Author: lavenderbuddha13

This site will be a place of presentation of research, tips, findings, and renewal and eventually morph into something bigger. Women need more support in aging, body image, and sexuality. It's our goal to assist in those areas with honesty and support.

Lubricant… Do it!

by lavenderbuddha13, posted in Lubricant, Uncategorized

One of the most common problems for women with sex is pain, or dyspareunia. This can be caused for many reasons including active infection, scaring, changes due to child birth, pressure from obstruction (like from a full bladder), position (for example direct contact with the cervix in sex can sometimes be painful), vaginal thinning, atrophy, and lack of lubrication.

Lubricant is a great solution to some of these areas.  Vaginal dryness has happened to us all, from hormones, to stress, to aging, to just being dehydrated (a night out of several adult beverages)… etc. and is sometimes not discussed by partners. I have anecdotally found that men have trouble discussing these things more than women and perhaps is linked to their own feelings of inadequacy… another topic entirely.

But women… if you want to be having good, satisfying, and frequent sex lubricant is something you need to know and invest in.

Benefits

  • Lubrication (the obvious)
  • Less friction and irritation
  • Decreased pain
  • Makes manual touching more enjoyable
  • Helps prevent condom breakage

Cautions (some ingredients can cause…)

  • Irritation or Burning
  • Increased risk of yeast infections or bacterial vaginitis (probably from changing vaginal pH)
  • Development of a new allergy
  • Bladder infection
  • Pelvic pain
  • (Extreme cases) – Cell damage or fertility problems
  • Cause latex breakdown in some cases (non water based)

Composition
Lubricants are basically made up of a base compound and then what ever additives or flavorings are desired, everything from flavor or color to mechanisms to create a sensation of temperature change.  Base compounds are typically an oil, silicone, or water-soluble.

Base compounds: Typically water soluble is best, but does not last as long as silicone and can come with preservatives in it that irritate (like propylene glycol or glycerine).  Silicone breaks down condoms and because it lasts longer can cause irritation in some sensitive persons, but it typically has zero preservatives! A bonus. Silicone based lubricant also will break down your bedroom toys that are plastic or latex based. However, silicone works very well in many women because it lasts longer and does not carry the preservatives that water-soluble based lubricant does.

Petroleum based lubricants are thicker, carrying an increased risk for infections both vaginally and on other items used during sex.  Due to its thickness it makes things difficult to properly clean, causing a transfer of bacteria.

Avoid:

  • Propylene Glycol (also used as a warming agent)
  • Glycerin or Glycerol (sugar-like preservative that can change vaginal pH)
  • Alcohols
  • Acetate
  • Flavors or temperature changing agents
  • Spermicide like Nalaxone-9 (Unless you really need a spermicide + condom combination… often recommended for those who cannot take hormone contraception.)
  • Any acids or cleaning ingredients like chlorhexidine

Look for:

  • Aloe – can be soothing in some, but limit other preservatives with this
  • Paraben free
  • Preservative free (note storage recommendations)

Welcome!

by lavenderbuddha13, posted in Uncategorized

This is a new venture.  A place where a seasoned health professional, aging woman, mother, busy woman writes about things she is finding her patients, friends, and most importantly she needed to know but no one really talked about.  (Yes, as women we care about are cholesterol levels and blood pressure, but some days as a woman I feel that without good sex or meaningful relationships why does my cholesterol even matter?

How does the way we were raised affect how we take care of ourselves now?
How does view of self affect healthcare, relationships, and sexual fulfillment?
What are the sexual health concerns of my LGBQT patients and friends?
Why do healthcare professionals at well exams typically not ask about not only the type, but quality of sex for women? Why do they never ask about things like stress incontinence, dysparunia, irritability, or hair growth on my chin?
What are the sexual health goals of single women across the lifespan?
How does culture, race, religion affect women’s sexual experiences?

And even as simple as … how come no one tells me how to find the best lubricant that will not cause yeast infections? Or how can I purchase a great vibrator with sound advice and not depend on Amazon reviews or stepping into a sketchy store to actually look at, take out of the box, or ask questions about such items?

Here we are going to explore these ‘taboo’ topics… hoping to help women and to help healthcare providers start having these conversations with patients…

This will be a place to talk about “The things we don’t talk about”.

I hope you join me.