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Does intimate dryness prevent you from enjoying exercise?

Intimate dryness is an uncomfortable condition that affects women of all ages. Dryness causes burning, itching and irritation in the vagina, and it can interfere with the enjoyment of an active lifestyle.

Cycling, running and horseback riding are not pleasant when you have a burning sensation down there. An expert can tell you what causes the dryness and how it can be treated. – Sea Buckthorn oil may relieve the dryness. More than 40 per cent of Finnish women suffer from vaginal dryness.* You may experience discomfort, burning, itching, irritation and tenderness in your vaginal area. Dryness also exposes the vaginal mucosa to damage and inflammation.

Dryness of the mucous membranes can interfere with physical exercise

Intimate dryness can cause pain during physical exercise. According to an American study, 12 per cent of postmenopausal women reported that symptoms of vaginal dryness interfered with physical exercise.

“Dryness of the mucous membranes often causes a feeling of discomfort during physical exercise and can make you avoid certain sports, such as jogging, skiing, cycling and horseback riding. Treatments are available, however, so no one needs to suffer from intimate dryness,” says Petra Larmo, Head of R&D at Aromtech.

What causes dryness of the mucous membranes of the vagina?

“Decreased oestrogen levels due to menopause are the most common cause of mucosal thinning and the related feeling of dryness. Symptoms also occur in younger women, for example in connection with breastfeeding and the use of contraceptives and products for the treatment of acne,” says Larmo.

Endometriosis medication, chemotherapy used to treat cancer, and ovary removal surgery can also lower oestrogen levels in the body and lead to intimate dryness (4).

Causes of dryness include:

  • Decreased oestrogen levels in the body due to birth control pills, breastfeeding or menopause
  • Acne medication containing isotretinoin, and other medications that cause mucous membranes to dry
  • Medicines or medical procedures that cause a hormonal imbalance, such as endometriosis medication, chemotherapy, and ovary removal surgery
  • Certain diseases such as Sjögren’s syndrome

Factors that can make dryness worse:

  • Continuous use of panty liners
  • Over-washing and use of strong soaps
  • Use of synthetic panties and especially thongs

Dryness can be treated with creams

The use of moisturising creams is the primary drug-free treatment for intimate dryness (3, 4). Aromtech’s Membrasin Moisture solution is a combination of an intimate cream containing sea buckthorn oil for topical use and a long-acting sea buckthorn oil capsule for oral use, which together maintain the normal functioning of the mucous membranes. The intimate cream is also suitable for women who cannot or do not want to use hormone preparations.

Membrasin® Vaginal Vitality Cream is a non-hormonal vaginal cream that reduces the symptoms of intimate dryness. In addition to sea buckthorn oil, the cream’s active ingredients are moisture-locking hyaluronate and lactic acid, to help maintain a normal pH in the intimate area.

Membrasin® Feminine Moistuiser Supplement SBA24® sea buckthorn oil capsules for oral use contain essential omega-3, 6, 7 and 9 fatty acids, natural precursors to vitamin A and natural vitamin E. Vitamin A promotes the well-being of mucous membranes, and vitamin E protects the cells from oxidative stress.

In clinical trials, the use of topical sea buckthorn oil cream and sea buckthorn oil capsules has been shown to affect the well-being of the mucous membranes in the intimate area in women of all ages.

“Vaginal dryness and burning, the sensations of dryness, irritation and tenderness in the vagina and vulva, and pain experienced during physical exercise experienced by people who used Membrasin intimate cream were alleviated compared to those experienced by the control group with statistical significance,” says Larmo.

Expert tips: Take care of the well-being of the mucous membranes

  • Choose panties made of natural materials and sleep without panties.
  • Wash with plain water or a mild soap that has a low pH.
  • Use moisturising creams and capsules such as Membrasin® Moisture-products.

*Taloustutkimus 2013

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