In order to experience intimate intercourse with her partner as pleasurable, a woman’s vagina must be sufficiently moist through lubrication. If it remains too dry, a woman experiences penile penetration or clitoral rubbing during intercourse as painful.
What is lubrication?
Lubrication is the wetting of the vagina before sexual intercourse. Lubrication is the wetting of the vagina (vagina) before sexual intercourse. Sexual arousal causes increased secretion of a fluid inside the vagina from the vaginal mucous membranes (from the Bartholinian glands), which acts like a lubricant and facilitates penetration of the penis during intimate intercourse. The fluid is clear and its composition may change during the menstrual cycle or due to nutrition. If lubrication is disturbed, the vagina does not become sufficiently moist and sexual intercourse is thus experienced as uncomfortable to painful.
Function and task
The function of vaginal lubrication is to optimally prepare the woman’s body for penetration by the penis during sexual intercourse. It is the female equivalent of the male erection. Sexual arousal causes the labia and clitoris to swell and become more colorful due to more intense blood flow. Inside the vagina, the vaginal mucosa secretes more fluid during the various phases of arousal, the vagina becomes longer and the uterus retracts further. The stronger and more intense the sexual arousal becomes, the more fluid is produced by the vaginal mucous membranes. Lubrication serves as a natural lubricant to facilitate penile penetration and ensure painless intercourse. If the mucous membranes are not moist enough, women experience it as uncomfortable and often painful because the skin is sensitively irritated by penetration. Normally, blood flow to the vagina functions well, and when sexually aroused, a sufficient amount of fluid is produced to make intercourse pleasurable. However, it can happen – this is particularly common during menopause – that the vaginal mucous membranes remain too dry, so that penetration of the penis can be uncomfortable and associated with pain. In these cases, many women turn to lubricating creams or gels to help compensate for the lack of fluid. During menopause, vaginal dryness is usually caused by estrogen deficiency and must be treated with estrogen-containing ointments and vaginal suppositories. If the vagina does not become properly moist, the woman experiences discomfort during sexual intercourse. Vaginal dryness can have various causes, which can be physical or psychological. Physically, first of all, there must be a basic sexual desire in the first place to stimulate lubrication. In the absence of desire, sexual arousal cannot occur and therefore vaginal lubrication does not occur. If lubrication does not occur despite sufficient arousal and stimulation, lubrication is disturbed. Gynecologists speak of a disorder only when it is a persistent and not just temporary vaginal dryness.
Diseases and complaints
Physical causes can be abdominal inflammation or a hormone deficiency during menopause. Physical complaints should always be examined by a doctor and treated if necessary. If there is inflammation or vaginal fungus, this must be treated and the mucous membranes must recover for about 2 to 3 weeks. If estrogen deficiency is common during menopause, gynecologists may prescribe estrogen-containing vaginal suppositories or creams to treat the hormone deficiency responsible for dry mucous membranes. If too little lubricant is produced but everything else is physically fine, water-soluble lubricating gels can make up for the lack of fluid. Oils or ointments containing grease are strongly discouraged because they can act like a film on the mucous membranes and thus promote inflammation. If no cause for the complaints is found during the physical examination, medication and its side effects should also be checked. They can also lead to sexual unwillingness. A disturbance of lubrication can also have psychological reasons or be caused by partnership problems.Some women feel insufficiently stimulated by their partner before sexual intercourse and react with sexual aversion. Men and women often have a different definition of sufficient stimulation. Women are then not satisfied, but also do not want to criticize their partner as a lover. To prevent disappointment, it is important that couples talk openly with each other and respond to their respective needs. In this way, unwillingness does not arise in the first place, which can permanently endanger a partnership. Sexual unwillingness can also be caused by a sexually hostile upbringing. If lubrication occurs during masturbation, for example, there is no general impairment. Other possible reasons for a dry vagina include:
- Frequent tampon changes during menstruation.
- Side effect of contraceptives such as the pill.
- Hormone changes during pregnancy
- Diabetes disease
- Bladder infection
- Traumatic experiences
- Anxiety, stress or nervousness
In addition, unpleasant previous sexual experiences can play a role and spoil the pleasure of sexuality, which in turn has an impact on sexual arousal. In that case, an understanding partner can help to reduce these fears again and allow new positive experiences.
