Vaginal Moisturizers for Vaginal Dryness at Menopause: Day-to-Day Oils: Pros and Cons
Vaginal Moisturizers - Can day-to-day oils be used?
Let's start with the ones that are complete NOs!
All skin moisturizers and hand and body lotions should NOT be used as vaginal lubricants OR Moisturizers
All products that contain Petroleum jelly AKA Vaseline should NOT be used for vaginal dryness.
Anything that says mineral oil since they are also petroleum based products. And This includes baby OIL; and I am mentioning this since we generally think that baby oils are super-safe considering that we use them on baby skin. But baby oils contain mineral oil products such as liquid paraffin and petroleum jelly and should NOT be used as vaginal lubricants OR moisturizers.
The reason why these products should not be used is that, as mentioned in my previous post, research indicates that women who use these products are at double the risk of vaginal infections.
But, are there any oils that are safe to use as vaginal lubricants and moisturizers?
Research on this is sparse - But I did find a few studies that suggest that the regular use of Vitamin E oil vaginally can help women with dryness. Most of these studies were with Vitamin E suppositories but, Depending on where you live, vitamin E suppositories may not be available. So, can liquid Vitamin E be used instead? And it does seem fair to assume that liquid vitamin E oil would have the same effect. The important thing would be choosing a good quality 100% pure oil without any fragrances...basically, an oil that would be safe to drink. The other option suggested by some is to use Vitamin E gel capsules instead. You can pierce the capsule with a clean needle, squeeze the Vitamin E onto your fingers, and apply it internally.
Coming to coconut oil, that seems to be a favorite of many women but, surprisingly, I was able to find only ONE published research article which suggested that virgin coconut oil in paste form was useful for menopausal women with vaginal dryness. A fun fact about coconut oil is that since it solidifies at lower temperatures one can make homemade pessaries by freezing coconut oil in small molds - and that may be easier to insert than using liquid oil. But, once the pessary melts, the oil may stain your clothes, and one needs to keep utmost hygiene in mind if making your own pessaries at home.
Also remember, if you are perimenopausal and using oils vaginally, you need to use protection other than condoms.
And that's all about using oils as vaginal moisturizers. As usual, stay healthy and be MenopauseWize!
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