How Low Estrogen Levels Can Affect Your Sex Life, From An Expert

The labia (aka the outer and inner external folds of your vulva) become thinner, more dry, fragile, and the vaginal opening and canal can become “atrophied,” which means smaller. This creates more dryness, itchiness, and pain when something is trying to enter the vaginal canal. There is a medical term for this called atrophic vaginitis1 (AV) or vaginal atrophy, and this can even cause small micro-tearing in the tissues as they try to accommodate a penis or something else in the canal. Symptoms of AV include dyspareunia (pain), dryness, changed vaginal pH, and urinary and genital changes.