Personal lubricants are products that many people need or want to help enhance their sexual activities. They can be helpful when a woman is suffering from vaginal dryness, which can make sexual activities painful and undesirable.
Vaginal Dryness Symptoms
Symptoms of vaginal dryness include itchiness and burning in the vaginal area as well as painful intercourse that sometimes leads to bleeding. Recent UTIs and pain when urinating can all be symptoms of vaginal dryness. Vaginal dryness can be caused by a decrease in estrogen levels. There are various reasons why this might happen, such as child birth, smoking cigarettes, breast-feeding, menopause, immune disorders are a woman having her ovaries removed.
Sjorden’s Syndrome
Other causes of vaginal dryness include douching, certain medications and something called Sjogren’s Syndrome. Some allergy and cold medications can cause vaginal dryness as well as certain medications used to treat breast cancer. Sjogren’s Syndrome is an autoimmune disease where a person’s healthy tissues are attacked by the immune system. According to Wikipedia, many women who suffer from vaginal dryness turn to personal lubricants to correct the problem.
Types Of Lubricants
The basic types of personal lubricants are warming, water-based, oil-based, flavored, silicone-based, all-natural, homemade and his and hers lubricant.
Warming Lubricant
Warming lubricant is often used on the outer surface of a condom. Women are advised to use an amount of warming lubricant no bigger than a dime. This is because a woman’s genitals are much more sensitive than a man’s genitals and using more than that could make for an uncomfortable experience for her.
Water-Based Lubricant
Water-based lubricants are the most common type and are always recommended for people who have sensitive skin. They are the standard choice in the world of personal lubricant.
Oil-Based Lubricant
Oil-based lubricants can be tricky to use because they can actually damage latex condoms, making the condoms more likely to fail. Anyone who uses this type of lubricant is urged to use polyurethane condoms. Doctors generally recommend that while men should use oil-based lubricants, women should avoid them.
Flavored Lubricant
Flavored lubricants are usually used to enhance oral sex. Those who are diabetic must be sure to use sugar free flavored lubricants, as most of the flavored variety have sugar in them.
Silicone-Based Lubricant
Silicone-based lubricants are best when used in the shower. Using them outside of the shower can be dangerous if silicone gets on the floor.
All-Natural Lubricant
All-natural lubricants are organic. One of the most popular all-natural personal lubricants is made by Amazing Solutions, which offers a popular line of personal creams. Personal lubricants can be a very important part of any couple’s sex life.
About the author
Bill Hartzer is a freelance writer based in Texas, and writes for Health Plan News.