Every stage of our lives brings changes and challenges. Passing through menopause implies much more than leaving your fertile years behind. We find stability in the absence of the mood swings, cramps, and discomfort brought by our periods. Seeing them grow up is a victory that inspires us to go forward and chase some dreams for those with children.
However, there is a minor inconvenience for our sexual pleasure during menopause. The hormonal changes that happen inside our bodies include lower estrogen levels, which have some undesirable consequences. Our vaginal walls get thinner and lose elasticity, our natural lubrication decreases and exposes us to a higher risk of infection.
Having menopausal dryness can affect our sexual encounters, making them uncomfortable, sometimes even painful. Moreover, some may experiencelow sex drive after menopause.
Many people feel embarrassed or guilty about their dryness. They do not speak out about it, not even to their doctors or their partners. Instead of being a joyous and loving moment, their intimacy turns uncomfortable and painful to the point of straining the couple’s bonds.
You can address this issue in various ways, depending on the seriousness of your discomfort. If you experience severe vaginal dryness that affects your everyday life or is painful even when you are not engaging in any sexual play, you need to visit your doctor. They will prescribe the appropriate medication, which may include estrogen creams or supplements.
Even if your vaginal dryness is mild, it can still affect your moments of intimacy. Luckily, there are some ways to improve your sexual life. The practice ofyoga and pelvic floor exercises will help your pelvic muscles keep in shape and stimulate your natural lubrication production. Likewise, adopting a healthy lifestyle, eating a balanced diet, and doing regular physical activity will boost your circulation and mood, taking your stress away.
Best Lube for Menopause Dryness
For any degree of dryness, lubrication will be one of your best friends. Your preferred lube should be a mandatory occupant of your nightstand or bathroom cabinet, even if you do not experience dryness. Lubes are a fun addition to your sexual activities, no matter whether you are enjoying yourself, playing with toys, or receiving your partner’s attention.
With all the different options for lubes flooding the market, the search for the best lube for menopause dryness can overwhelm you. While most commercial lubes are safe to use, there are some features you need to avoid to find the best lubricant for menopausal women. Glycerin, propylene glycol, and benzocaine may irritate your skin and leave it exposed to yeast and bacterial infections.
Moreover, fragrances, flavoring agents, and warming additives are also irritants and unsuitable for your sensitive skin. Warming agents are usually mentholated compounds or capsaicin, the active compound in hot peppers, and can seriously affect your skin. Parabens act similarly to estrogen, and they seem to have a relation with breast cancer.
You can feel the temptation to use mineral products as lubricants. Despite providing the slippery feeling you want for your sexy encounters, petroleum jelly, mineral, or baby oil will worsen your dryness, chafing your skin and leaving it at risk of breaking.
Best Lube for Sex After Menopause
Enjoying your sexual life without the need for contraceptives is one of the best things about achieving menopause. However, the same lack of estrogens that stops your periods also dries your natural lubrication, making your sexual encounters uncomfortable and leaving you at a higher risk of infections.
You can improve your natural lubrication after menopause by engaging in some tender self-care with your partner. Focus on a prolonged foreplay session, massage each other, and express your feelings without a time limit. Increasing the frequency and duration of your sexual encounters will work on your elasticity and lubrication. Moisturizing creams likeVulva Balm focus on the needs of the delicate genital skin of the postmenopausal person.
The addition of external lubricants to your sexual activities will ease your discomforts, increase your sensations, and bring you the erotic pleasure you deserve. This article gives you all the available options to help you choose the best lubricant for sex after menopause.
Best Water-Based Lube for Menopause
Water-based lubes have the most natural feel over your skin. These lubricants will give you pleasant sensations while being the safest to use with latex condoms or silicone toys. They are easy to buy at fair prices, making them the best over-the-counter lubricants for menopause.
However, water-based lubricants tend to dry out quickly and may need reapplying. Since these lubes are water-soluble, they are effortless to clean from your skin and clothes, but at the same time, you can not use them for shower or bathtub sex since they will wash off.
Hyaluronic serum, added to water-based lubricants, makes them even more soft and slippery while needing less reapplication. The hyaluronic serum ofGoLove will take care of your skin, its soothing effects aiding in your comfort. GoLove includes hypoallergenic ingredients and added therapeutic CBD, which will relax your body and mind and help you regain elasticity, enhancing your sexual experience.
Best Oil-Based Lubricants
The slippery feeling of oil seems ideal to use in sexual lubrication. And, true to this expectation, oil-based lubricants glide smoothly over your skin and ease your sexual meetings. These lubes are long-lasting, do not need reapplying, and you can use them in the shower or for a sweet session of underwater sex.
Being waterproof, they are pretty tricky to remove from skin and clothes, even staining your sheets if you are not extra careful. Remember not to use an oil-based lube with latex condoms since it will damage them.
Polyurethane and nitrile condoms are safe to use with oil lubricants. On the downside, oil-based lubes can increase your risk of a yeast or bacterial infection.
Best Silicone-Based Lubricants
Among the best lubricants for sex during menopause, we find silicone-based ones. They are soft on your skin and give you extraordinary sensations. Silicone-based lubes last longer on your skin and do not dry quickly. You can use them with any type of condoms and work wonders under the shower or in a pool. If you want some sex toy play, be sure to cover your toys with a condom since this type of lube does not work well with silicone toys, damaging their surface.
If you choose to use silicone-based lubes for your intimate moments,Uberlube is the most desirable option. Its added vitamin E cherishes your delicate skin, and its soft silkiness makes it a great companion for massaging.
As good as silicone-based lubes are, they often are on the expensive side and sometimes may be hard to acquire. Another inconvenience of silicone lubricants is that they are difficult to remove from clothes and underwear and may leave a sticky residue on your skin, even after washing them off.
Best Natural Based Lubricants
Natural, organic lubricants source their ingredients from the best nature has to offer, including aloe vera, chia extract, and other nurturing agents. They refrain from using glycerin, parabens, or any other additives that may irritate your skin, ensuring their safety qualities. Read the label on your chosen lubricant to ensure they do not contain any substance that gives you allergic reactions.
Furthermore, make sure to take the appropriate measures according to their base material, whether water or oil. If your lube is water-based, it may dry quickly and need reapplying, while an oil-based one will ruin your latex condoms.
The versatility of oil-basedLove Balm makes it one of the best post-menopause lubricants. It captures its delicious fragrances on all-natural organic coconut oil that stays solid at room temperature and does not go rancid. Its creamy texture makes it ideal to use as a sex lube and nurture body lotion, massage oil, or even a relaxing bath.
Best Plant Oil-Based Organic Lubricant for Menopause
If you want to go all-natural for your lubrication for menopause dryness, organic plant oils are your best choice. Some of the ingredients you find in your pantry will serve you well as sex lubes, as long as you avoid using them with latex condoms and take the necessary precautions to prevent staining your sheets, clothes, or underwear.
Some people follow the rule “if it is safe to eat, it is safe for your vagina.” While this sentence may ring true, some oil extracts are better for your skin than others, and we sure do not want our erotic moments to smell like a kitchen.
Coconut oil is a favorite option for lubrication. It smells delicious and melts against your skin, enhancing your sensations. While its antifungal and antibacterial properties may seem like an advantage, they also can disrupt your vaginal flora. Likewise, olive oil was used as lube by ancient Greeks and Romans, which is undoubtedly a curious recommendation. However, olive oil and other vegetable oils can alter your vaginal pH, so it is better not to use them for penetrative activities.
Finally, avocado oil has a softer smell than coconut and olive oils, which is desirable for people that feel uncomfortable around invasive aromas. It is also nutritious and moisturizing for your skin.
While it is not an oil, we could not leave aloe vera unmentioned. The crystal inside its leaves has a silky texture and remarkable healing and soothing properties. If you are not allergic to it, aloe vera may be the best vaginal lubricant for older women you can find.
References:
https://www.oprahdaily.com/life/health/a32698546/natural-lube-substitute/
https://www.insider.com/diy-lube