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Most women would know the atrociously irritating monster that is called vaginal atrophy. Women who have gone to the menopause stage experience this condition which is when the walls of the vagina get thinner and experience drying and inflammation.v
This could be because their bodies have less amount of estrogen than normal. That is the reason why a lot of women also search for a home remedy for atrophy. Atrophy is a pain in the backside for a lot of reasons like not being able to do intercourse without any pain or because of having distressing urinary symptoms.
As this is something that causes both vaginal and urinary symptoms, it is called a Genitourinary Syndrome Of Menopause (GSM). GSM is used to describe vaginal atrophy as well as the symptoms that come along with it. So GSM is the reason why you would be glad to get to know a home remedy for atrophy.
GSM is something that can lead to a lot of irritation, both physically and mentally and if you add going to a doctor to that list, it just becomes more frustrating. That is why people often search for a home remedy for atrophy that works wonderfully.
If you can find a home remedy for atrophy that works nicely and efficiently then you would thank yourself for trying to search for it. Home remedies just save you a lot of hassle and as well as money if they are effective.
In this article, I am going to be telling you about a home remedy for atrophy that actually works and which will relieve you of a few burdens. I will also tell you about how you can identify the atrophy, a few natural remedies for it, what traditional treatments can work on it, a few causes and symptoms and when you will need to get some professional help. Let us get started.
What Is Vaginal Atrophy?
As I mentioned before, vaginal atrophy is called the Genitourinary Syndrome Of Menopause or GSM and it is a condition where the walls of the vagina get thinner than before and inflammation occurs and it is something that occurs most often after menopause.
This condition occurs due to a decrease in the level of estrogen in the body and hence, postmenopausal women are more likely to get this. Women that have GSM experience dryness or burning in the vagina and there is a lot of itching to go with it all as well and that is why a home remedy for atrophy or just any other type of remedy becomes essential.
The symptoms of atrophy include:
- Vaginal Dryness
- Burning or inflammation of vaginal walls
- Genital Itching
- Excess discharge
- Burning or urgency during urination
- More-than-normal urinary tract infections (UTIs)
- Shortening and lengthening of the vaginal canal
- Incontinence
- Discomfort, dryness, or even dry bleeding during intercourse
- Urinating more often
- Loss of libido
- Thinning of the vaginal walls
To reduce all these symptoms, there is a home remedy for atrophy that you can use. Experts say that more than half of postmenopausal women go through vaginal atrophy and out of those, only a few women go in search of treatment.
The reason behind that is that there are a number of home remedies for atrophy available these days and hence women do not even need to get to the doctors. This has a downside though which is that because of these home remedies, no concrete statistics can be collected about this condition.
Causes For Atrophy
Vaginal atrophy can occur at any age and not just in women who have gone to the postmenopause stage. Having a low amount of estrogen in the body is the main cause of this but there are other things that cause it as well.
Although you can overcome them with a home remedy for atrophy, if these causes are severe and the symptoms do not go away, you should definitely pay a visit to your doctor as soon as possible.
Estrogen is the hormone that is responsible for female sexual development and menstrual regularity and, when its level goes down in the body, it causes issues. Estrogen is responsible for bone growth as well as skin health and also some other tissues in the body.
The amount of estrogen also determines brain activity and mood. Women that are in perimenopause can experience low estrogen levels as well. Some other conditions cause a reduced level of estrogen in the body that leads to vaginal atrophy. These conditions are:
- Some contraceptive pills or methods for example the contraceptive injection and the combined pills
- A lack of arousal before copulation that will lead to the natural lubrication of a woman’s body being absent
- Breastfeeding or childbirth
- Diabetes
- Sjögren’s syndrome which is when the immune system attacks the fluid-producing glands in the body.
- Hormonal cancer treatments like chemotherapy or radiotherapy in the pelvic region.
- Estrogen level drops in the perimenopause as well
- After the ovaries are removed surgically
Now that you know about the causes and symptoms of vaginal atrophy, it is time we moved onto finding out about the home remedy for atrophy that will help you with the symptoms.
Home Remedy For Atrophy
There are a lot of home remedies for atrophy that you can do. All these things are just simple everyday life things like the diet you eat and the exercise you do.
Some very simple things that do not necessarily have to be a home remedy for atrophy can be done to make sure nothing wrong happens to your body. Things like the following will prevent damage from happening to your body.
- Do not smoke as smoking is something that decreases the level of estrogen in your body and also increases the risk of developing vaginal atrophy as a result. Other conditions like osteoporosis might also occur due to that.
- A home remedy for atrophy that I am sure you will like to make sure you are active sexually as sexual activity increases the flow of blood to the genitals and also maintains the estrogen levels in the body which will help you stay healthy.
- Another home remedy for atrophy is that you should definitely avoid using any products that have perfumes in them, products like soaps or powders with perfumes in them are off the table too.
- Keep yourself hydrated as that will maintain the level of moisture in your body. With so many things, just drinking enough water helps so many things along with doing exercise and staying fit. Any products that have perfumes in them, products like soaps or powders with perfumes in them are off the table too.
- Keep yourself hydrated as that will maintain the level of moisture in your body. With so many things, just drinking water helps so much
Diet Plans
Maintaining a proper diet might not be the best home remedy for atrophy but it is still something that keeps you healthy and fit. Good food has never harmed anyone unless you ate too much of it.
If you have vaginal atrophy then you might want to consume herbal supplements or make changes to your diet that will help you get healthier. It is essential that you have a good height to weight ratio and that your body mass index is suitable for your physique. Make sure you do not lose too much weight too quickly.
You could eat food that contains plant estrogens or phytoestrogens like soybeans, flaxseed, or other soy products. Plant estrogens help get rid of the dryness of your vagina hence this is a great home remedy for atrophy.
As I mentioned earlier, also avoid products that have perfumes in them or other similar chemicals. These products might result in you getting more irritated and might make your vagina dry. Make sure all your personal care products are pH balanced.
Exercising
Exercising might not necessarily be a home remedy for atrophy but it is something that will definitely help you a lot. If you exercise regularly and maintain proper blood flow throughout the body and keep your hormone levels balanced then it will be a good thing for you.
You can just start by talking about small walks for a while every day and then go from there. If you want a better exercising plan then you can either talk to your doctor or another health fitness professional. Just make sure you do not overdo it.
Natural Lubricants And Other Supplements
Using natural lubricants is a good home remedy for atrophy as well. Using lubricants will help in soothing and lubricating your genital area. You can use natural lubricants like jojoba, coconut oil, aloe vera, etc.
Using sea buckthorn oil is also a good home remedy for atrophy and that is because it is rich in essential fatty acids and it helps with vaginal elasticity as well as tissue integrity. Other vitamins and supplements which stimulate the mucosa that lubricate the vagina and prevent infections are Vitamin E, Vitamin A, beta carotene, B Vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, etc.
Probiotics can also help in relieving certain atrophy symptoms. They will also help in the urinary problems that are created due to the atrophy, hence, this is another home remedy for atrophy that is good for you.
Treatment Of Vaginal Atrophy
One of the most common treatments for GSM is vaginal estrogen therapy. This kind of treatment is applied to the genital area using a tablet, ring, or cream. As this gets applied to the vagina directly, there is a very little chance of excess estrogen reaching any other parts of the body like breasts.
This therapy helps in getting rid of vaginal dryness, irritation, and even painful intercourse. It also helps in relieving you of menopause symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, and sleep disturbances. If you are taking this therapy, you will start seeing results after 4 to 6 weeks.
Oral estrogens are also something that helps with the same as they reach all parts of your body but keep in mind that this treatment also has certain side effects which will be explained to you by your doctor.
There are other treatment options available to you as well. These treatments could be termed as home remedies as well. These treatment options are:
- Using water-based and glycerine-free lubricants because they help in reducing friction during intercourse.
- You can also apply water-based lubricants or vaginal moisturizers every 2 to 3 days, i.e. 2 to 3 times a week. Vaginal moisturizers are more effective than lubricants.
- Applying estrogen cream directly to the vagina also helps as I explained earlier along with oral estrogens.
- An estrogen-releasing ring can be used which is inserted in the vagina and releases hormones to address the changes.
- The last and most prominent treatment would be systemic estrogen therapy. Although, keep in mind that systemic estrogen therapy has certain side effects like breast tenderness, headaches, nausea, indigestion, stomach ache, and vaginal bleeding as well as a risk of developing blood clots and breast cancer, although that is very rare.
When To Visit A Doctor?
If the home remedy for atrophy is not working, it might be a cause of concern. Vaginal atrophy is something that is very personal and people might be very conscious of themselves because of this condition and that is why people might be embarrassed by the thought of going to a doctor.
Although, if you are able to get over your embarrassment, it will help you in getting rid of a very irritating issue. If you experience these things, you should go visit a doctor:
- The symptoms are very severe and are interfering with your daily life functionality.
- You are feeling a lot of pain during intercourse and using vaginal lubricants is not helping either.
- You are experiencing a lot of bleeding, burning, or discharge from the vagina.
When you visit a doctor, they will start your treatment and eventually, you will be rid of all of these issues. If you have had your ovaries removed surgically or if you have gone through chemotherapy or radiation therapy for cancer, then you should inform your doctor about them as these are things that cause the estrogen level in the body to go down.
Cessation
Using the home remedy for atrophy that I have listed above will prove to be very helpful for you. You can get rid of this issue by making small and yet effective changes in your life. If you are feeling that the symptoms of the atrophy are not going away even after you tried everything, you should go to a doctor.
Just keep in mind that this is not something that you have to be embarrassed about. Vaginal atrophy is something that more than half the women on earth experience postmenopause and a lot of women experience it before that. Just keep in mind that your health should come before anything else.
