Lubricant 101 By Dr. Hailey Jackson
What are lubricants?
Vaginal lubricants are products designed to reduce friction and provide moisture with the goal of enhancing comfort during sexual activity. Not all lubricants are created equal, and some lubricants can actually increase symptoms like vaginal dryness and increase risk of UTIs, which is the purpose of this article.
Who should be using lubricant?
Lubricants are beneficial for anyone who is experiencing pain with intercourse. Additionally, postpartum women, postmenopausal women, and women who have undergone hysterectomy all greatly benefit from using lubricant. In fact, a better question for women post hysterectomy is which lube rather than if lube.
What should we be looking for when choosing lubricant?
When choosing a lubricant, it’s important to pay attention to pH, osmolality, certain chemicals to avoid, and parabens.
When looking at pH, anything above 4.5 increases the risk of bacterial vaginosis and offsets the natural flora within the vagina. You want osmolality below 1,200 mOSm/kg. Osmolality above this will pull moisture out of the vaginal wall, which dehydrates the vaginal tissues and is important while breastfeeding, postmenopause, and post hysterectomy. Chemicals to avoid include polyquaternium-15, which impacts leukocytes. Leukocytes are part of the immune system, and theses chemicals are not good for individuals susceptible to infection. Parabens are used as a preservative and irritate the vaginal mucosa as well as disrupt hormones. There is also a link between cancer and parabens.
What are a few lubricant options within the above recommendations?
Water based:
Silicone based:
Aloe based:
Oil based:
Coconut oil
Other important things to know:
If you are prone to yeast infections, coconut oil can cause yeast infections. Lastly, silicone lubricant can degrade silicone objects, so be mindful of that with uberlube or silicone based Good Clean Love.
And don’t forget, pain with intercourse doesn’t have to be your normal. Pelvic PT can help as muscles and nerves in the pelvis are usually playing a role. To join the waitlist, click here.
