3 Bad Things That Can Happen to Your Vag*** in Old Age

Just as the rest of your body goes through a lot of changes when you age, so does your vagina. It’s normal, and is bound to happen at some point in a woman’s life. Knowing what’s to come can help alleviate any of the shock you might otherwise feel upon discovering these changes. Keep in mind however that everyone is different, so you might not experience all of these, or you might see varying degrees of these changes. With that being said, let us look at these 3 things that may happen to your vagina over time:

1. You lose hair down there

This is the most noticeable change that happens. You may begin to notice the thinning out, falling off or the graying of the hair around that area. Dr. Yael Swica, a medical practitioner at Village Women’s Health in New York City and Clinical Assistant Professor of Family Medicine at the Center for Family and Community Medicine, says that as soon as a woman starts to loose hair around her vulva, she may begin to grow hair in other unwanted places like her face, leg, buttocks. This is due to the effects of menopause.

2. The uterus can fall into the vagina

One thing that can occur down below is called prolapse. This is the dropping of the uterus, bladder, or rectum into the vagina. According to the human anatomy, the uterus, or bladder is located above the vagina. The vagina is the passage canal that the penis enters during sexual intercourse. Another negative effect of menopause is the muscles that hold these organs up begins to loosen and overtime become weak. For women who may suffer mild prolapse, Kegel exercises can be helpful. Another option for more severe cases is surgery, where either the rectum, bladder or uterus is tucked in. In some cases, some women have their uterus’s removed, because they have passed the child bearing stage.

3. Sex becomes less enjoyable

This may or may not be the case for all women, as personal libido levels depend on the individual’s sex life way before menopause or old age. The loss of the sex hormone (estrogen) can result in dramatic changes in the appearance and function of the vagina. One of which is that the vaginal opening can shrink, and the length of the vagina can shrink and can lead to irritations. That irritation occurs because the vaginal walls become thinner, losing elasticity and especially moisture. It is felt especially during sex, without moisture, sex to an aged woman may feel like she has sandpaper rubbing against her. There are certain things a woman can do to ease the dryness, using moisturizers at least twice every week. If given an okay by your doctor, you can take oral or injected estrogen pills, which mimics the functions of estrogen in the body. The last advice is to have a healthy and active sex life. Regular intercourse helps the vagina remain moist and flexible