Vaginal dryness and pain can have many causes, including infections, skin conditions, and allergic reactions. It is important to discuss persistent, uncomfortable symptoms with your healthcare provider.

Vaginal dryness can be caused by any number of things, including hormonal imbalance, reduction of estrogen as women age, heredity, dry skin, exercise, and sexual intercourse.

Before a woman reaches menopause, which occurs for most women around age 51, her ovaries produce estrogen. One of the effects of estrogen is to maintain the thickness of the vaginal lining and stimulate vaginal secretions. At menopause the ovaries stop making estrogen. A decrease in estrogen levels results in a thinning of the walls of the vagina and a decrease in vaginal lubrication. These changes cause the symptoms of atrophic vaginitis.

There are over the counter personal lubricants that can be used. There are also topical vaginal estrogens that can assist in vaginal dryness by improving the health of the vagina.

Vaginal lubrication may decrease in breastfeeding mothers after delivery. This dryness is a result of an estrogen decrease and is not permanent. If your vaginal tissue is sensitive, use a sensual, water-soluble, non-perfumed lubricant (check your pharmacy) as part of lovemaking. Or you might want to try a natural flavored massage oil (check your health food store). In addition to providing lubrication, the oil feels good on the body, has a pleasant aroma and does not inhibit lovemaking.

Atrophic vaginitis is very common in women experiencing menopause. As many as 75 percent of postmenopausal women have one or more symptoms of atrophic vaginitis.

Research finds that 80% of women experience feminine dryness, at least occasionally. It happens whenever the body's estrogen level falls too low. Estrogen can diminish for many reasons, but doctors say that menopause is the most common cause. By age 50, virtually every woman is producing significantly less estrogen. Breastfeeding, ovarian dysfunction and hysterectomy are other reasons for estrogen deficiency and resulting dryness.

Vaginal dryness can occur in women of all ages for various reasons, but it is primarily present in post menopausal women. Natural hormones in a cream base can be used intra-vaginally and has been very successful in treating vaginal dryness and vulvae atrophy associated with aging.

Applying a lubricant at least 5 minutes before applying Clitoria Cream may be helpful to some women who suffer from vaginal dryness.

Use of antibiotics. Antibiotic drugs kill bacteria in the body including the vagina, allowing yeast to multiply and cause an infection. Yeast infections seem to be only rarely passed from one person to another through sexual contact. A male partner of a woman with a yeast infection usually will have no symptoms, but some men may get an itchy rash on the penis.

The vagina contains various organisms which are necessary to keep it healthy. When the normal balance of these organisms is upset, one or more can multiply out of the usual proportions and cause an abnormal vaginal discharge. Three major organisms, bacteria, trichomonas, and monilia (yeast) cause vaginal infections. If you notice a change in the color, quantity, or odor of your usual discharge and/or develop itching, contact your doctor.

A healthy vagina has many bacteria and a small number of yeast cells. The most common bacteria, Lactobacillus acidophilus, help keep other organisms-like the yeast-under control. When something happens to change the balance of these organisms, yeast can grow too much and cause symptoms. Taking antibiotics sometimes causes this imbalance. The high estrogen levels caused by pregnancy or hormone replacement therapy can also cause it. So can certain health problems, like diabetes or HIV infection.

In the autoimmune attack that causes Sjogren's, disease-fighting cells called lymphocytes target the glands that produce moisture--primarily the lacrimal (tear) and salivary (saliva) glands. Although no one knows exactly how damage occurs, damaged glands can no longer produce tears and saliva, and eye and mouth dryness result. When the skin, sinuses, airways, and vaginal tissues are affected, dryness occurs in those places, too.

The drier the timber, the cleaner and hotter the burn and the lower the particulate emissions. Eco-Logs have approximately 1/3 of the moisture content of split Fir, even after the Fir has been air dried for over 1 year.

Cy, JUDGE DREDD, Madtoscratch, Lianne, lutece, SueB, akesingland, riaY, bryndavell, Groovygirl, david_8, SJ, Terrimayormaynot, jjoblogs1, anglichanin, Tom_B, bubble, TrishR, squoink, GATTACA, willy, Roger, margurita_simpson, snowy, beacon, LyndsayA, stripe77, Snow Surfer, lighthearted The material has been extracted from Psoriasis at your fingertips by Dr Tim Mitchell & Rebecca Penzer (Class Publishing).