Key takeaways
- Hormonal birth control pills containing estrogen and progestin can lead to vaginal dryness by affecting the body’s hormone balance.
- Lifestyle strategies such as staying hydrated and using lubricants during sex can help alleviate vaginal dryness.
- If home treatments are ineffective, a doctor may prescribe hormone treatments like vaginal rings or creams, or recommend switching to a nonhormonal birth control method.
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Overview
Vaginas are naturally moist environments, a state which is maintained by your hormones. This moisture helps maintain the health of your vaginal tissues, and it’s important for sexual health and pleasure as well.
Hormonal contraceptives, such as birth control pills, affect your hormone levels, which can have many side effects, including vaginal dryness.
Let’s look at how some birth control pills can lead to vaginal dryness, birth control alternatives, and how to treat dryness.
How does birth control cause dryness?
Vaginal dryness can occur if you use birth control pills containing hormones such as synthetic estrogen and progestin, the synthetic version of progesterone.
In fact, a 2019 research review listed vaginal dryness, urinary incontinence, and pelvic floor pain during and after sex as some of the main side effects of hormonal birth control. Vaginal dryness may be linked to a reduced libido, meaning you find it more difficult to become aroused.
Estrogen is a hormone that helps lubricate and moisten the vagina. Hormonal birth control pills can affect your body’s estrogen levels, changing your vagina’s moisture.
Hormonal birth control pills come in different types:
- combination pills (Enpresse and Yasmin), including the categories:
- extended-cycle birth control pills (Introvale and Seasonale)
- monophasic pills (Apri and Cyclessa)
- triphasic pills (Ortho-Tri-Cyclen)
- progestin-only pills (Micronor and Slynd)
Other factors that can contribute to vaginal dryness include:
- other medications and treatments, such as chemotherapy and some cold and allergy medications
- health conditions, such as Sjögren disease
- the use of some soaps and other products around the vagina
- menopause
- recently giving birth
- breastfeeding or chestfeeding
- dehydration
- stress
- reduced blood flow to the vagina
Home remedies for vaginal dryness
Dryness caused by birth control may ultimately go away on its own. Otherwise, you can treat vaginal dryness with some lifestyle strategies and at-home treatments.
Some 2023 research suggests that sterile coconut oil is safe and effective to use as a lubricant during sex. Note that it shouldn’t be used with latex condoms, however, as it may degrade the material.
Some 2021 research finds that fragrance-free and chemical-free aloe vera gel was just as effective as estrogen cream at managing vaginal dryness in postmenopausal women.
Vitamin E is another potential option. Some 2019 research suggests that vitamin E vaginal suppositories may help reduce vaginal dryness.
Some other tips include:
- drinking hydrating fluids
- using a vaginal moisturizer
- avoiding the use of scented soaps to wash your vagina and other areas
- reducing the consumption of drinks that can dry out your body, like alcohol and caffeine
- applying a water-based lubricant before sex
- ensuring your arousal before having sex, such as through foreplay
Medical treatments
If these methods don’t help, your doctor may prescribe:
- gels, creams, or pessaries to insert into the vagina
- a vaginal ring that releases estrogen
- estrogen tablets
- a daily pessary containing dehydroepiandrosterone
- lubricants for those who can’t take additional estrogen
They may also recommend switching to another form of birth control.
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Get free cardBirth control alternatives
One of the key reasons that birth control pills cause dryness is that they contain synthetic hormones that can affect your natural hormonal balance. This is essential for preventing ovulation, but it can have side effects. If these side effects are intolerable, doctors might recommend nonhormonal alternatives.
Birth control options that don’t use hormones include:
- copper intrauterine devices
- cervical caps
- birth control sponges
- condoms
Symptoms of vaginal dryness
The following symptoms may indicate you have vaginal dryness:
- soreness
- itchiness
- pain during sex
- increased need to pee
- regular urinary tract infections
Summary
Birth control pills that contain hormones like estrogen and progestin can cause vaginal dryness because they change the body’s hormone balance.
Ways of treating vaginal dryness include drinking hydrating fluids, using a lubricant during sex, and various hormone treatment methods, including vaginal rings and creams.
Your doctor may recommend switching to another birth control method if vaginal dryness affects your quality of life.
Speak with a doctor if symptoms of vaginal dryness don’t improve, as various treatment options can help.
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