预防（和减少）阴道萎缩的最佳方法

在完全防止VA的同时，因为雌激素损失是一种自然过程，早期鉴定症状，可以防止条件恶化。据麦迪逊，麦迪逊卫生卫生，麦迪逊，麦迪逊，麦迪逊，麦迪逊，“麦迪逊卫生，麦迪逊，麦迪逊，麦迪逊，”这是一个大的第一步是谈论它。她说，虽然女性可能会在夜间汗水和潮热的潮流中交换故事，但有很少谈论阴道干燥与他们的朋友，她说。威廉姆斯博士甚至在进入更年期之前与她的患者一起讨论VA：“它开始开始谈话。”

众所周知,吸烟会导致cancer and heart disease, but did you know, smoking can also increase your chances of developing VA? Nicotine, the addictive chemical in tobacco products, affects the circulatory system and may slow blood flow to tissues, including the vagina. Smoking can also reduce the beneficial effects of estrogen, leading to irritation, dryness, and other symptoms associated with VA. As if you needed another reason to quit!

Turns out, sex is good for you, in more ways than one, says Mary Jane Minkin, M.D., a gynecologist at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, CT. And it might just be the ticket to preventing, or lessening the impact, of VA. Having regular sex increases pelvic blood flow, which can help keep vaginal tissue healthy and add moisture, she says. But this doesn’t mean patients should endure painful sex: Treatments can help alleviate symptoms to make intercourse more enjoyable (more on that later).

Don’t have a sexual partner or aren’t interested in having sex with someone else? A vibrator or other stimulating sex toy works just as well to increase blood flow to the pelvic area. Dilators—smooth, tube-shaped objects that stretch the vagina—can also be useful to help keep tissue more elastic, says Dr. Williams. The vaginal channel can shorten and narrow during menopause, and using a dilator can help maintain its shape.

Minkin博士说，如果你已经经历了干燥的，使用温和的肥皂洗涤，可以防止VA恶化。香皂，泡泡浴，乳液或带香水的其他产品可以刺激这个已经敏感的区域。避免灌水，因为它可以增加干燥。它还可以破坏阴道中细菌的平衡，使您更容易受到尿路感染的影响。

威廉姆斯博士说，虽然内衣选择不会阻止你开发VA，选择透气面料可以有助于缓解刺激。合成材料可以搅拌敏感区域和捕获汗水，增加感染风险，因此她建议患者粘上棉质内衣。晚上，考虑到突击队让地区呼吸。每天避免佩戴垫和裤子，因为它们会导致摩擦并刺激皮肤。

如果你，我们只想让你知道做develop VA, there are plenty of therapies to treat it. Using over-the-counter moisturizers a couple of days a week can rehydrate vaginal tissue, and using lubricants can help alleviate pain during sexual activity. But the most effective treatment addresses the cause of the condition: The loss of estrogen, says Heather Hirsch, M.D., a physician at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Menopause & Midlife Clinic in Boston, MA. Hormone therapy not only treats symptoms of VA but can also help restore affected tissue and maintain a healthy PH balance in the vagina.

骨盆楼层物理治疗（PT）还可以帮助减少性别疼痛等症状，并防止进展。这种类型的PT超出了常规Kegels，专注于恢复强度和功能到支持骨盆的肌肉，如你的臀部屈肌和核心，Hirsch博士。她说，旨在放松肌肉的练习有时对患者们有时会对患者互相施加较小。她说。这些练习还可以帮助治疗与VA一样的尿问题，如膀胱泄漏。

虽然妇女经过更年期对VA的风险最多，但年轻的女性也可以发展这种情况。身体在母乳喂养时表达了雌激素生产，这可以将母亲放在“更年期的状态”中，Minkin博士说，可以导致干燥和刺激。骨盆癌的化疗或辐射可具有类似的效果，因为这些处理会影响卵巢的正常功能，从而产生雌激素。通过了解您的风险因素，您可以识别和治疗防止其恶化的条件。