If you're experiencing painful intercourse after menopause, you're not alone.
First, you should know this: While what's happening to your body is not often talked about, it's a natural part of menopause. Many women are embarrassed to discuss painful intercourse, but it's more common than you may think. Over one half of all menopausal women experience vaginal symptoms.
What are the vaginal symptoms after menopause?
While menopause is a natural process, the decrease in estrogen can cause some very painful symptoms.
Menopause can result in:
- Less vaginal lubrication
- Thinner, drier vaginal walls
- Less elastic vaginal tissue
The symptoms you may experience are:
- painful sex
- dryness in and around the vagina
- burning in and around the vagina
- itching in and around the vagina
Your doctor can often diagnose your condition after a check-up and brief conversation. So, if you're experiencing any of these symptoms, talk to your doctor and ask whether Premarin Vaginal Cream may be the right treatment for you.
What causes painful intercourse after menopause?
A woman's ovaries produce the female hormone estrogen. Among other things, estrogen helps maintain the thickness of the vaginal lining and stimulates vaginal moisture. During menopause the ovaries produce less estrogen. This decrease in estrogen levels results in thinning vaginal walls and a decrease in vaginal lubrication. These changes are called vaginal atrophy and can lead to the dry, painful intercourse you may be experiencing.
Here's what happens:
Prior to menopause, estrogen helps maintain the thickness of the vaginal lining and stimulates moisture.
During menopause, the drop in estrogen causes thinning and inflammation of vaginal walls, as well as a decrease in vaginal lubrication. All of which could make intercourse dry and painful.
Important Safety Information
What is the most important information I should know about PREMARIN Vaginal Cream (an estrogen mixture)?
- Using estrogen-alone may increase your chance of getting cancer of the uterus (womb)
- Report any unusual vaginal bleeding right away while you are using PREMARIN Vaginal Cream. Vaginal bleeding after menopause may be a warning sign of cancer of the uterus (womb). Your healthcare provider should check any unusual vaginal bleeding to find the cause
- Do not use estrogen-alone to prevent heart disease, heart attacks, strokes or dementia (decline in brain function)
- Using estrogen-alone may increase your chances of getting strokes or blood clots
- Do not use estrogens with progestins to prevent heart disease, heart attacks, or dementia
- Using estrogens with progestins may increase your chances of getting heart attacks, strokes, breast cancer, or blood clots
- Using estrogens with progestins may increase your chance of getting dementia, based on a study of women age 65 years or older
- You and your healthcare provider should talk regularly about whether you still need treatment with PREMARIN Vaginal Cream
PREMARIN® Vaginal Cream is used after menopause to treat menopausal changes in and around the vagina and painful intercourse caused by these changes.
It should not be used if you have unusual vaginal bleeding, have or had cancer of the breast or uterus, had a stroke or heart attack, have or had blood clots or liver problems, are allergic to any of its ingredients, or think you may be pregnant.
Most common side effects include headache, infection, abdominal pain, back pain, accidental injury, and vaginitis.
Please see Patient Information. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call
1-800-FDA-1088.