(Music) Welcome back everybody.
We continue our 5 part series on
aging and intimacy.
It's time for some real talk on the
subject.
Check it out.
(Music) You know, after you get a
certain age, you gotta, you know, do
something to help it out.
You know, help things out in the bedroom so you can get
your groove back.
That's an issue I'm starting to have a
little bit now, is a little dry vagina thing going on.
Of course, my husband describes it
as death valley with tumbleweed rolling.
(Laughter) And, so it's like get the lube, get the lube,
you know.
You missy just kinda started a little bit with the--.
Well not no actually, not yet.
Oh wait.
What my mother used to say: just keep on living.
It's inevitable.
Right, I can relate to that, I mean, because after,
while I was breastfeeding, so I know what it feels like, so it's
good to be prepared.
So that if I do face that again, I will
have more information this time and I will do something about
it, rather than just suffering.
Right.
Which a lot of women do, they just suffer and they say:
well, that's just the way it is.
And a lot of women aren't educated and they don't know
that there is something they can do.
They can take control of their vagina.
That's right.
And lubricate it and enjoy sex.
That's right, that's right.
Give the power back to the vagina.
That's right.
OK, so those women are talking freely about it.
Vaginal dryness and so will we.
Today in part 2 of our 5 part series called "Take Back the
Bedroom."
Our 2 experts are never at a loss for words when
it comes to this topic.
They are Sexual Medicine and Board
Certified Gynecologist, and our resident sexuality expert, Dr.
Michael Krychman.
Also, right by him is Dr. Alyssa Dweck, Author
and Board Certified Obstetrician and Gynecologist.
Welcome back to the show.
Thank you.
It's great to be here.
You know, last time we talked so much about
menopause.
I was so happy about it.
I even went home and told my mom - we did a segment on
menopause.
And, she was like - good!
So today we're actually gonna talk a little bit more now
about vaginal dryness.
And, Dr. Krychman, you know educate me
here.
How many women actually suffer from this?
It's a problem.
It is a huge problem and the numbers are staggering.
Just to give it some perspective, 64 million
postmenopausal women and about 50% or 32 million women are
suffering, really in silence, from vaginal dryness.
And, that's not including the other
areas where women have dryness as well.
And, believe it or not, the majority of them are living
in silence, they're not getting treated and they're just really
enduring all the symptoms, which include painful sex and
irritation and pain.
It's really remarkable.
And, it's horrible, Dr. Dweck, because it's a pain
that's constant.
It is constant.
And, it really hurts.
You must see this in your practice every
day.
I do, I see women with this everyday, all day, and what
we're not mentioning here is the significant emotional toll that
it's taking on these women.
Women are afraid to have sex, they're afraid of the pain.
They feel ashamed and embarrassed.
They also feel less of woman because they can't.
Not sexy?
Exactly.
So this is really a big issue and frankly, these women's
partners are often very afraid to initiate relations because
they don't wanna hurt them.
So it's really an issue that needs
to be solved.
And doctor, when I think of vaginal atrophy,
vaginal dryness, I think of menopause.
But there are other conditions that can lead to it,
right?
Of course.
And just to bring it home Olga, you know, 8
out of 10 menopausal women are engaging in painful sex.
That's remarkable.
And, we know throughout the whole lifecycle
of a woman, she may experience dryness.
There is conditions where she
may be taking oral contraceptives or the pill and
that can cause dryness too.
I didn't know that.
What about breastfeeding?
If you're breastfeeding, you can have
severe dryness, and most woman say: oh,
you know, I'm not interested, the mother-in-law's staying too
long, or I'm tired, I'm not sleeping.
But really it's a hormonal issue that's effecting
the skin.
There's also an interesting issue called
"ignorant lover syndrome."
You know, when he doesn't really
know the right move and you're not getting aroused.
Women may have dryness in that case too.
So, it's not an old woman's condition.
Many woman of all ages suffer.
Wow.
Now doctor, clear something up for me.
You know, my grandmother used to
tell me: don't put such tight jeans on it's not good for you.
Right.
I've heard underwear.
Is that true?
Well, that effects some women.
Certainly some women, especially women in
menopause or women who are in that perimenopausal transition,
and they start to become aware of their vulvas and vaginas, and
they get sensitive in this area.
Yes, we absolutely have to take a look at day to day products.
Whether it's tight jeans, the type of underwear you're
wearing, the laundry detergents with harsh detergents and
fragrances, or products that they're using in their intimate
regions that might be irritating.
So yes.
I'm not going thru menopause yet but I
know it's gonna happen.
It's a reality, I'm aware of it.
Dr. Krychman, what can one do to fix
it when it starts happening?
Well, I think it's choosing the right products.
So, the Lubrigyn Cleansing Lotion for the outside
is a daily cleanser.
You can use it for the vulva skin and it has
great ingredients, like hyaluronic acid and elastin.
These help maintain the tissue, keep it moist, keep it supple.
They also help the elasticity and pliability.
And that's this one here?
Yeh.
And what about this one here?
Well, that's the cream that you can put inside.
And do you see that it makes a difference doctor?
I see it makes a huge difference and it's
part of an overall regimen for women to take of their intimate
skin.
And I can only imagine that when they start using
something like this, that woman that was crying, that woman that
was in pain, is now saying thank you?
Yes.
They're quite grateful, very thankful, and you
know, it's so nice to see somebody go from tears to
smiling in your office.
And with something simple.
Pretty big game changer.
Yeh, and it's life changing.
And for our viewers out there who'd like more
information, where can they go?
You can go to lubrigynusa.com.
Lots of great information, resources there.
And really break the silence and start
talking about these issues.
I'm so glad we're doing that this
morning.
Thank you so much.
Thank you for the information Dr. Dweck.
Thank you.
And of course if you'd like more
information on Lubrigyn Cleansing Lotion you can go to
our website.
That's thebalancingact.com.
(Music)