{"id":2072,"date":"2012-08-15T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2012-08-15T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ricardovidallon.com\/gyn\/?p=1072"},"modified":"2012-08-15T09:00:00","modified_gmt":"2012-08-15T09:00:00","slug":"vaginal-discomfort-estrogen-vaginal-dryness-gyn-doctors-gyn-clinic-virginia-beach-norfolk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ricardovidallon.com\/gyn\/vaginal-discomfort-estrogen-vaginal-dryness-gyn-doctors-gyn-clinic-virginia-beach-norfolk\/","title":{"rendered":"Persistence Is Key to Treating Sexual Pain"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Gynecology Specialists note: Only about one-quarter of women with vaginal pain ever report the problem to their GYN doctor. And those who do speak up are often told — incorrectly — that nothing can be done and that they must learn to live with the pain. A New York Times column by Jane E. Brody offered advice we agree with and practice at our GYN clinic. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, please call us at (757) 312-8221. We’ve helped many women and we can help you too.<\/em><\/p>\n

What the article covered<\/h3>\n

Millions of women experience vaginal discomfort, and sometimes crippling pain, most often from a loss of estrogen. The resulting vaginal dryness and atrophy can make intercourse, a pelvic exam, urinating, or even sitting, walking or cycling painful. Beyond women near or past menopause, those affected include women who have recently given birth or are breastfeeding, women treated with estrogen-suppressing drugs for breast cancer or given chemotherapy or pelvic radiation, and women whose ovaries were surgically removed.<\/p>\n

The column described how vaginal atrophy (atrophic vaginitis) develops as estrogen declines — the vaginal lining thins, the vagina becomes less acidic, protective bacteria disappear, and fragile tissue tears easily — and how too many women are dismissed with “it’s all in your head” or told to simply live with it, leaving them feeling isolated and ashamed.<\/p>\n

The heart of the piece was hopeful: treatment is possible at any age, and the key is persistence and not delaying care, because the longer sexual pain persists, the more likely it is to lead to nerve pain and pelvic floor dysfunction. Approaches discussed included low-dose local vaginal estrogen (rings, tablets, or creams, which result in very little bodywide absorption), over-the-counter lubricants and vaginal moisturizers, natural oils to hydrate and strengthen vulvar skin, physical therapy, dilators to improve blood flow, and pelvic-floor-strengthening exercise like yoga and Pilates. Full benefits can take weeks or months and often involve several complementary approaches.<\/p>\n

Our takeaway for patients<\/h3>\n

If sex, exams, or even daily activities have become painful, please don’t accept “live with it” as an answer — and don’t wait. Effective treatments exist, and the earlier we start, the easier the problem is to treat.<\/p>\n

If you have questions about vaginal discomfort, estrogen, vaginal dryness, menopause, vaginal atrophy, or sexual pain, please contact our GYN clinic at (757) 312-8221. Our GYN doctors are here to help you.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Gynecology Specialists note: Only about one-quarter of women with vaginal pain ever report the problem to their GYN doctor. And those who do speak up are often told — incorrectly — that nothing can be done and that they must learn to live with the pain. A New York Times column by Jane E. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2072","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health-tips"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ricardovidallon.com\/gyn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2072","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ricardovidallon.com\/gyn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ricardovidallon.com\/gyn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ricardovidallon.com\/gyn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ricardovidallon.com\/gyn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2072"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ricardovidallon.com\/gyn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2072\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ricardovidallon.com\/gyn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2072"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ricardovidallon.com\/gyn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2072"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ricardovidallon.com\/gyn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2072"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}