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| Four Steps to Non-Hormonal Treatment of Vaginal Dryness |
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| Written by Dr. Machelle Seibel | ||||||||||
Page 7 of 8 Final Word About Dryness Sjogren's syndrome affects an estimated 1 million to 4 million people in the United States and is often defined by its two most common symptoms — dry eyes and mouth. (28) Sjogren’s is an autoimmune disease that often shows up at age 40 or older, along with rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, scleroderma and polymyositis. With these diseases, inflammation of connective tissues is also common. Since this syndrome is 90 percent more common in women than in men, the vaginal tissues are also affected and dehydrated, and damage can also occur to the lungs, kidneys and liver. Patients complaining of dryness of the mouth and eyes as well as the vagina may be reporting a history indicative of early stage Sjogren’s. There is no cure for Sjogren's, but treatments can relieve many of the symptoms. Vaginal dryness is often associated with vaginitis or bacterial vaginosis (BV), which is a serious and common infection that can lead to other problems, not least of which is the easier transmittal of sexual diseases including AIDS (29). BV is often mistaken for a yeast infection and mistreated by women seeking quick relief without a doctor’s visit and medical prescription. Among the most effective over-the-counter products to normalize the pH balance in the vagina to reduce the risk of BV is RepHresh. A normalized pH reduces the risk of vaginal infections. It also relieves irritation caused by dryness and infection, including itching and off-odor discharge. A recent study showed that RepHresh was not only capable of reducing the risk of BV coming back, but may also successfully be used to treat it (30). A suggested use of medications for treatment and follow-up of BV are listed in Table Y. As you can see, the best approach to treating vaginal dryness is a holistic one, taking stock of each woman’s individual circumstances with thoroughness and sensitivity. Some Helpful Websites: MayoClinic.com. (2004). Vaginal Drynes. Retrieved 03-22-05 from http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?id=DS00550 |
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| Last Updated ( Friday, 19 May 2006 ) | ||||||||||
