Painful

[terri-52]

I’m a 68yr old woman and all of a sudden I’m very dry when having sex is this age related or could medication have an effect on this. TIA

[wobblybee Administrator Pioneer]

🙂This is fairly common for post menopausal women, and it’s possible to get an accurate diagnosis from your GP, and they’ll decide what’s the best way to treat this and make you more comfortable. It could in some cases be due to medication.

Treatments range from over-the-counter moisturizers to prescription-only hormone therapy (see "Products that help treat vaginal atrophy"). You can often manage mild symptoms with nonhormonal moisturizers and, during sexual intercourse, vaginal lubricants. Sexual activity itself may improve the symptoms (see "Sexual activity helps maintain vaginal tissues"). If none of these approaches helps, you may need low-dose estrogen in the form of a cream, tablet, or ring inserted into the vagina. Here's how the various options work:

Vaginal moisturizers. Water-based vaginal moisturizers adhere to the surface of the vagina, releasing water and producing a moist film over vaginal tissue. They also help restore vaginal pH. One type of moisturizer, Replens, is inserted with an applicator and lasts up to three days. A silicone-based product, K-Y Liquibeads, consists of small beads, also inserted with an applicator, that last up to four days. Moisturizers are a good choice if vaginal dryness is bothersome most of the time and not just during sexual activity.

Vaginal lubricants. In addition to a moisturizer, you may want to use a lubricant during intercourse. One example is Astroglide, a clear, thin, odorless liquid with a slippery feel that closely approximates natural vaginal secretions. You can apply it before intercourse to the vaginal opening or to the penis. Astroglide is water-based and non-staining and has a neutral pH, so it won't irritate the vagina or promote vaginal infections. (Olive oil and saliva are other time-tested lubricants.) There are many different lubricants, but no studies have been done comparing them.

Low-dose vaginal estrogen. Estrogen in any form — oral, transdermal (via skin patch), or vaginal — can help restore normal vaginal pH and beneficial bacteria, thicken the epithelium, increase vaginal secretions, and decrease vaginal dryness. But it's best to apply the estrogen directly to the vagina. Compared with oral or transdermal estrogen, vaginal application requires a lower dose and involves less exposure of breast and endometrial tissues, where estrogen can increase the risk of cancer by stimulating the growth of cells. Low-dose estrogen products recommended specifically for the treatment of vaginal atrophy include vaginal creams (Estrace and Premarin), the vaginal tablet Vagifem, and Estring (an estradiol-infused silicone ring that sits around the cervix and releases a very low, steady dose of estrogen).

Copied from health.harvard.edu