur during intercourse to heal very slowly because of poor supply of nutrients from the blood

The main cause is reduced estrogen levels. Estrogen keeps the vaginal cells healthy by regulating lubrication, elasticity and acidity. This created a natural defense against vaginal and urinary infections. As your levels decrease, so does this natural defense. Estrogen levels can fall for a variety of reasons: menopause, childbirth, breast feeding, medications (including some allergy medicines, antidepressants and hormone modifiers), certain diseases, cigarette smoking and surgical removal of your ovaries.

Decreased estrogen levels

Reduced estrogen levels are the main cause of vaginal dryness. Estrogen, a female hormone, helps keep vaginal tissue healthy by maintaining normal vaginal lubrication, tissue elasticity and acidity. These factors create a natural defense against vaginal and urinary tract infections. But when your estrogen levels decrease, so does this natural defense, leading to a thinner, less elastic and more fragile vaginal lining.

Reduced estrogen hormone levels are the main cause of vaginal dryness. This hormone helps keeping vaginal tissue healthy by maintaining a normal vaginal acidity level, which creates a natural defense against infections. But when hormonal levels decrease, so does this natural defense and the amount of vaginal lubrication.

Even though hormone imbalance is the most probable vaginal dryness cause; there are also other rare and much less frequent factors such as: Sjogren’s syndrome, cancer treatment medications and chronic yeast infection. Either case, because estrogen imbalance is the most probable vaginal dryness cause, there are many easy and safe ways to overcome it. So keep on reading to learn more about the many approaches there are to cope the causes of vaginal dryness.