Your Vagina
Like any other area of your body, both the appearance and function of the vagina are affected by the aging process. The vulva, vagina and cervix all change during your mature ages. There are physiological and understandable reasons why these changes occur, and the changes are a natural process.
The two main reasons for these changes include:
- Lack of oestrogen after going through menopause – oestrogen hormone is responsible for maintenance of tissues particularly of the vagina and significant changes occur due to lack of oestrogen hormone which occurs after women go through menopause. Most of these changes can be significantly alleviated using menopausal hormone therapy or natural supplements.
- The loss of natural supportive tissue, particularly due to the loss of proteins – collagen and elastin (the protein which is responsible for the elasticity in your skin including vaginal skin).
Effects include:
- less vaginal secretions, potentially leading to dryness. Read more about Vaginal Dryness and how you can combat it here!
- less growth of vagina surface cells resulting in a thinned lining
- alteration to the support structure (connective tissue) around the vagina leading to less elasticity and more narrowing
- fewer blood vessels around the vagina, which may explain less blood flow after menopause
- a shift in the type and balance of bacteria, which can change vaginal acidity, from more acidic to more alkaline.
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