Our campaign to #EndTheDrySpell of awareness around intimate dryness and start a much-needed conversation is working.
We’re on a mission to end the stigma around intimate dryness and bring the matter of moisture into the mainstream. 82% of women suffer with the condition, impacting their sex lives, work, exercise and wellbeing. It’s not a trivial issue, and it’s high time we raise its visibility on the women’s health agenda.
Since launching our #EndTheDrySpell campaign with women’s health experts and ambassador, Ashley James, the floodgates have been opened and hundreds of women have come forward to share their experiences.
If you’re suffering from intimate dryness, we hope the stories below remind you that you’re not alone, and that intimate dryness can happen to any woman, at any stage of life.
Learn more about our clinically proven solution, Victory Oil, for instant relief from intimate dryness.
Your Dryness Diaries
Misdiagnosis of Intimate Dryness
“I began suffering badly with intimate dryness when I was 61. It was misdiagnosed as a UTI. I was prescribed antibiotics as it presented as an infection but after three courses without any improvement, I'd had enough. I couldn't sleep at night due to the urgency in urination and it was affecting my work. It's fair to say that I was losing the will after three years of these recurring symptoms. My GP had to ask me what it was like having intimate dryness.”
“I thought I had thrush for years. My whole life, to be honest - even as a teenager. I could never figure out what triggered the discomfort. My only reference for dry or itchy bits was a yeast infection or STI. It was only when a GP mentioned that Canesten mostly contained moisturising agents that I twigged: my vulva was itchy because it was dry. I got such relief from the cream but only for short periods. It all started to make sense.”
“I didn’t even know this was the problem. I experienced feelings similar to cystitis, uncomfortable sensations when just sitting or walking that would come out of the blue and found it hard to identify exactly what the problem was. Once I realised, through reading and research and a trip to the GP, I was prescribed estriol cream, which seemed to do the trick but is a clumpy white cream that eventually works its way back out again in an unpleasant fashion. Victory Oil is my latest trial and so far so good! Less intrusive, easy to apply and only using a few drops means it lasts longer.”
Intimate Dryness in Menopause
“When menopause hit this year just before my 50th birthday, that’s when the soreness and dryness got worse. I work in an office doing 12 hours sitting a day and I’m in so much pain. I get home and it’s so inflamed. It’s really getting me down. People talk about hot flushes, weight gain and mood swings but no one talks about their vagina or vulvas. This needs to change.”
“I’ve had this for about 18 months and it’s ruining my life. I didn’t know this was part of menopause because no one tells you. I would scratch and be so sore intimacy was a no go ( I have a wonderful understanding partner) and I would try to avoid it. The itching would include the whole vulva area and right into the creases of my leg.”
“I managed the menopause reasonably well; it was after the problems really started: dry, itching and the skin was so cracked it sometimes bled which really panicked me. Combine all this with a uterine prolapse and pessary and it was really too much. Utter post-menopausal misery!”
“I had no idea until it happened to me that intimate itching was a post-menopause problem. I went from feeling really lucky to have sailed through the menopause with few issues to getting little sleep for many nights. I think this should be more common knowledge which hopefully will happen with open conversation around women's health.”
“About 15 years into the menopause, I suffered terrible irritation around my vulva, accompanied by dryness and what felt like a withering of my feminine parts! I tried lots of different over-the- counter creams and gels to no avail. At first I thought Victory Oil was going to be the same, but after one week the irritation had gone and my clitoris and labia felt completely rejuvenated.”
Hysterectomy and Overnight Menopause
“I had a full hysterectomy 2 years ago which put me straight into surgical menopause. I can honestly say nothing prepared me for the vaginal dryness! This was and still is by far my worst symptom. I spent a small fortune trying various lotions and potions before finding Victory Oil and I could not be without it now. Vaginal dryness is not discussed enough and it's such a huge part of being a woman. It's life changing when you suffer from it.”
“I had a full hysterectomy in my early 40s and went from being barely peri menopausal to post menopausal overnight. As well as all the other sudden onset symptoms, vaginal dryness soon occurred which affected many aspects of my life from discomfort during intercourse, lack of spontaneity due to having to ‘prepare the area’, frequent thrush outbreaks, intensely itchy dry vulva and stabbing pains down there. Doctors didn’t take my distress about this seriously and it took 5 years before I was offered HRT. It didn’t help much with intimate dryness though. Thank goodness I found Victory Oil from NAYDAYA.”
The Impact on Your Sex Life
“Very, very dry labia, and vagina. It feels closed up, and I cannot have any penetration at all as it is beyond painful, it feels as if it is tearing.”
“It was such a shock. I was 57, with a fairly new partner, very sexually active and usually very wet! Almost overnight I dried up! I'd had a complete hysterectomy at 49, and had been very pleased that my libido had not been affected. With no cervix, I'd had to explore different ways of climaxing. A suddenly dry, sometimes itchy and uncomfortable vulva came out of the blue. I'm 65 now, and it took a while to accept that lube would have to be part of our normal life. Chatting to my friends, a lot of whom have virtually given up sex, I can't imagine ever wanting to give up and intend to still be at it at 90.”
“In my mid to late sixties I started thinking intimate dryness was just part of the ageing process and that I had to accept it. Maybe I wasn’t supposed to feel aroused and sexy anymore. But no! Thanks to NAYDAYA’s amazing oil I have truly rediscovered my mojo!.”
“I had suffered from intimate dryness for most of my adult life, resulting in me making the decision to abstain from intimacy. I have always felt there was something wrong with me. I wasn't built to be intimate! I sought medical advice only to feel dismissed by the consultant after having undergone numerous examinations. There was no explanation or medication, apparently it was all down to age.”
“I suffered with intimate dryness and actually bled after intercourse. I didn’t want to have sex because of bleeding. It wasn’t heavy but the fact that it was there each and every time was a bit scary. I went for tests, and there was nothing underlying but I was told I had vaginal atrophy and the walls of my vagina were thin and dry and this was the reason for the bleeding.”
“Intense itching and cracking of the skin, having occasional huge splits in the intimate skin due to dryness that causes pain and irritation. Complete lack of interest in sex as it was too painful.”
“To know that you cannot have sex under any circumstances and nobody seems to be able to do anything about it is crippling for your self esteem. Made worse by the fact that no other women after the menopause that I know have this problem. So it is pretty amazing to finally have this subject brought out in the open and to discover that there are other women out there with the same problem.”
Exercise and Intimate Dryness
“I wonder how many other women don’t walk, workout, or think they have something wrong with them because their vulva is dry.”
Postpartum and Breastfeeding
“I gave birth over a year ago and have been exclusively breastfeeding since then. A couple of months ago, I started getting crazy itchiness in my vagina. It was so bad; I was climbing the walls. I thought it was thrush so did successive thrush treatments. It got so bad I even spoke to my GP who prescribed stronger thrush treatments. They didn’t work and I was getting really down thinking I had recurrent, constant thrush. I then did some more research and saw that breastfeeding for a long time suppresses your estrogen and low estrogen can cause vaginal dryness and itchiness (like in menopause!). No one really talks about vaginal dryness and itchiness as a postpartum/breastfeeding side-effect. I wish I’d known sooner.”
“I’ve struggled with intimate dryness since giving birth nearly a year ago. I didn’t realise it would be one of the many postpartum changes to my body and, along with the other changes to my vagina, adds to my fear of being intimate again with my partner. Thankfully the specialist at the hospital who checked my stitches after birth recommended NAYDAYA Victory Oil to help soften the scarring, but it also really helps to relieve the dryness which I didn’t know would be a problem at the time.”
Intimate Dryness after Cancer
“32 years ago my first child was born and a badly performed episiotomy left me with a tight and uncomfortable entrance to my vagina. Fast forward to 16 years ago and a cancer diagnosis meant I went through “overnight menopause”. The resultant extreme dryness has caused me no end of pain and discomfort. When I spoke to medical professionals about this they had nothing to offer me and I honestly think most of them just thought I should feel lucky to be alive! But when it affects that very intimate connection between you and your husband it becomes desperately sad and depressing. Finding Victory Oil has been wonderful.”
“I have been through the menopause and treatment for breast cancer and whilst a lot of menopausal symptoms are easing, the dryness is a major issue.I don’t feel able to talk to friends about it or my doctor who is male and not at all approachable. Sex is difficult and can at times be painful. I have had a few small skin tears as the skin feels so delicate and as a result of that tend to avoid sex. My husband doesn’t put any pressure on me, but I do feel it’s affecting our relationship as we always had a good sex life.”
Relief From Intimate Dryness
NAYDAYA’s Founder, Fiona Toomey is no stranger to intimate dryness. After struggling with intimate dryness after giving birth, Fiona created Victory Oil as a natural solution to instantly relieve dry, itchy intimate skin.
Fast forward a few years, Victory Oil is our #1 best-selling product, is loved and recommended by gynaecologists, and is now clinically proven to relieve intimate dryness.
Shop Victory Oil here
Your Victory Oil Diaries
“It's been quite a journey if I'm honest, trying all kinds of different vaginal oestrogens and moisturisers to no avail. I had almost given up hope. I then stumbled across NAYDAYA Victory Oil and was reluctant to purchase it as I had tried so many, but I took the plunge. Within a couple of days I noticed the difference and within a couple of weeks my burning had subsided. I cannot tell you the sheer joy and relief this has brought to my life.”
“I experienced some intimate dryness during my menopause journey. It made me feel sore and miserable. I discovered Victory Oil and this changed my life! It relieved the soreness and instantly made me feel more myself again.”
Read more Victory Oil reviews here.
Share your experience
Want to help us raise awareness? We'd love to hear your experience and how it made you feel - simply fill in the form below