Understanding Vaginal Atrophy and Its Concomitant Treatments
As a woman ages and nears the menopausal period of her life, she usually experiences diseases that are concomitant with old age. One such disease is that of vaginal atrophy or atrophic vaginitis. This disease is characterized by the inflammation of the vagina and the urinary tract. The cause of this inflammation is due to the gradual thinning and eventual shrinking of the tissues within the linings of the vagina. However, the main cause of these symptoms is that of the decreasing production of estrogen, a reproductive hormone. This gradual decrease in estrogen that usually occurs during the perimenopausal period continues until the post-menopausal period of a woman's life. There are, however, some circumstances wherein a decrease in estrogen in a woman occurs due to factors such as when a woman is using medications to treat certain diseases such as endometriosis or when she is breastfeeding.
The usual symptoms of vaginal atrophy include painful intercourse, bleeding during intercourse, and eventual inability to engage in intercourse. Vaginal dryness and vaginal itching are also some of the usual symptoms of this disease. Due to the prevalent taboo on sexual hygiene and health, there are many postmenopausal women who do not give so much attention to this disease. Moreover, there are many women around the world who do not use topical estrogen to ensure that the lack of estrogen within the body will be compensated by the application of topical estrogen. There are other known causes of vaginal atrophy such as those of immune disorder, having undergone radiation therapy, and having undergone chemotherapy.
How is Vagina Atrophy Prevented and Treated?
The treatment of vaginal atrophy usually are designed to relieve the signs and symptoms of the disease. However, there are also other ways to prevent the onset of this disease, and one way of preventing the onset of this disease is by administering estrogen to the area of vagina. There are various available vaginally administered estrogens such as those that are in tablet and cream forms. With the administration of estrogen into the vaginal area, the onset of vaginal atrophy can be greatly prevented. Moreover, engaging in regular sexual intercourse can also help prevent the onset of this disease, for with sexual activity, the linings of vagina will be profusely lubricated. Women can also engage in the use of vaginal lubricants that are water-soluble. This type of lubricant can help assuage the symptoms of mild vaginal atrophy.
The use of estrogen which has a low dose of estriol can help in stimulating the epithelial cells of vagina to reinvigorate themselves. In many instances likewise, the inclusion of the use of fractional CO2 laser treatment can be helpful in easing the symptoms of this disease. This laser usually target the sub mucosa where water exists, for this laser is easily absorbed by water. The use of Erbium laser also aids in revitalizing the epithelial cells of the vagina by stimulating the submucosa's area so that blood would flow into the area. The good thing about laser therapy is that it is an outpatient procedure, and anyone can be done over with it after 30 minutes.