Sex hurts and feels like sandpaper
Sex feels raw and dry, like rubbing against sandpaper. There may be stinging or burning that lasts for hours after. Some people feel a sharp catch or tearing right at the opening.
Most often the tissue is not making enough of its own fluid. Low estrogen is one common reason, since that hormone keeps the tissue plump and moist. Levels can drop around menopause, after a birth, while breastfeeding, and with some birth control.
Other things can dry you out too. Some cold, allergy, and mood medicines list dryness as a side effect. Scented soaps, douches, stress, and too little warm-up time can all play a part.
This is a common problem, and it is not something you simply have to put up with.
When to see someone
See a doctor or nurse if you bleed after sex or between periods. Get checked for sores, lumps, shiny white patches of skin, or discharge that smells or looks new. A fever, deep pain inside the pelvis, burning when you pee, or pain that stops sex every time all need a visit, and so does dryness that comes with dry eyes and a dry mouth.
Below is a list of remedies people have long used for vaginal dryness. Each one carries a grade that shows how much research stands behind it, not a promise about your body. Read the grades first, and talk with your doctor or pharmacist before you start anything new.
4.8
