Intimate and urinary changes: when and how to get help

In brief

In brief

Lower oestrogen levels can affect the vulva, vagina and urinary tract. Dryness, burning, itching, discomfort during sex, urinary urgency and repeated symptoms that feel like a urinary infection can occur. Desire can change too, for hormonal, physical, emotional or relationship reasons. These topics may feel difficult to name, but they are legitimate health concerns and there are treatment options. You do not need to minimise them to protect anyone else from awkwardness.

What may help while you arrange advice

• Use a vaginal moisturiser designed for regular use or a water-based lubricant for sex if these are suitable for you.
• Avoid perfumed washes, douches and ordinary creams inside or around sensitive tissue if they increase irritation.
• Do not push through painful sex. Pause, change the activity and communicate what is comfortable.
• Record urinary burning, urgency, frequency, discharge, bleeding and any link with sex so a clinician has a clearer picture.
• Ask directly about local vaginal oestrogen and non-hormonal options; suitability depends on your history and current treatment.

NICE recommends offering vaginal oestrogen for genitourinary symptoms associated with menopause and discussing its benefits and risks. People with a personal history of breast cancer should receive individual advice; non-hormonal moisturisers or lubricants may be tried, and persistent symptoms may need discussion with the relevant specialist. Urinary symptoms can also come from infection, pelvic-floor problems, skin conditions or other causes, so self-diagnosis is not always reliable.

Sources

Where this guidance comes from

GlowUp checked this article against the sources below on 25 August 2026. This is source-checked editorial information, not a claim of independent medical review.

1. Menopause: identification and management (NG23) National Institute for Health and Care Excellence · updated 15 April 2026 · accessed 25 August 2026
2. Vaginal dryness NHS · accessed 25 August 2026
3. Symptoms of menopause and perimenopause NHS · updated 19 May 2026 · accessed 25 August 2026
4. Treatment for menopause and perimenopause NHS · accessed 25 August 2026