What's the difference between vaginal moisturizer and lubricant?
Ask the doctor
Q. On my recent travels, I ran out of vaginal moisturizer but wondered if using lubricant might accomplish the same thing. Would it?
A. No, although your logic is sound. Since vaginal moisturizers and lubricants both combat vaginal dryness — which can make sex painful — they do share certain traits. But they're not the same.
Like moisturizers marketed for the skin, vaginal moisturizers don't just sit on the surface — they're absorbed. This type of product traps moisture within delicate vaginal tissue, which tends to become thinner and drier during the menopause transition and beyond due to falling estrogen levels. Used consistently (typically several times per week), vaginal moisturizer can ease resulting irritation and itching as well as help vaginal tissue remain more supple. Lubricants, on the other hand, are not meant to be absorbed. Their purpose is to reduce friction on the vulva and vaginal tissue during sexual activity, which can make sex more comfortable and boost arousal and pleasure. They're used on an as-needed basis.
If vaginal dryness persists despite using these products — and especially if sex continues to be painful — talk to your doctor. She may be able to prescribe or suggest another type of remedy, including vaginal estrogen products.
Image: © audriusmerfeldas/Getty Images
About the Author
Toni Golen, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Women's Health Watch; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing; Contributor
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