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MY GENITALS, VULVA IS GETTING THINNER, ITCHING Dear Dr. Mazumdar, I am a 64 year old woman. I have been noticing that my genitals (my vulva) are getting thinner, flatter since the last few years. Is this normal after menopause? The outer lips (i think they are called labia) look somewhat wrinkled and thin. The upper part, where the hair is is also flatter. I also have small splits on the edges. The inside of the vagina and the inner lips itch a lot, especially after peeing, they burn. The inner lips and vagina also look red and has small bumps. I also have pain when I have intercourse with my husband. Sometimes the pain and burning is very bad, sometimes, not so bad. I had a hysterectomy 5 years ago - it was OK. And I have no problems with it. What is wrong with me? Please help. Janet Kinston, Age: 64, Idaho REPLY Janet, A woman's genital organs does become smaller and thinner after menopause when the estrogen level goes down in the blood. This is normal and you have no cause for concern due to this. But the genitals looking reddish, itching and burning as well as the small bumps could be due to two causes. The first cause is that you have picked up a herpes infection or have suffered a flare-up of a former herpes infection. The second cause could be due to atrophic vulvovaginits, a condition which can occur after the menopause. Atrophic vulvovaginitis can lead to a more reddish look of the genitals. It could also cause pain during intercourse and swelling of the genitals. To confirm which of the two conditions you have, you will need to be examined and get tests from your obgyn. The main treatment of vulvovaginits is with estrogen replacement therapy, usually a short term treatment which lasts for only 3 months. You will also need to take medicines for yeast since yeast infection occurs very commonly in atrophic genitals after the menopause. I hope this helps. Please feel free to ask a follow-up question if you wish to know more. FOLLOW-UP QUESTION I do have herpes infection but have not had an outbreak for a long time. The bumps are also not like the bumps that I had earlier with the herpes. Is atrophic vulvovaginitis completely curable? I will not get cancer, will I? REPLY Yes, atrophic vulvovaginitis is completely curable. And no, it does not develop into cancer. Please do not worry. Janet paid $20 on December 1 2008 at 6:40 PM Previous : Next Read Questions asked by other Users on this Site: On Breasts On Menstruation On Pregnancy On Infertility On Birth Control Methods On Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) On Sex On Male Sexual health On Other Miscellaneous Questions Bookmark this page Digg it! Stumbleupon Facebook del.icio.us Web www.gynaeonline.com Go Top

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