5 Things You Need to Know About Preventing Vaginal Dryness

1. Use It or Lose It

Have sex with your partner regularly, and use lubricants like Astroglide or baby oil. Experiment with other forms of stimulation, such as oral sex and mutual masturbation, if your partner is getting older and experiencing a decrease in libido or function. Masturbate using a lubricant if you don't have a significant other. Healthy, fulfilling sex encompasses many activities, not just intercourse. Menopausal and middle-aged women can benefit emotionally and physically by engaging in sex and having sexual fantasies. It helps keep the vaginal walls flexible and lubricated.

2. Consider Natural Remedies

As a woman enters menopause, the vagina naturally becomes thinner and dries out, but there are many ways to counteract this. For a natural remedy, buy Vitamin E gel capsules from the drugstore. Prick one open with a pin, and then squirt the vitamin oil into your vagina. You also can place the whole capsule in your vagina and it will dissolve, coating the vaginal tissues with this rejuvenating oil. You can apply Calendula (a plant in the marigold family) as a salve to the labia and vagina. To heal tissues and fight yeast infections, apply comfrey ointment to the vagina or take a sitz bay with comfrey root powder or tea. Take Vitamin C tablets or drink lots of apple and orange juice. These vitamins and supplements will keep the entire body, not only the vagina, from becoming dehydrated.

3. Lose the Spandex Pants

Give up feminine hygiene sprays or anything that has a drying effect on delicate vaginal tissues, including douches and non-organic bubble baths. If you have allergies or a cold, look for alternatives to antihistamines as they dry out the body. Avoid diuretics and salty foods. Wear natural cotton clothing and forsake tight jeans and spandex bike shorts. Anything that's too tight against the body may cause yeast infections and dry out the vagina. Do Kegel exercises, which work the PC (pubococcygeus) muscle, the stretchy muscle that houses the pelvic organs. These exercises increase the moisture in the vaginal tissues. They are easy to do. Simply pretend you have to urinate and clench the muscles you would use to prevent this. Do 12 reps for a set and repeat throughout the day. You can do them anywhere.

4. Prescribe With Caution

Doctors prescribe estrogen creams and pills as part of hormone replacement therapy for menopausal women. These medicines relieve vaginal dryness and replace the estrogen lost by older women. They also have many dangerous side effects, including an increased chance of endometrial cancer, blood clots or vaginal bleeding. If you have a problem with severe vaginal dryness, discuss the possibility of using Estring (a plastic vaginal ring with estrogen inside) or a prescription cream containing estradiol with your gynecologist. Over the counter natural progesterone creams like Femgest may relieve minor to moderate dryness.

5. Add a Little Soy

Soy can bring much needed moisture back to dry vaginal walls. Drink soy milk instead of cow's milk or take non-prescription supplements like Estroven that contain soy and black cohosh, another good remedy for menopausal symptoms. Be aware, however, that soy can exert an impact on estrogen and studies are still ongoing to determine whether the effects pose any dangers.