Treatment for vaginal dryness, painful sex, frequent UTIs, and urgency.
Treatment for vaginal dryness, painful sex, frequent UTIs, and urgency.
Painful sex is one of the most distressing signs of the genitourinary syndrome of menopause. When the vaginal skin becomes raw, burning, dry, or tender, then sex can be extremely painful or even out of the question.
You can notice that sex gradually becomes more painful over time. Sex can feel at first like sandpaper and then become totally impossible. Or you can also notice painful sex all of a sudden when being intimate after a long time of sexual inactivity.
There are lots of downstream consequences to painful sex, like loss of libido, difficulty having an orgasm, or strained relationship with your partner. Whatever the case, you should never have to just deal with painful sex, be ashamed of it, "use it or lose it", or be afraid to discuss your concerns with a medical provider. You deserve to have pain-free and enjoyable sex.
When sex is painful, you can use a vaginal moisturizer or a lubricant. But sometimes the skin can be so dry and raw and tender that prescription treatment is the only way to restore moisture and flexibility to the vaginal skin. Low-dose vaginal estrogen topicals like estradiol vaginal cream or estradiol vaginal suppositories are highly effective and can help restore comfort during intimacy.
When using vaginal estrogen, you can start noticing increased moisture in 2 weeks. But it give it time to really work. With consistent use of vaginal estrogen, you can treat any tenderness at the entrance of the vagina. The skin will no longer feel like it's burning, raw, or dry. And you may find that you don't need moisturizers or lubricants anymore!
Vaginal estrogen is low-dose and not absorbed signficantly throughout the body. So it's a great option for women who do not want or cannot take oral estrogen. Vaginal estrogen is not available over-the-counter, so you'll need a prescription from a medical provider like a board-certified doctor at Interlude. Our caring MDs and GYNs are online and offer an easy and accessible way to get treatments like estradiol vaginal cream. And if it would be better for you to see an in-person provider, we'll give you information about that as well.
