natural lubes for extreme sensitivities

[Elizabeth]

I’m 59 years old and had my botox procedure 2 months ago. My dilating was going very well for the first month up to ‘pink’ without pain and then I got a vaginal infection and have been struggling since. I did have a vaginal swab taken by my GP which showed that my infection was finally gone (it kept coming back) but the vulvar itching continues every time I dilate. This causes me to have to take a day or two off from dilating to allow the itching to lessen before I can start up again. I know that if I continue to dilate when I have this itching, the infection will return again! I’ve tried a paraben free lube without success. I’ve heard that pure coconut oil is a good natural lubricant. Has anyone tried this? I’ve been in menopause for around 4 years now and my sensitivity seems to be getting worse with age! Is there anyone who is dealing with this as well or has any help for me?

[Nakitalab]

Hi Elizabeth. I’m so sorry you keep getting infections. I can imagine how frustrating it must be. I am 52 years old and have been post menopausal for several years. My procedure was in October. I have had issues with dryness and use both a prescription of estrogen creame and the Replense. However, I was really nervous about sleeping with a dilator due to my dryness and Dr. Pacik and Ellen recommended Cocoa Butter lotion/cream. I use it every other night when I dilate and love it. It does not get absorbed and keeps me and the dilator lubricated all night. The Cocoa Butter is all natural and I have been lucky to not get an infection. I have not tried pure coconut oil. But I would call/e-mail Dr. Pacik or Ellen as I’m sure they will be able to offer you good advice. Please keep us posted on how you are doing. And congratulations on having the procedure! It is the best decision I have ever made and so wish I would have found this website years ago. The out pouring of love and support have helped me so much. I’m here for you. :0)

[Elizabeth]

Thanks Nakitalab! I will talk to Ellen or Dr. P. about the Cocoa Butter lotion/cream. It’s so nice to be in contact with you as we are both menopausal and have had dryness issues. I use prescription estrogen vaginal suppositories twice a week but have been hesitant to use Replens right now due to my sensitivities but have already bought some to try later. I’ll keep everyone posted on how things go. Congrats to you as well on having the procedure!! 🙂

[Heather34]

Hi Elizabeth. Congrats on having your procedure done and it sounds like you have made outstanding progress with the dilators. This is so, so good and an excellent accomplishment. I’m very sorry to hear about your infections post-procedure. I developed a UTI post-procedure and took a small break from dilating. When the infection had cleared and I resumed, I began with the medium sized dilators and worked my way back up and did not have a problem. I think your best bet would be to talk to Ellen and Dr. P about very specific lubes to see what they suggest. I have tried many (i.e. Surgilube, Pre-Seed, KY, Astroglide, etc.) and my favorite of all and the one that I would recommend to everyone the most is called YES. It can be purchased right on-line and is the only lubricant site that actually discusses its usefulness in patients with vaginismus. I hope this helps you and I look forward to hearing how everything goes with you.

[Nakitalab]

Hi Elizabeth, :0) I totally forgot to share with you what I’m using for lubricant until I read Heather’s post. Like Heather34 I have tried many different ones and was using YES until I was given Surgilube while in NH. I totally love Surgilube because it is soft and silky but also it doesn’t seem to absorb so quickly with me being so dry. I buy it by the case through Amazon.com. LOL

[Elizabeth]

Thanks so much Heather and Nakitalab! I liked the Surgilube too while in NH, but haven’t tried YES lube yet. I used Slippery Stuff (not the paraben free one), for the first month of dilating and then started to have problems. I then tried “Sliquid” (free of parabens and glycerine’s). I will get in touch with Dr. P. and Ellen and go from there. Nakitalab, I bought pure cocoa butter (Now Solutions brand) from a health food store today and when I start to dilate again at night I can try it. 🙂

[Nakitalab]

Let me know what you think of the cocoa butter! Praying that it will work for you and will to keep the infections away. :0)

[Elizabeth]

Thanks Nakitalab! 🙂

[Elizabeth]

I’m having success with the Pure Extra Virgin Coconut Oil as a lube!! I’m slowing getting back to dilating and all is well so far. Soon I’ll try dilating at night and see how that goes but I’m nervous because of my dryness. I had no problems dilating at night before until I started to react to the lube I was using. I’ve read that the coconut oil is absorbed into vaginal tissues so thought I could put a thin layer of cocoa butter on the dilator first and then the coconut oil on top of that which should get me through the night ok. I shouldn’t react to the cocoa butter. I’ll keep you posted on how things go. Sending hugs to you all!! I feel soooo blessed that I have this forum and such amazing women for support. 🙂

[Nakitalab]

That is great news Elizabeth! So glad it is working for you. That is great that you kept on trying until you found something that worked!

[Elizabeth]

Thanks Nakitalab 🙂