Well, ladies, I must say that I didn’t really know much about Vaginal Atrophy or “ Vaginal Dryness” when we first started Hot Flush Club.   That soon changed, when a dear friend in her early 50s, going through menopause, confessed that vaginal dryness was having a massive effect on her sex life … She explained that she dearly loved her partner and wanted a healthy sex life but the thought of the pain during sex and days after was making her  apprehensive, even though her partner was understanding he did question whether she still found him attractive. Vaginal atrophy can affect relationships and it is important you feel you can ask for advice and shouldn’t suffer in silence.

What even is Vaginal Atrophy?

Vaginal atrophy or ‘vaginal dryness’ is a common problem that many women have at some point in their lives. It is particularly a problem for women transitioning through menopause.

Symptoms of Vaginal Atrophy include:

• Vaginal dryness
• Vaginal burning
• Vaginal discharge
• Genital itching
• Burning with urination
• Urgency with urination
• More urinary tract infections
• Urinary incontinence
• Light bleeding after intercourse
• Discomfort with intercourse
• Decreased vaginal lubrication during sexual activity
• Shortening and tightening of the vaginal canal

What can I do about Vaginal Atrophy?

There are a few things you can do before visiting a doctor according to the NHS, these are:

• Use water-based lubricants before sex – put these in and around your vagina or on your partner’s penis 
• Use vaginal moisturisers for vaginal dryness – you can put these inside your vagina to keep it moist
• Use unperfumed soaps and washes around your vagina
• Try to enjoy more foreplay so you’re more aroused during sex

If none of these work, visit you GP to be advised further.

Our experiences with Vaginal Atrophy

My friend started researching remedies for vaginal atrophy  and  came across the Yes Yes Company, their products are certified organic, which gave her comfort as she had had an adverse reaction to a previous lubricant she had tried. The Yes Yes Company lubricants and moisturisers really  helped her relationship leaps and bounds, ( and they are now back to  swinging from the chandeliers!) She feels so much more comfortable and this is in itself makes her look forward to the intimacy.

We contacted the Yes Yes Company to find out more about the company and their products. When we met with the representatives from YES YES we were intrigued to learn at the that it is important especially in women who are not sexually active to have a regular vaginal moisturising routine like you would a daily facial. It’s important to keep your vaginal area moist at all times as this also helps with the depletion of UTIs that can cause misery to many. A chronic urine infection can be so debilitating as well as being painful... If we can prevent any of these symptoms surely living with the menopause will be  easier to cope with.

We even had our Hot Flush Club ladies test the YES YES products some and give us their honest opinions. Cassie our lovely lady who is 60 and totally amazing , is a cancer survivor and part of her cancer was in the vagina, these products really helped  her symptoms. She has tried most other products on the market and was honest enough to tell us that she would hide the products away from her partner, the packaging was unattractive and bulky.  She wasn’t really given much choice on prescription at the time of her treatment. The after effects of radiotherapy left  her with painful scar tissue so the correct lubricant is vital for her continued comfort. Yes Yes products are all organic and are either water or oil based ,they can be found in Superdrug, Ocado (online) and Sainsburys. We need to get out of the mindset of hiding such products and if we need these in our bathroom cabinets then do not be afraid to display them. Especially YES YES range as they are wonderful..

As with many of the problems we are looking into, it really is made easier by talking about it, sharing your stories and expressing your feelings as it really can be hard being a women going through menopause we  do so well most of the time and so it really is ok to ask for help and even looking at websites like ours where we hope you will find the help or we can do that for you.

I really found this blog interesting as we do keep alot of our feelings close and seem to find products like these embarrassing but why is it because they are related to the vagina area?

I was surprised at the number of women who do have Vaginal Atrophy and UTI problems and finding the correct Gels or Lubricant can make a massive change.