Have you ever started a new birth control, and then noticed that things began feeling a little…off? Turns out you aren’t the only one! More women are noticing vaginal dryness as a result of their birth control regimen. Don’t worry, though – there are plenty of things you can do to start feeling better.
How Is Vaginal Dryness Linked to Birth Control?
Although vaginal dryness is most commonly associated with menopausal women (two-thirds of women over 60list dryness as one of their top sexual health problems), it can actually happen to women of all ages. Typical symptoms of dryness include: discomfort, itching or burning, and pain during sex. Some women experience everyday discomfort, while others only notice when they aren’t able to get wet before or during sex.
For some time, it seemed nobody wanted to talk about the correlation between birth control and vaginal dryness – we were too busy talking about other symptoms, like weight gain and acne. But now, more and more physicians are recognizing the link between the two. As Lauren Streicher, M.D., shared in this article, “between three and five percent of women on low-dose birth control pills experience vaginal dryness.”
Why? In short: hormones. Specifically, estrogen. Estrogen helps keep the tissues of your vagina lubricated , and birth control pills may cause changes in estrogen levels that can lead feminine dryness. According to SELF magazine , “lowering the amount of estrogen circulating in your body will reduce blood flow to the tissue, resulting in dryness of either the vagina or vulva.” Yikes!
Does All Birth Control Cause Dryness?
Fortunately, no. But several different methods can. Although the pill seems to be the biggest offender – specifically, combination pills like YAZ – other forms of hormonal birth control can lead to dryness as well.
Non-hormonal birth control methods, like the copper IUD or the mini pill, should not lead to vaginal dryness that the pill can sometimes cause.
I’m Suffering From Dryness. What Should I Do?
If these symptoms sound familiar, you aren’t alone. The first step you should take when experiencing vaginal dryness is to consult your doctor. Your physician or healthcare provider can help determine the root cause. If it is a result of your birth control, they can help you find a non-hormonal birth control to replace your current method.
There are things you can do at home, too. Some women report success treating vaginal dryness with natural remedies like drinking more fluids, regular physical exercise, and staying sexually active, if possible.
If you aren’t experiencing daily discomfort, but are having trouble getting wet in the bedroom, try slowing sex down and spending more time on foreplay.
And last but not least, try using a lubricant like our Restore® Moisturizing Vaginal Gel. Because as we say here at Good Clean Love: wetter is better!
