Vaginal dryness is when your vagina feels sore, itchy, or painful. This can cause discomfort when having sex or passing urine. It’s a common problem and can be caused by a number of conditions, medications, and lifestyle factors. It’s not often a symptom of serious concern, and there are several ways to prevent, manage and treat the symptoms.

Perimenopause is a natural change that happens before menopause when a woman's hormone levels start to go up and down. During this time, changes in estrogen and progestin can cause symptoms that affect daily life. Perimenopause usually starts in a woman's 40s, but some women notice changes in their 30s. Learning about perimenopause, knowing the signs, and understanding what to expect can help manage symptoms. What is Perimenopause? Perimenopause is the time when a woman's body gets ready for menopause. During this time, the ovaries make less estrogen, which affects periods and causes various symptoms. How Long It Lasts: For most women, perimenopause lasts between 4 and 10 years, but this can vary. Once you go 12 months without a period, you've reached menopause. Perimenopause vs. Menopause: Menopause is when periods stop completely. Perimenopause is the time leading up to this. During perimenopause, you may still have periods, but they might be irregular. Hormone Changes: The main hormones involved are estrogen and progestin, which affect periods, energy, and mood. During perimenopause, these hormones can go up and down, causing physical and emotional changes.

What Is Ovulation? Ovulation is when a mature egg is released from a woman’s ovary during her menstrual cycle. The egg travels down the fallopian tube, where it might meet sperm and become fertilized. This is the only time during the cycle when pregnancy can happen, because an egg must be present for conception to occur. Why Is Ovulation Important for Pregnancy? Knowing when ovulation happens is important if you’re trying to get pregnant. Every person’s cycle is different, so understanding your own cycle can help you time intercourse for the best chance of conception. This means learning how to track ovulation and spot your most fertile days.

Vaginal dryness is a common problem that many women have at some point in their lives. It can affect women of all ages, but it is far more common in women who are post-menopausal. It affects around 2 in 10 women under the age of 50. The symptoms of vaginal dryness can cause you to feel sore or itchy in and around your vagina. You may also feel pain or discomfort during sex and may need to pee more often than usual. Many of the symptoms of vaginal dryness can also be mistaken for other common infections, such as thrush and urinary tract infections (UTIs). Vaginal dryness can also increase your risk of recurrent UTIs.

Age is an important factor in fertility for both men and women. As people get older, it usually becomes harder to have a baby. Knowing how fertility changes in your 20s, 30s, and 40s can help you make better choices about starting a family. Other things like your health, lifestyle, and genetics also matter, but age is a big part of the picture.

Hot flushes are the most common menopause symptom, with 3 out of every 4 women experiencing the sensation across their face, chest and body. It can cause some to feel uncomfortable, with sweating, dizziness and possibly palpitations. Hot flushes come on suddenly at any time, and can last a few seconds or several minutes. Their unpredictable and all-consuming nature means they carry a high cost in terms of self-confidence, as it can feel embarrassing at work or social events. Night sweats are a particular feature, sometimes leaving the bed linen drenched. They add to insomnia that many menopausal women experience during the transition.

The progestin-only pill (POP) is a type of contraception. It contains a hormone that closely resembles the progesterone hormone produced by a woman’s ovaries. Older (traditional) POPs contain norethindrone (Camila, Errin, Heather, Jolivette, Micronor, Nora-BE). Newer POPs contain drospirenone (Slynd). The POP is also referred to as the mini pill. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently approved the progestin-only norgestrel (Opill) for over-the-counter use. It is expected to be available in early 2024.

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a cyclical worsening of mood and physical health due to hormones released during the menstrual cycle. Most women experience some symptoms of PMS, and about 1 in 20 women will have severe symptoms. Women normally experience PMS for approximately two weeks, around half of their menstrual cycle. Doctors describe menstrual cycle lengths by calling day 1 the first day of your period, and for women with an average cycle length (around 28 days), PMS tends to start around day 15, which is around the time of egg release (ovulation). The symptoms can last until the end of your period. Often women experience an easing of their symptoms once their period begins. PMS includes an extensive range of both physical and psychological symptoms. These physical and psychological symptoms can be severe enough to affect daily activities. They may impair school performance, interfere with work, and affect family life or relationships with others.

Pelvic pain occurs in the lower abdomen and pelvis. The pain can originate from organs close by, such as any of the reproductive organs, the digestive or urinary systems, or from the surrounding muscles and ligaments. It predominantly affects women, and may be acute, lasting a short time, such as in period cramps or a urinary tract infection, or persisting as a chronic condition. Chronic pelvic pain is defined as intermittent or continuous pelvic pain that lasts for longer than 6 months and affects around 1 in 6 women.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal disorder which is believed to affect around 1 in 10 women in the US although this may be an underestimate. Symptoms typically begin in the late teens or early 20s and it is a condition where at least two (and often all three) of the following occur: Multiple tiny cysts (follicles) in the ovaries. An altered balance of body hormones so your ovaries make more male hormone testosterone than normal. A lack of ovulation each month causing irregular or absent periods. There may also be other symptoms such as acne, unwanted body hair, weight gain, depression or low mood and thinning of the hair on the scalp. In later life it can be linked with type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol levels in a collection of conditions comprising metabolic syndrome. The cause of PCOS is unknown but early diagnosis and treatment is needed to help manage the symptoms.

Menopause is a major change in a woman's life, and it often brings physical changes. One common problem after menopause is joint pain and osteoarthritis. Women are more likely to get osteoarthritis after menopause. About 6 out of 10 women who have gone through menopause show signs of osteoarthritis on X-rays. Understanding how menopause and osteoarthritis are connected can help women manage their symptoms and find the right treatments.

Yaz is a combined oral contraceptive pill (COCP). The pills contain estrogen (ethinyl estradiol) and progestin (drospirenone) hormones. It is an everyday COCP. Each pack contains 24 active pills followed by four inactive pills. It is a monophasic COCP, which means all active pills have the same amount of hormones. You should try to take your pills at the same time each day. If you do not take your pill within 12 hours of your regular pill-taking time, it is classed as a missed pill. If you miss any of the four inactive (white) pills at the end of the pack, you can just disregard these pills. You will still be protected against pregnancy.