Vaginal Dryness – Homeopathic Solutions during Menopause
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Vagina. There, I said it! It’s still a taboo word, despite “The Vagina Monologues” and our society’s growing openness about matters sexual. But when it comes to menopause, when asked the symptoms, most people without experience of it would probably say “hot flushes, night sweats and mood swings”. But vaginal dryness, though it affects 45% of women, is either not known about, or just not mentioned. Even Dr. Mercola (a US Naturopath, who publishes very well-researched and informative articles on health), in the advertisement for his book on managing menopause naturally, lists the usual suspects in terms of symptoms, then as the last bullet says “Other symptoms you would’t even want to imagine”.
So while we’re at it, let’s get it all on the table. Besides the symptoms listed above, menopause can also involve loss of libido, discomfort or pain during intercourse, itching labia, frequent urinary tract and vaginal infections, thrush-like symptoms and incontinence. And of course, the impact of these symptoms goes further than physical discomfort. A recent international study found that vaginal dryness greatly affected women’s self-esteem, as well as their intimate relationship. The impact on couples’ sex life, the study showed, was greater in Britain than in any other country: 70% of UK women said they avoided sex, and 1 in 5 men were uncomfortable discussing vaginal health. A further 75% of women were not seeking help, perhaps partly due to a simple lack of awareness that vaginal dryness is a common menopause symptom that can be remedied. The result: An ever-widening chasm – both physical and emotional – between sufferers and their partner. And for those not in a relationship, these symptoms can cause them to give up on that area of their lives altogether.
Homeopathy for Vaginal Dryness
And the remedy does not have to be HRT, which some women prefer to avoid because of the risks, which include cardiovascular disease and breast cancer, among others. There are natural solutions, one of which is homeopathy. There are many homeopathic remedies that can help with the symptoms of menopause, by stimulating the natural hormone balance. And, as ever, the choice of remedy needs to be individualised: A process best done by a professional homeopath, because the remedy must fit the person’s physical and emotional symptoms very closely. Here are a couple of cases studies that illustrate the holistic nature of the treatment.
A Case of Vaginal Dryness with Fear of Rejection
A woman of 30, experienced burning pain and soreness during and after intercourse, and as a result had lost her desire for sex, for fear of the pain. She had a history of a number of difficult relationships before her current boyfriend. Her first boyfriend had been abusive, and had forced himself on her. Subsequent boyfriends had all rejected her in some way, as had her Father. But here she was, for the first time in her life, with a really wonderful man, whom she loved deeply. And she was terrified he would also reject her. My analysis was that she had a deep ambivalence around relationships: She longed to be loved and accepted, yet she feared getting too close in case she was rejected again. And her body was expressing this as vaginal dryness during intercourse.
The remedy I gave her matched not only the dryness, but also her ambivalence and fear of rejection in relationships. It took one month for the dryness and pain to resolve using homeopathy, and two months for her to lose the fear of the pain. In addition, she got engaged shortly after starting treatment, and is now happily married.
A Case of Menopausal Vaginal Dryness
A 59-year old woman had vaginal dryness, which started with the menopause, and had got steadily worse ever since. She experienced the dryness during sex as an intense burning at the start of intercourse, which abated a little after a while. In this case the choice of homeopathic remedy was dictated by her personality and other physical complaints.
As a person, she “tried to be cheerful”, and hated being late, letting people down, or confronting those who had offended her. Nor did she like to express anger or sadness in public, particularly the latter, in case it inspired pity from others. She had a history of migraines, allergic sinusitis triggered in the spring and autumn, and acid reflux. She responded so quickly to the remedy that she was, in her words, “90% better” after the first month. I signed her off after two.
What is evident from these cases, is that vaginal dryness is not just suffered by menopausal women, but by non-menopausal women as well. And the causes can be various, from physical to emotional. I know many women who have had few to no symptoms at all during menopause, while others have suffered terribly. What this tells us is that suffering is not obligatory during this time. With the right approach to balance the hormones and resolve emotional issues, it can be a time of growing wisdom, creativity and self-confidence, when women feel freer than ever before to be themselves and speak their truth.
Do you suffer from vaginal dryness or other menopausal issues? If you would like to explore how homeopathy could help, book in for a free chat, via Skype, or phone – no strings.
SOURCES
Domoney C, Currie H, Panay N, Maamari R, Nappi RE. The CLOSER Survey: Implications of vaginal discomfort in postmenopausal women and their partners. British Menopause Society (BMS), 22nd Annual Conference, July 2012.
Menopause Matters: Vaginal Dryness Movie
Nappi R.E, Kokot-Kierepa M. Vaginal health: Insights, Views and Attitudes (VIVA) – results from an international survey. Climacteric. February 2012;15:36-44.
Northrup, C. The Wisdom of Menopause: Creating Physical and Emotional Health during the Change
21 Comments
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A free 20 minute call for you to find out how homeopathy could help you,
and what to expect from working with me.
An excellent guideline.
Thank you!
A brilliant article and an excellent guide. Thank you.
Thank you Sheila. I’m sure you’ll agree, it’s not talked about enough.
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Nice to know there is a vaginal dryness treatment in Homeopathy!
Yes, though very little awareness of it. And the topic is so covered in shame for so many, that’s it’s good to see you talking about the topic in public.
Great article! Thank you!
I am having a difficult time with figuring out which remedy to take since I am experiencing different symptoms that match different remedy. ..vaginal dryness incontinence and painful intercourse. .. I had my uterus and ovary removed so I have no period at all … Merci
Thank you for your comment. There are many more remedies for these symptoms than I was able to write about in this article. And given your symptoms, the remedy choice is not a simple one I’m afraid, because of your history of surgery. In fact, when choosing a remedy, all sorts of other things need to be taken into account- medical and emotional timeline, personality, physical preferences and much more. So to get the right remedy, I would recommend you see a qualified homeopath, who will take you full case history.
My vagina is so dry, penetration is not even possible. I actually tried HRT and vaginal estrogen as well as topical lubricants. It is still painful. It is so sad as my husband and i had a great sex life before menopause. I am missing great sex and weary of the alternatives if you get my drift.
Sorry to hear that Linda. Have you tried homeopathy?
I dont even know where to begin when you say have i tried homeopathy? . I started back on Estroven which was very helpful during the worst years of menopause., but I’m not optimistic.
If you wanted to try homeopathy for this, you would need to see a professional homeopath. As the article shows, it is possible to heal this condition homeopathically. If you want to explore this – either find a homeopath where you are based, or I do treat people in North America via Skype from London. Happy to give you a free 20-min discovery consultation, for you to ask more questions and decide whether homeopathy / I am for you. Click on the Book Free Consultation button on the Home Page if you are interested
Hi there
I have suffered 5 years from this condition. I am 54 now and no sexlife with my husband. Constant thrush and irritation. I have tried everything natural and am not on hrt. . Can you recommend any good homeopath in South Africa please?!
Kind regards
Christina
Hi Christina, I’m afraid I don’t know any homeopaths in South Africa. But if you were prepared to work via video (e.g. Skype, FaceTime or Zoom), I do consult very successfully with patients like you, all over the world, without having met them face-to-face. But if you would rather see someone face-to-face, I know where I can ask to find you a South African-based homeopath.
Hi Sarah, I was excited to find an article on dry vagina,yay. I’m not sure if you’ll respond but hope you can help. I’m 57 been with my beautiful partner 21 years now and am suffering painful sex and dry vagina I’ve lost confidence in my intimacy,and my partner is afraid he’s hurting me we have not made love for 8 months and I miss it so. I have not had a period for 8 years ,we don’t drink alcohol and do not take any medication. I got through menopause naturally. I’d love to get my confidence back, I love my partner very much and miss the closeness of sex. I thankyou for your time and energy and look forward to hearing from you, Neen Bidwell, Bingil Bay Australia 🙂
Hi Neen, I’m sorry to hear about your situation, which is all too common among women your age. Homeopathy can be very effective for this issue, in my experience, as I have successfully treated a number of women experiencing similar symptoms. Of course, treatment has to be individualised as there are many possible remedies. So if you want to explore the possibility of homeopathic treatment, sign up from my website for a Free Online Discovery Session so we can discuss what that might entail.
Thanks Sarah will do:)
I’ will have to download Skype Sarah, I will do it tomorrow morning as am going to have an early night tonight.Thanks for your time,be in touch soon 🙂