Dear Jacqui,
About four years ago I had a complete hysterectomy. I feel my sex drive has decreased when my husband and I engage in sex. Although I am able to reach a climax, I am having a problem with vaginal dryness...this is very disturbing to me. Is there anything I can take in the way of herbs or vitamins that might help me with this problem. Thank you.
Susan

Dear Susan,
I assume from your description that you probably had your ovaries removed at the time of the hysterectomy. This would then explain the loss of libido and the occurrence of vaginal dryness. When your ovaries are removed they no longer produce estrogen which has a definitive role in sexual desire and it also controls the moisture levels in our bodies, especially the vaginal area.

There are a number of treatments to help you but...it is important to see your gynecologist and have him/her evaluate your complete health history to make a proper diagnosis and recommendation. Many women are given Estrogen Replacement Therapy. We have very mixed feelings about it because of the inherent increase in breast cancer risk. I suggest you have your hormone levels tested.

Secondly, a tiny amount of testosterone cream applied to your clitoris twice weekly may well bring back your sexual desire. Many women have resorted to soy products, which contain natural phyto-estrogen. But there is no hard data available as to their effectiveness in duplicating hormone function.

Finally, we believe that a good vaginal moisturizer/lubricant can bring you great relief in solving your vaginal dryness problem and may even enhance intimacy. This kind of product, like a facial moisturizer, should be applied daily to keep your vaginal tissue moist and protected and should always be used before intimacy. There is a difference between a lubricant and an intimate moisturizer. Lubricants were originally developed for men and in general are much thinner than vaginal moisturizers, which are protectant of the vaginal tissue and include lubricants as well to make the beginning of intimacy easier.

It is of great importance that the product you choose is FDA approved, contain no fragrance, flavors or chemical colors and is pH balanced such as Very Private Intimate Moisture which you can find on the www.veryprivate.com website. If it has no FDA testing it should not be used inside the body.

Jacqui

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