Being a woman does not get any easier as we age! As women enter the menopausal age, hormones start declining and troublesome symptoms begin to present themselves. Today, we are going to focus on how this hormone loss effects our vaginal health. Unbalanced hormones will cause the vaginal tissue to thin and a reduction in our natural lubrication. This can lead to physical discomforts, such as vaginal dryness, irritation, itching, burning, painful intercourse, all of which can lead to decreased libido, causing sexual distress for both you and your partner.

A big player in these unwanted symptoms is decreasing estrogen levels. Conventional treatments include intravaginal estradiol; however, we are happy to report that there are many other alternative treatments!

Some great bio-identical hormone compounds can be made just for you. This includes compounded estriol or DHEA in an intravaginal cream or suppository. We are also able to incorporate Mucolox into these formulations that allows the medication to adhere to the vaginal tissue for increased effectiveness and reducing the need for frequent dosing.

Also, vaginal moisturizers are a great short-term solution to improve the dryness during sexual activity. A non-hormonal option that moisturizes the tissue is hyaluronic acid. This compounded with Vitamin E facilitates the healing process and decreases inflammation.

Lastly, if it is just too painful to even consider intercourse, we have some great pain-relieving compounds that can be applied directly to the area. These great compounds have a decreased risk of adverse effects commonly associated with oral pain medication and as a bonus, it may help decrease your ibuprofen or Tylenol intake.

If you have questions about compounded prescriptions, personal lubricants, or hormone testing you can email anniescorner@anniesrx.com or call 830-981-4774 or stop by Annie’s Apothecary today.