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DiscussionVaginal atrophy and painful intercourse: What helps?
Women's Health | Last Active: 3 days ago | Replies (146)Comment receiving replies
Replies to "Bravo for bringing this topic up for discussion. I’m 67 yrs and think like you do..."
An update to this topic. Have visited a female Ob/Gyn about this uncomfortableness of this and has prescribed a very small amount of estrogen which has made it much more comfortable.
@marjou I agree with you that vaginal atrophy is not addressed in the medical community. I was told in radiation oncology to use a vaginal moisturizer because of the radiation therapy. I also use a dilator a minimum of twice a week as this keeps the tissue healthier because the radiation therapy both scars and shrinks tissue. The main reason for doing this in oncology is to make sure the vagina can be easily viewed during exams. There are apparently women who do not do this after gynecological radiation therapy and then tissue at the top 1/3 of the vagina becomes constricted.
With all that said the nurse practitioner in the Menopause and Women's Sexual Health Clinic at Mayo told me that all women, sexually active or not, should use vaginal moisturizers to prevent vaginal atrophy. This allows the woman to feel more comfortable because sometimes vaginal atrophy can cause pain and discomfort. She compared it to moisturizer any part of your body. She asked me if I apply moisturizer to my face? I answered, yes (of course I do). So now I moisturize inside and out.
Do you think you might like to try this @marjou? If yes, I can post some links to products that were recommended to me and tell more about what I like to use (This post is already too long!).