Urinary Tract Infection

Vaginal Burning and Urinary Tract Infections

How to Treat These Bothersome Menopausal Symptoms Many women feel uncomfortable talking about their vaginas especially when they’re acting up. Not to worry because it’s my goal to empower women through education about their bodies so they can be their healthiest! There’s nothing to be ashamed of in educating yourself about vaginal issues, including vaginal burning and itching, and urinary tract infections (UTIs). The symptoms affect most women at some point during their lives. Fortunately, there are some really cool new treatment options for all of these incredibly common issues. In this article, we’re going to look at why vaginal burning and itching, and UTIs are so common during times of hormonal fluctuations and after menopause . We’ll also share information about how you can treat these conditions in an effective, pain-free, and long-term way.

Menopause Changes Your Vagina

During menopause (and perimenopause), your body will undergo a lot of unique changes. Of all the areas of your body, perhaps the hardest hit can be your vagina. Before menopause, your vagina was swimming in lots of helpful hormones, like estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. These hormones helped your vagina stay strong, flexible, moist, and slightly acidic. (I’ll explain why this acidity is so important later in this article.) When menopause hits, these hormones begin to dry up, and your vagina can become a hormone desert. The normally thick vaginal lining becomes thin, blood vessels shrivel up, layers of cells die, and the vaginal mucosa, which keeps the vagina moist, thins by roughly 80% ! Welcome to vaginal atrophy. You can now expect unpleasant symptoms such as painful sex, vaginal itching, urinary incontinence, a burning sensation, and even an increased occurrence of urinary tract infections. Vaginal atrophy can affect a woman’s quality of life in a very negative way. If sex becomes painful, you might lose out on an important part of your relationship with your spouse or partner. Urinary incontinence may cause you to constantly feel nervous in public or prevent you from doing the things you used to love, like running on a local trail. Two other common symptoms are vaginal burning and UTIs.

Genital Burning and Itching

You’ll never really appreciate your vaginal mucosa until it’s gone. When this happens, the skin of your vagina becomes dry, which can lead to irritation and itching. Your vagina also loses its natural elasticity, which can make these symptoms even more pronounced, especially if you engage in intercourse.

The Link Between Urinary Tract Infections and Menopause

If you have never experienced the searing burn of peeing with a urinary tract infection, count yourself among the lucky few. According to WebMD, roughly half of all women experience at least one UTI in their life, and many experience multiple UTIs. UTIs occur when bacteria (almost always E. Coli) make their way through the urethra (the tube that takes urine from your bladder) into the bladder. UTIs can become serious if the bacteria spreads to the kidneys, but usually a round of standard antibiotics can flush out the infections. Just because UTIs are relatively easy to treat doesn’t mean any woman wants to experience burning pee and an unhappy bladder, not to mention yet another round of antibiotics! While women can develop a UTI at any age, menopause seems to increase the likelihood of an infection. Why is this? Urinary and vaginal systems are interconnected in the body, and what affects the vagina often affects the urinary system as well. (Which is why menopause also increases the likelihood of urinary incontinence.) Medical researchers have found that a healthy vagina has a slightly acidic pH. This encourages the growth of healthy bacteria called lactobacilli that help fight off infections. Yes, your vagina has good bacteria inside of it, just like your stomach and intestines. Researchers think that when the body loses estrogen during menopause, this may change the pH of the vagina, which normally acts as a barrier against bacterial migration into the urethra. Unfortunately, this bad bacteria may also be responsible for more vaginal discharge and an unpleasant vaginal odor. Menopause just keeps getting better and better, doesn’t it?

How to Make the Vagina Healthy Again

Bringing your vagina back to its former youthful glory is the best way to get rid of all the unpleasant symptoms of vaginal atrophy, including burning and itching, and to lower the risk of new UTIs. A few research teams have started to test topical estrogen as a way to help menopausal women combat recurring UTIs. This is also an endorsed treatment by the North American Menopause Society. Estrogen and other hormonal therapies are not right for everyone, however, especially for women with a history of cancer or stroke. An innovative new method that has received FDA approval in the United States is the MonaLisa Touch, a safe and effective intravaginal laser. The MonaLisa Touch is inserted into the vagina and pulses light from the CO2 laser into the vaginal wall. This painless procedure stimulates collagen production, restores the vaginal mucosa, and rehydrates the vaginal walls. It basically does all the things that estrogen is supposed to do, and more!

The MonaLisa Touch has been used for years in Italy and Australia and has been shown to dramatically lower the symptoms of vaginal atrophy. You can see the difference the laser makes on a cellular level: A treatment usually lasts no more than 10 minutes, and the patient can go right back to work or to her life after her session. Even after a single treatment, most patients notice a significant difference. I recommend a minimum of three treatments for my patients to achieve optimal, long lasting results.

The MonaLisa Touch treatments can also help the vagina re-establish its slightly acidic pH, which can help it fight off the bad bacteria that cause UTIs. I believe so much in the MonaLisa Touch, that I was one of the first doctors in the United States to invest in the device for my Gynecology practice. So far, I have been thrilled by the results my patients have experienced.

If you suffer from vaginal burning, itching, or recurring urinary tract infections and live in the Templeton, Paso Robles, Santa Margarita, or Atascadero areas of California, contact me to schedule a consultation. Your vagina will thank you!