Looking to prevent or treat vulva & vaginal dryness?

The Ultimate Guide & Glossary: includes all your options

Vulva & Vaginal dryness will impact all of us who live long enough. But it doesn't have to.

Prioritize Your Vulva & Vaginal Health: A Guide & Glossary

Including what’s new in prevention and treatments in 2026!

Vulva and vaginal health is important to our overall health because we want to be able to sit comfortably, move comfortably, enjoy insertive sex comfortably—and a healthy pelvic floor helps prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs), incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse... for our next 3-to-5 decades!

Vulva and vaginal dryness occurs most often in postmenopause (12 months period-free) after estrogen (the hormone responsible for keeping our eyes, mouth, skin, joints and vaginas lubricated) declines, and after hyaluronic acid (a naturally occurring molecule in our skin cells) decreases significantly.

But dryness can occur at other times in our life too—one of the biggest culprits that might contribute to vulva & vaginal dryness is the birth control pill, which influences hormones even before perimenopause or menopause. Other reasons include fluctuating hormones during postpartum, overuse of paper-based pantyliners and other absorbent pads, or certain medications or other health conditions.

The bad news is, vulva and vaginal dryness, if left untreated, does not get better with time. This is really important because many women have been socialized to believe midlife changes are something we have to “just get through”... without understanding there are longer-term health implications if action to prevent and/or treat is not taken.

I talk about my mother's health story here.

The other bad news is that too many vagina owners are currently trying to navigate life while enduring the discomforts of vulva & vaginal dryness, and a significantly low number (4%) are currently receiving a viable treatment!

The good news is there is a full menu of options (prescription and non-prescription) preventing and treating.

And, what women really need to know is this: prioritizing vaginal & pelvic health improves a woman’s overall quality of life—it positively impacts sexual health, confidence, how active we can be, relationships and even our cognitive function.

Yes, we need to make certain nothing impedes our physical movement as we age; therefore prioritizing vulva and vaginal health helps to make sure we can move and exercise, which in turn, helps to take care of our brain health too!

How to prevent or treat vulva & vaginal dryness

Engage in sexual activity (with or without a partner)

Sexual activity (with or without a partner) and regular orgasms keeps blood flow and energy directed to our pelvic region and that helps to produce natural vaginal lubrication.

(Important Note: this is a prevention strategy. If you already experience dryness and find insertive sex uncomfortable or painful, pause activity until we can establish the treatment option best for you.) Continue reading for treatment options.

Practice regular pelvic floor exercise

See a pelvic floor physiotherapist at least once per year. Our pelvic health must be a priority as it is responsible for our bladder health, bowel health, back & hip health, sexual health and more. It’s important for all women to exercise their pelvic floor correctly and consistently, and this requires the guidance of a professional.

Moisturize with hyaluronic acid

As part of a regular routine, you can prevent and treat vulva & vaginal dryness by moisturizing with hyaluronic acid.

Hyaluronic acid has been a popular ingredient in beauty* and skincare products since 2008. In 2013, Swiss gynecologist, Dr. Petra Stute showed how hyaluronic acid is as effective for treating vaginal dryness as localized estrogen therapy (a physician-prescribed form of hormone therapy--often in the form of a cream, suppository or ring-- applied directly to the vagina delivering estrogen back to the body.)

*Note: Only use products on the vulva and vagina that are Health Canada approved to be used on the vulva and vagina.

In May 2021, the International Society of Gynecologists recommended vaginal moisturizer as the first line of treatment for vaginal dryness. This is because hyaluronic acid is a naturally-occurring molecule made by our own bodies, but it starts to decline around age 30-40 and then more significantly in post-menopause.

Sometimes, health care providers suggest using "lubricants and/or moisturizers." A vulva & vaginal moisturizer is not the same thing as a lubricant. Lubricants provide a temporary barrier to friction and should be used for in-the-moment pleasure and fun, but they do not offer long-term benefits to our skin cells. A moisturizer, on the other hand, works as an “investment” to restore natural moisture back into the skin cells of the vulva and vaginal wall.

In 2019, members of the Menopause Chicks community asked me to research new options for treating vaginal dryness as they were frustrated by the lack of vaginal health education, the lack of conversation with their health care professionals, and too many women were assuming vaginal dryness was something they had to tolerate. It was impacting women’s overall quality of life (members cited reoccurring UTIs, discomfort wearing clothing and relationships ending as the top three reasons for wanting a solution for vulva & vaginal dryness.)

Other members were frustrated by the lack of over-the-counter options as they were spending money on products that had great marketing, but the ingredient lists were long and full of preservatives and additives.

The solution has been co-created with members of the Menopause Chicks Community at every step of the way. First it was a compounded product, and then in 2022, launched as FEEL AMAZING (the same name as my book!) In 2023, members of our community asked for a formula review. In 2025, after collaborating with a menopause-certified doctor, we received Health Canada approval and re-launched the Vulva & Vaginal Moisturizer by Menopause Chicks™️ with the same medicinal ingredients, a shorter list of non-medicinal ingredients and, through a large-volume ordering, we were able to reduce the price and pass those savings along to members like you.

Don’t give up

Everyone is at a different age and stage of dryness. The only option not on the menu is giving up! Many women choose to moisturize and use localized estrogen or DHEA therapy.

A lot of Menopause Chicks in postmenopause (including me!) do well with both; we combine treatments either by alternating moisturizer and vaginal hormone therapy every other day, or between morning and night. Know that, with moisturizing, it's non-prescription, so you can create the routine that's best for you. Depending on your age and stage of dryness, you can begin by moisturizing multiple times per day and then taper back as your skin cells respond and dryness improves. Then move into 1-2 X per day moisturizing as a maintenance/prevention strategy. Also: speak with your health care provider about the potential benefits of hormone therapy (systemic and vaginal) for you.

Glossary:

Vaginal Atrophy (atrophic vaginitis):

Vaginal atrophy is the thinning, drying and inflammation of the vaginal walls that occurs in over 80% of women when both hyaluronic acid and estrogen decline postmenopause. Vaginal atrophy not only makes sitting and moving uncomfortable, but it can lead to painful penetrative sex and distressing urinary issues, such as reoccurring urinary tract infections (UTIs), incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse.

Vulva & vaginal dryness:

Dryness is one symptom of atrophy. The vulva and vagina are skin cells and while dryness is commonly associated with the decline of hyaluronic acid and estrogen postmenopause, dryness can also be the result of fluctuating hormones postpartum, during perimenopause, some women experience while taking the birth control pill and other medications and it can also be attributed to overuse of pantyliners and pads. Vulva and vaginal dryness also affects women post-hysterectomy/oophorectomy and those navigating other health conditions.

Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause (GSM):

I’m not a fan of terms "genitourinary" or "syndrome" as it relates to menopause. And I'm not a fan of yet another acronym. Why? Because they are not consumer-friendly and there continues to be low awareness and understanding by and health professionals alike.

However, I do use "genitourinary health" because I want all of us to understand just how imperative it is for us to prioritize every aspect of our health that falls within the "genitourinary" or "pelvic health" umbrella.

Genitourinary is a “umbrella” term first coined by the North American Menopause Society in 2019 to describe all the pelvic-related issues that women face after hyaluronic acid and estrogen declines postmenopause, and affects the labia majora/minora, clitoris, vestibule/introitus, vagina, urethra, and bladder. Examples include vulva dryness, vaginal dryness/atrophy, urinary incontinence, pelvic organ (bladder, uterus, rectum) prolapse and being susceptible to infection, such as urinary tract infections (UTIs.)

Hyaluronic Acid:

Hyaluronic Acid is a naturally-occurring molecule that our body makes on its own. It starts to decline in our 30s & 40s (about 10% per decade) and then more significantly postmenopause. Hyaluronic Acid was made popular by the beauty and cosmetics industry starting in 2008 as an ingredient in moisturizing creams and serums. In 2013, Dr. Petra Stute, a Swiss gynecologist, led the research for confirming hyaluronic acid is as effective as vaginal estrogen for the treatment of vaginal dryness.

Localized Estrogen Therapy:

Localized estrogen therapy is a form of hormone therapy where bioidentical estradiol or estrone is applied to the vagina via a cream, gel, ring or suppository. It is a prescription available from any health care provider with prescribing rights. Localized estrogen can be used alone or in combination with other hormone therapy (systemic estradiol, progesterone.)

DHEA Therapy:

DHEA is short for dehydroepiandrosterone, also known as prasterone. Treatments containing DHEA for vulva and vaginal atrophy have been available in the United States for years and Intrarosa (brand name) was approved as a prescription option in Canada in 2023. Prasterone administered locally in the vagina is an inactive precursor of sex steroids that enters the vaginal cells and is converted intracellularly into estrogens and androgens, depending upon the level of enzymes expressed in each cell type, thus exerting beneficial effects on the symptoms and signs of vulvovaginal atrophy through activation of the vaginal estrogen and androgen receptors.

Oral Option for treating dryness

Osphena™️ (ospemifene) is a once-daily, oral, non-hormonal treatment for treating dryness.

Lubricant:

Lubricants are temporary catalysts that reduce friction, ease sexual activity (with or without a partner) and they promote fun and pleasure. Lubricants are not treatments for vulva/vaginal dryness as they don’t have long-term benefits, so if the question is: “Moisturizer or lubricant?”, the answer is: both. The World Health Organization recommends a lubricant with a pH of, or close to, 4.5 and osmolality of less than 1200 mOsm/kg. These levels are the same as the vaginal tissue naturally. Manufacturers are not required to list osmolality on their products, so the best advice is to purchase products with the fewest number of ingredients; avoid anything that includes peppermint, promises tingly sensations or other additives.

Vulva & vaginal moisturizer:

The Vulva & Vaginal Moisturizer by Menopause Chicks™️ is a proven formula for preventing and treating vulva and vaginal dryness at any age. Available without a prescription. A required part of your genitourinary health strategy--with or without menopause hormone therapy--and key if you are using a vaginal hormone therapy product that ignores the vulva.