5 Common Causes of a Dry Vagina (and What to Do About It)

Having a dry vagina isn’t exactly a conversation starter at dinner, but there’s a good chance somebody at your table has experienced the burning, itching, and frequent urinary tract infections that can come with it. About 17% of all people who are premenopausal have had painful sex because of it, and that jumps to more than 5src% after menopause.

One obvious reason, of course, is that you’re just not in the mood (and that’s perfectly, 1srcsrc% okay!). But fluctuating hormones—say, you’ve recently switched medications—can also play a big role in unwanted dryness. As Lauren Streicher, MD, clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, tells SELF, “There are many more causes than you may think.”

Bottom line: Parched private parts are not fun in the slightest, and you’ll probably want to figure out what’s causing yours, as a lot of cases can be helped with the right treatment. Here’s how to know what’s causing your dry vagina and how to deal with it.

1. Tight pelvic floor muscles

Your pelvic floor, which includes the muscles that support your pelvis, bladder, bowel, and reproductive organs (a.k.a. your vagina and uterus) needs to relax when a sex toy, finger, or penis enters your vagina. If those muscles are tight, any type of penetration could hurt. You might also have a health condition, like IBS or endometriosis which can cause pelvic floor dysfunction and make those muscles tense. You could also feel dry simply because you’re not ready for sex—perhaps you’re just not turned on (again, nothing wrong with that!) or you’ve experienced sexual trauma.

Think of it this way: Lubrication is your body’s way of saying “I’m ready.” If something hurts, whether for a physiological or psychological reason, Dr. Streicher says your body won’t gear up in the same way.

How to deal:

Pelvic floor physical therapy—which consists of exercises like Kegels and squats—can help improve pelvic floor muscle strength, power, and relaxation. (Here are some exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor.) A PT with this type of expertise can help you figure out what’s happening in your specific case and teach you how to do the correct moves to fix it. You might be in need of reverse Kegels, which is a technique to relax and lengthen pelvic muscles. So if a Kegel involves squeezing your muscles as if you are stopping the flow of pee, a reverse Kegel means actively relaxing those same pelvic muscles.

If your dryness is due to sexual trauma, a trauma-informed therapist or a sex therapist can help. (Here’s how to find empathetic mental health support for your trauma.) “You can only imagine what it does to you psychologically when you’ve had years of sexual pain,” says Dr. Streicher “These things are in a vacuum, and you have to treat them physically and psychosocially.”

That said, if you’re certain you’re feeling it (even if your body’s not quite there), the right lubrication can help get things moving smoothly again. (Check out this guide for choosing the best type of lube.)

2. Perimenopause or menopause

Menopause—which is when your ovaries stop producing hormones and you don’t have any more periods—can cause lots of hormonal fluctuations, including a major dip in estrogen. This can make your vagina feel dry and lead to pain or bleeding during sex, along with hot flashes, night sweats, and a host of other not-so-fun symptoms. The three to five years leading up to this point, called perimenopause, can bring similar symptoms, too.

How to deal:

Waning estrogen can be a pain—literally—but there are plenty of treatments to help offset menopausal and perimenopausal symptoms. Lube (here are eight of the best ones from 2src24 to choose from) and vaginal moisturizers with hyaluronic acid are the lowest-risk routes, so you may want to try them first. Topical products that contain estrogen like creams or vaginal suppositories, which are like a little pill you insert into your vagina, can also make things smoother, Farinaz Seifi, MD, associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive services at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, tells SELF.

Your doctor may also recommend hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to help balance out hormone levels, which can come in pill, foam, spray, gel, ring, or patch form. (HRT has some risks, and not everyone should take it, so check out our guide to hormone therapy.) Other medications in pill form, such as ospemifene or dehydroepiandrosterone, can also help offset painful sex from menopause and perimenopause.

3. Hormonal birth control

Speaking of hormones: If you’re on birth control and your vagina is dry, you might check your prescription, as types that contain estrogen and progesterone can contribute to problems. Hormonal birth control can also affect your libido, and if it’s hard to get aroused, things might feel dry.

In some rare cases, you could have a severe reaction to hormonal birth control that causes vestibulodynia, a type of vulvodynia (or chronic pain in the vulva) that can also stem from breastfeeding (more on that in a minute!), and some other health conditions. In addition to burning, stinging, and raw, tender skin, “it can cause excruciatingly painful sex,” says Dr. Streicher.

How to deal:

If you think the pill is causing problems, bring it up to your doc. They might be able to suggest a non-hormonal contraception that’ll be less likely to irritate your vagina, such as a copper IUD or spermicide. According to Streicher, topical estrogen creams can also sometimes help improve dryness and irritation. (Here are seven reasons to consider switching your birth control.)

4. Medications—particularly the hormonal kind

Birth control isn’t the only drug-related culprit here: Any medicine that decreases estrogen, such as tamoxifen (a drug used to prevent, and treat, breast cancer), can affect the moisture of your vagina. Some medications for conditions like endometriosis, like dienogest, can also lead to issues.

Also, meds that dry out your body in general (think antihistamines or cold medicines) can have the same effect on your vagina, says Dr. Seifi. Antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications have also been known to reduce overall moisture in the body.

How to deal:

Again, lube can be your best friend here. But if that’s not enough, your doctor can step in to find you an alternative treatment that won’t wipe out moisture *everywhere.* If allergy or cold meds are to blame, staying hydrated can help, too. An important reminder: Don’t stop taking meds, especially ones you’ve been prescribed, on your own without your doctor’s guidance.

5. Certain medical conditions

Some existing health issues can also reduce moisture in your vagina (another good reason to talk to your doctor). Vaginal dryness may also be a symptom of diabetes. Though it’s rare—affecting only 1% of the population—Sjögren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disease that can affect your eyes and mouth, can also dry out tissue throughout your body, including the vagina.

Though it’s not necessarily a condition per se, if you recently had a baby, your postpartum period could be another (temporary) reason. That’s because, if you’re breastfeeding, you may not be producing enough estrogen to keep your vagina well-lubricated—but when you stop, it should increase again. Plus, if you’re sleep-deprived because you are taking care of a newborn, your sexual drive may be non-existent—which means you might be dry down there, too.

Again, this is not a health condition—more a frustrating choice—but stop smoking if you do it. On top of increasing your risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer, Dr. Seifi says smoking can mess with your hormone levels—specifically, your lubricating friend, estrogen—and it’s a known risk for early menopause.

How to deal:

Treating whatever condition you have can usually help take care of some dryness (and help you feel better in general). If you’re up for penetrative sex, again, a little lube and some extra foreplay before the big act can’t hurt, which can help stimulate blood flow and keep your vagina moist. If you’re still uncomfortable, opt for a vaginal moisturizer. Importantly, skip douches, which contain harsh soaps and other ingredients that’ll likely irritate your bits even more.

Speaking of harsh chemicals: It might also be worth sorting through your medicine cabinet and clearing it of any chemical-laden soaps. Your vagina is a self-cleaning oven—you don’t need to (and shouldn’t) use harsh soaps down there. “Just use water to clean, a regular shower, and regular soap. That will take care of it,” says Dr. Seifi.

Also, don’t keep trying to have sex if it hurts, as that can cause your pelvic floor muscles to tighten up even more, intensifying dryness and discomfort. “Pain is your body’s way of saying ‘stop,’” says Dr. Streicher.

Vaginal dryness can be uncomfortable to talk about, but it’s even more uncomfortable to deal with. But talking to your doctor is the first step in figuring out what’s going on and, hopefully, feeling better, both in and out of the bedroom. “If you haven’t been given a solution, that doesn’t mean there’s not one,” says Dr. Streicher. “You just need to get in the hands of someone who knows.”