Treatments for Vaginal Dryness

There are a variety of different hormonal and non-hormonal treatments for vaginal dryness. Although not all of them require a prescription, consider talking about your options with your doctor or someone on your cancer care team. Together, you can review your options and pick one that is safe and works for you.

Vaginal dryness and genitourinary syndrome of menopause (also sometimes referred to as vaginal atrophy) can affect anyone with low estrogen levels that result from perimenopause and menopause — whether it’s natural menopause or menopause brought on by breast cancer treatments. Doctors often recommend topical low-dose estrogen —in the form of creams, tablets, or rings —for vaginal dryness caused by low estrogen levels. Estrogen creams or tablets are applied directly in the vagina with an applicator. An estrogen ring is placed in the vagina and needs to be replaced every three months.

If you have a history of breast cancer, particularly hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, topical estrogen therapy might not be right for you. Talk with your doctor to make a personalized treatment plan based on your symptoms and your specific situation. 

Learn more about vaginal estrogen.

Osphena (chemical name: ospemifene) is a pill taken daily by mouth for vaginal dryness and irritation that can make sex painful. Osphena is not an estrogen, but it acts like estrogen in certain parts of the body by binding to its receptors. Although Osphena might improve your sexual health, it shouldn’t be prescribed to people who’ve either been diagnosed with breast cancer or have a high risk of developing the disease because of limited research.

Vaginal moisturizers are different from vaginal lubricants. A moisturizer can improve the strength and suppleness of vaginal tissue. It does this by increasing the moisture content of the vaginal lining (or mucosa) and reducing the pH.

Vaginal moisturizers need to be used as part of your routine, much like moisturizers you might use as part of your skincare routine. Apply your vaginal moisturizer at least three times a week, after showering.

Vaginal lubricants, on the other hand, can help reduce friction and pain during sex. Every time you have sex, you can use lubricant to make sex more comfortable.

You can get both vaginal moisturizers and lubricants without a prescription at any pharmacy or grocery store. 

Learn more about vaginal moisturizers and lubricants.

There are several alternatives for people who want to avoid hormonal treatments for vaginal dryness and want to try something in addition to — or instead of — over-the-counter vaginal moisturizers and lubricants.

If you want to treat vaginal dryness naturally, you can try using grape-seed, olive, vegetable, sunflower, or coconut oils as an external lubricant before sex. Keep in mind that oil-based lubricants can damage condoms, so to ensure you’re having protected sex, use only water-based lubricants. Oil-based lubricants can also be a bit messy.

Dilators are devices that may gradually widen and lengthen the vagina to improve comfort during sex. You start with a small dilator and slowly move to medium and larger sizes. Always use a lubricant with the dilators. This will help to lessen friction and make the process more tolerable overall.

It may be tempting to try herbal or dietary supplements to treat vaginal dryness, but there is little research supporting their effectiveness. These supplements are also not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Always talk with your doctor before taking any herbal or dietary supplements to ensure nothing interacts with other medicines you might be taking.

Non-invasive and non-surgical laser treatments claim to help regenerate vaginal tissue and improve its elasticity. But the FDA hasn’t approved these procedures for vaginal dryness or atrophy because limited research — including a study from February 2023 — has not found these treatments to be effective. Also, this “treatment” can actually have harmful effects like vaginal scarring and burns. For these reasons, these devices should generally be avoided.