Menopause and Your Sexual Health: When Dryness Equals Discomfort

One of the biggest obstacles when it comes to treating vaginal dryness and painful intercourse is that women don't address it, with their partners or their health care professionals. More than six in 10 of the postmenopausal women surveyed who reported experiencing painful intercourse (62 percent) and more than half who reported experiencing vaginal dryness (53 percent) admitted they are at least somewhat embarrassed to talk about their condition.

And of the postmenopausal women surveyed, 45 percent who reported experiencing vaginal dryness and 41 percent who reported experiencing painful intercourse had not spoken to their health care professional about their condition.

Why so hush-hush about vaginal dryness? Among the postmenopausal women surveyed who had not spoken with their health care professional, embarrassment (30 percent vaginal dryness, 33 percent painful intercourse) and the belief that there is nothing that can be done medically to help the condition (20 percent vaginal dryness, 27 percent painful intercourse) were the top reasons why. For more on how to talk to your health care professional, click here.

Embarrassment aside, many women may not believe their vaginal problems are treatable. More than a third of the postmenopausal women surveyed who reported experiencing vaginal dryness (37 percent) and 41 percent who reported experiencing painful intercourse agreed with the statement, "I do not believe there's anything that can be done medically to help improve my condition." Fortunately, that is not the case.

Vaginal dryness and painful intercourse that interfere with your lifestyle – in particular, your sexual health – warrant a trip to your health care professional. After all, vaginal dryness and painful intercourse due to menopause are a natural part of aging you can do something about.