I'm not surprised by a new survey showing that the majority of women over 50 who experience vaginal dryness don't feel comfortable talking to their doctors about it. The survey, sponsored by hormone therapy manufacturer Novo Nordisk, finds that 40 percent of post-menopausal women experience dryness and pain but that 7 out of 10 aren't seeking any advice from a gynecologist or family physician.

    The truth is, I've had vaginal dryness, too, after the birth of my first baby, and I didn't think of broaching the topic at my postnatal exam. I don't remember being told that this was a common side effect of plummeting estrogen levels after pregnancy. Though it makes perfect sense-nature's way of saying let's hold off on getting pregnant again, at least until your body no longer needs to produce all that milk.

    New moms weren't surveyed by Novo Nordisk, since they can't use the estrogen creams and tablets produced by the company. They also weren't surveyed by hormone maker Wyeth in its new report showing that 1 in 4 post-menopausal women has such bad vaginal dryness that she experiences burning and sharp pain during intercourse. Breast cancer patients weren't included either, even though they, too, frequently have severe vaginal dryness. They're usually told not to use estrogen products because of risks associated with recurrence.

    So what are the best ways to relieve vaginal dryness? Nursing mothers and those with a history of breast cancer can try the first five things below, while post-menopausal women with no health problems can try all six. And, yes, do talk to your doctor about these problems since they can sometimes be caused by medications like antidepressants or an autoimmune disease called Sjogren's syndrome.

    1. Stay hydrated. Drinking six to eight glasses of water a day will help keep your tissues moist, including those below the belt.

    2. Lubricate, and lubricate some more. Many women achieve instant relief simply by using a lubricant. There are at least half a dozen of these on drugstore shelves. You may need to experiment to find one that works best for you.

    3 . Avoid personal hygiene sprays. Chemicals in these products can be irritating to delicate tissues that line the vagina.

    4 . Skip the douching. This can disrupt the vagina's normal chemical balance, leading to inflammation and dryness.

    5 . Eat health ful amounts of "good" fats. Your body needs a little fat with every meal to make adequate levels of sex hormones. Flaxseed oil and soy, which have estrogenlike effects, may help somewhat with vaginal dryness.

    6 . Consider a topical estrogen cream and vaginal suppositories. They're an option if your symptoms were brought on by menopause. But you'll also need to take a progesterone tablet if you have a uterus to protect yourself from endometrial cancer. Bioidentical estrogen and progesterone are available for those who want chemically identical versions of the hormones made naturally by the body.

    一份新的調查表明大部分50歲以上有陰道干澀癥狀的婦女對與自己的醫生討論此事感到難受，對此我并不驚訝。調查由激素療法制造商諾和諾德發起，發現40%的絕經婦女承受著陰道干澀的痛苦，但70%并沒有尋求婦科醫生或家庭醫生的建議。

    事實上，在我的第一個孩子出生后，同樣有過陰道干澀，并且在產后檢查中沒有想到提出這個問題。我不記得有人告訴過我這是產后雌激素下降的副作用。雖然這非常有意義--至少在你的身體無需產乳之前，以自然的方式發表"讓我們再次孕育新生命"的宣言。

    新媽媽們沒有在諾和諾德公司的調查對象中，因為她們不能使用公司生產雌激素軟膏或片劑。她們同樣不是激素制造商惠氏一份新報告中的調查對象，報告顯示四分之一的絕經期婦女有嚴重的陰道干澀癥狀以至于在性交會產生灼痛感。調查同樣不包括乳腺癌患者，雖然她們同樣有嚴重的陰道干澀的困擾。因為存在乳腺癌復發風險，她們常被告知不能使用雌激素。

    那么緩解陰道干澀的最好方法是什么呢？哺乳期的媽媽們及有乳腺癌病史的婦女可以嘗試以下內容的前五項，而無其它健康問題的絕經后婦女可以嘗試以下所有的六項建議。并且，是的，無需將這些問題告訴你的醫生，因為這些問題有時是由于抗抑郁藥或自身免疫疾病引起的，稱之為"斯耶格倫氏綜合征".

    PS:Sjogren's Syndrome簡單來說是當身體受到外來異物統稱抗原細菌病毒真菌攻擊時就會產生自體防衛的體系的統稱。

    1.保持身體水分。每天喝6-8杯水有助于保持組織濕潤，包括腰部以下的組織。

    2.潤滑劑，多一些潤滑。許多女性通過使用潤滑劑得到立竿見影的緩解。藥店貨架上至少有半打以上的潤滑劑種類。你可能需要嘗試不同的品牌選擇其中對最有效的一種。

    3.避免使用個人衛生噴霧劑。這些產品中的化學成分可能會刺激陰道組織。

    4.跳過沖洗。這可能會擾亂陰道正常的化學平衡，導致炎癥及燥癥。

    5.攝取適量的"有益"脂肪。你的身體每餐需要少量脂肪保持性激素平衡。亞麻籽油和大豆，有類似雌激素的作用，可能或多或少地有助于緩和陰道干燥。

    6. 考慮一款局部雌激素乳霜或陰道栓劑。當你的干燥癥狀由絕經引起時，它們可供選擇。但是同樣你需要服用黃體酮片劑防止自己患子宮內膜癌。生物特性相同的雌激素和黃體酮（一種結晶狀的荷爾蒙）適用于那些希望荷爾蒙化學成分由自身自然產生的人。