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The last taboo? Vaginal dryness during menopause

It’s one of the most common symptoms of menopause, but vaginal dryness is often the least talked-about. Though it can affect women of any age (with an estimated 17% of women aged 18-50 experiencing it at some stage) it is most common in peri and postmenopausal women. Reports indicate around 80% of this group will experience vaginal atrophy at some stage. Significantly, only around a third of these women seek help from their GP or other health professional for this issue, despite the fact that simple, affordable treatments do exist that could offer substantial relief from this often debilitating symptom.

Symptoms of vaginal dryness

Vaginal dryness most frequently occurs due to a lack of oestrogen, usually associated with menopause, but which can also occur during pregnancy and breastfeeding, hormonal fluctuations during the menstrual cycle, stress, or even just being insufficiently aroused during foreplay and sex. Symptoms include itching, burning, pain during sex, and can sometimes be mistaken for a urinary tract infection, all of which warrant investigation by a health professional.

Simple remedies

A simple water-based lubricant like Sylk can really improve every day comfort and sex. Available on prescription but also over the counter at all chemists, Sylk is a plant–based gel that lubricates and soothes sensitive tissues. As Sylk is hormone and paraben free, it can be used by those wanting to avoid hormonal treatments, but it can also be used in conjunction with HRT and topical oestrogen. As GP and menopause specialist Dr Louise Newson says, “symptoms like vaginal dryness are very common, but can be easily resolved. Simple treatments like vaginal lubricants can make all the difference.”

Let’s talk

Symptoms of vaginal dryness can have a real impact on all aspects of a woman’s life. Clothes may feel uncomfortable, basic exercise can be difficult and sex can be painful, all of which can have a massive effect on a woman’s self-confidence and relationships.

Sylk recently hosted Sylk Talks Menopause, an event in central London with Meg Mathews, menopause campaigner, and Dr Louise Newson. Guests were invited to share their experiences with the panel, which also included comedy duo Scummy Mummies, and their stories all shared a common theme; a fear or reluctance to talk about their symptoms because they were embarrassed or felt they wouldn’t be taken seriously. As a result, many of the women who shared their stories were quite simply at their wits end, feeling isolated and alone.

 

 

Smashing the taboo

Throughout the evening, despite the obvious pain many of these women were experiencing, there was lots of hope. Guests left feeling empowered, and more able to talk about their experiences, and the media has been full of menopause and women speaking out in recent months. Are we seeing a movement towards a more open, more accepting conversation? Perhaps vaginal dryness can finally have its moment; not as something to be laughed at or feel embarrassed about, but as a genuine condition that women don’t have to ‘just put up with’ anymore.

Content supplied by SYLK

The post The last taboo? Vaginal dryness during menopause appeared first on talkhealth Blog.

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Letting go of that last cigarette.

It isn’t easy to stop smoking; I know because I used to smoke, I even became a secret smoker at one point. I would smoke about 5 a day and then reached 20 a day and I couldn’t even afford to, I felt horrible, couldn’t breath properly, would get out of breath walking up the stairs, I honestly stank of smoke and I was very unappealing to others, especially when dating! So, yes, I know first hand how you feel, what you are going through now and what you will be going through when stopping.

It got to the point where I was just fed up of the way I felt and found myself becoming lazy because I’d rather smoke a fag than do something else however, I managed to stop and with the same techniques I now use with my clients.

It is important to deal with the 3 areas of smoking

  • Nicotine addiction
  • Obsessive behaviours
  • Psychological addiction

This is like making a cake, if you leave out one ingredient then the cake just wont work.

In order to be successful on your journey to stop smoking permanently then you should want to be 100% committed to the therapy and not expect your therapist to “make me stop smoking”, the reality is that no one can make you do anything and your therapy is your responsibility and the therapist is there to help and supply all the tools you need to be successful and you will only get out what you put in to your stop smoking programme.

It is a must that you get off the nicotine; it is this that is the addictive substance. Smoking E-cigarettes & vapes that don’t contain nicotine are not stopping the habit and will likely turn you back to smoking at some point.

I design a bespoke treatment plan for all my clients as no two cases are the same, so when looking for your therapist, make sure that they will do the same for you – there is no point in your therapist giving you suggestion to stop for financial reasons if you want to stop because of your health.

Top tips to be successful

  • Set your date for as soon as possible – you know that the longer you leave it the less likely you are to stop.
  • Make the night before your stop date your last smoke.
  • Throw away EVERYTHING in your car and home that is smoking related, after that last cigarette – ashtrays, lighters, matches, destroy any cigarettes/tobacco you may have left over, E-cigarettes/vapes, and anything else that contains nicotine, just because your vape doesn’t contain nicotine doesn’t mean you can keep it – throw is away!
  • Change your habits – if you smoke in the car, take another route play different music or turn the radio off. After a meal talk a light walk in the garden, it doesn’t matter what you do just change your routine.
  • Find techniques to help you relax and move away from smoking related thoughts when cravings may kick in – NLP, mindfulness, self hypnosis and other relaxation techniques are all very good for this. The cravings will soon pass, just focus on something else.

Remember, you were not born a smoker so, by nature you are a non smoker!

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