• Vaginal dryness: Vaginal dryness is a common symptom of vaginal atrophy (thinning of the wall of the vagina that occurs during menopause in women.) Prior to menopause, the vaginal lining appears plump, bright red, and moist. As estrogen levels decline, the lining of the vagina becomes thinner, more dry, change in color, and lower elasticity.

​

• Vaginal itching: The skin around your vagina is more sensitive and more likely to itch following the hormonal changes that occur during menopause. This can make you prone to scratching, which then makes your skin more likely to itch, and so on. This is called an itch/scratch cycle which can become difficult to break, and can cause much distress.

​

• Vaginal burning: During and after menopause, decreased levels of estrogen hormone can cause the tissues of the vulva and the lining of the vagina to become thinner, drier, and less elastic (flexible.) Vaginal secretions are reduced, resulting in decreased lubrication.  Reduced levels of estrogen also result in an increase in vaginal pH, which makes the vagina less acidic, just as it was before puberty. The combination of these factors often lead to vaginal burning and discomfort in the majority of women.

​

• Painful urination: During and after the process of menopause, levels of the female hormone estrogen drop significantly. Estrogen is responsible for controlling your monthly periods and body changes during pregnancy. Additionally, estrogen helps keep the bladder and the urethra (the tube that carries urine out of the body) healthy. The lack of estrogen may also cause the pelvic muscles responsible for bladder control to weaken, resulting in urinary incontinence

​

• Pain with intercourse: Between 25 and 45 percent of postmenopausal women find sex painful. Painful intercourse is a condition called dyspareunia. While there are many causes, the most common reason for painful intercourse in women over 50 is vulvovaginal atrophy (vulva and vagina that no longer have the beneficial effects from estrogen that they did prior to menopause.) Lower estrogen levels significantly affect your vagina, impacting its ability to secrete lubricant, to expand and contract and to grow new cells. Over time, blood flow diminishes, and the vagina and vulva can atrophy, or shrink as cells die off and aren't replaced. As a result, women experience soreness, burning after sex, pain during intercourse and, sometimes, post-sex bleeding.