Vaginal dryness: causes, symptoms and what helps

Vaginal dryness means the vaginal mucous membrane produces less moisture. The most common cause is falling oestrogen, for example during menopause or breastfeeding. The pill, medication and stress also play a part. Typical symptoms are burning, itching and pain during sex. What helps: lubricants, hormone-free moisturising gels, gentle care for the external intimate area and, if symptoms persist, your gynaecologist.

Vaginal dryness is particularly common during menopause. Young women, new mothers and women under stress get it too. You can find care for a dry external intimate area in the Vulva Comfort routine.

What is vaginal dryness?

The vagina keeps itself moist with its own secretions. This fluid protects the mucous membrane, keeps the pH in the acidic range and makes sex comfortable. When the mucous membrane is too dry, it becomes more sensitive and tears more easily. If oestrogen is lacking, it also becomes thinner.

For the right care, it matters whether the dryness is on the inside or the outside. The vagina is the inner part. The vulva, with the mons pubis and labia, is the outer part. You often feel dryness in both places, which is also called intimate dryness. Our intimate care products are made for the outside. For the inside, there are products from the pharmacy, and your gynaecologist can help if symptoms persist. You can read more about the anatomy in our guide to the differences between the vulva and vagina.

Vaginal dryness symptoms: how can you tell?

• A feeling of dryness or tightness in the intimate area
• Itching or burning, in everyday life too
• Pain or burning during sex
• Light bleeding after sex from small tears
• Red, sensitive skin on the labia
• More frequent bladder or vaginal infections

The symptoms often come on gradually. Many women first notice them during sex. A separate guide explains how a dry mucous membrane is linked to cystitis after sex.

What causes vaginal dryness?

Menopause

During menopause, the body produces less oestrogen. The mucous membrane becomes thinner and produces less moisture. Specialists call this vaginal atrophy or genitourinary syndrome of menopause. You can read more about this in the menopause section further down.

Vaginal dryness while breastfeeding

After giving birth and while breastfeeding, oestrogen levels are low. This is why many women notice a dry vagina during the postpartum period and when they first have sex again after the birth. It usually settles once you stop breastfeeding. You can find tips for this time in our postpartum checklist and under intimate care after birth.

The pill and other hormones

In some women, hormonal contraception changes how moist the mucous membrane is. Talk to your gynaecologist if the symptoms begin after you start or change the pill.

Medication and treatments

Some antidepressants, allergy medicines and blood pressure medication have a drying effect, as do chemotherapy and anti-hormone therapy. Never stop taking medication on your own. Discuss the side effect with your doctor.

Stress and low arousal

It is normal for stress, tiredness and too little arousal during sex to reduce moisture.

Too much hygiene

Soap, intimate sprays, fragrances and vaginal douches upset the pH and the intimate flora. Only wash the outside of your intimate area, with water or a pH-balanced product without fragrance. You can read more in our guide to washing your intimate area.

What is different about vaginal dryness during menopause?

Vaginal dryness is one of the typical symptoms of menopause. Hot flushes usually disappear on their own after a few years. Vaginal dryness, however, often persists. Symptoms frequently return once treatment stops.

The guideline of the German medical societies on perimenopause and postmenopause recommends lubricants and moisturising products for these symptoms, alone or with local oestrogen treatment. This oestrogen comes as a cream, pessary or vaginal ring. It works locally in the vagina, and your gynaecologist prescribes it.

The skin in the external intimate area also becomes drier during this time. You can find suitable care under menopause skin care.

What helps with vaginal dryness?

Help for the vagina

For the vagina itself, pharmacies sell hormone-free moisturising gels and vaginal pessaries. A 2018 study with 302 postmenopausal women showed that a hormone-free moisturising gel was no less effective than vaginal hormone tablets. Stiftung Warentest reported on this study. If your symptoms are more severe, your gynaecologist can prescribe oestrogen that works locally. Get advice on what suits you.

Lubricant during sex

A water-based lubricant makes sex more comfortable straight away and works with condoms. Oil-based lubricants last longer, but they damage latex condoms. Take your time with foreplay, because arousal increases moisture.

Care for a dry vulva

With vaginal dryness, the skin of the vulva often becomes dry, rough and itchy too. Then it needs gentle cleansing and moisture. Our Happy Vulva Duo is made for this. It cleanses and cares for the external intimate area in 2 steps:

• The Intimate Cleansing Foam cleanses gently and is fragrance-free and pH skin-neutral. 90% of testers confirm intensive care and a reduction of intimate dryness after 4 weeks of use.¹
• The Prebiotic Intimate Cream contains Calybiota® Bio, lactic acid and panthenol. It relieves feelings of dryness in the intimate area with regular use, as confirmed by 95% of testers.² The cream is fragrance-free, pH skin-neutral and without hormonally active additives.

Both products are designed for the external intimate area. If you feel the dryness mainly where hair grows, for example after shaving, the Glow Below Oil also cares for your skin. 99% of participants confirm an intensive care effect against dryness and itching in the external intimate area.³

You can find all products for a dry intimate area under intimate care.

In everyday life

• Wear cotton underwear instead of synthetic fabrics.
• Avoid scented panty liners, intimate sprays and vaginal douches.
• Only wash the outside of your intimate area. Once a day is enough.
• Protect your pH: read more in our guide to the pH value in intimate hygiene.

Home remedies for vaginal dryness: what helps and what doesn't

You will find lots of home remedies online. Some make sense, others are more likely to cause harm:

• Plant oil for external use: A few drops of a pure plant oil care for the dry skin of the vulva. Oil is not compatible with latex condoms, though.
• Yoghurt, tea tree oil, vinegar: These do not belong in the intimate area. There is no evidence that they work, and tea tree oil and vinegar also irritate the mucous membrane.
• Herbal supplements such as soy or red clover: There is not enough evidence for their effect on the vagina. Talk to your doctor before you take them.

When should you see a gynaecologist?

See your gynaecologist if the dryness lasts longer than a few weeks or if sex hurts. The same applies if you bleed after sex or notice unusual discharge, an unpleasant smell or burning when you urinate. This may point to an infection or another cause that needs treatment. After menopause, any bleeding from the vagina should be checked by a doctor.

¹ Clinical-dermatological application study under gynaecological and dermatological supervision with 20 test subjects with once-daily application over a period of 4 weeks. ² Clinical-dermatological application study under specialist dermatological supervision with 20 test subjects aged between 20 and 75, with once-daily application in the intimate area over a period of 4 weeks. ³ Clinical-dermatological application study under gynaecological supervision with 20 participants, applying the intimate area oil once daily over a period of 4 weeks.

Sources: Guideline "Peri- and postmenopause: diagnosis and interventions" of the German Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, 2020 version, AWMF register 015-062 (in German). German Federal Ministry of Health, gesund.bund.de: Menopause (in German). Stiftung Warentest, Dry vagina: do hormone products work better than moisturising gels? (in German)