Journal of Natural Health Jul 99 v5#3 6017.8

8	Whitewing Labs, Inc.		Journal of Natural Health, July, 1999
Black Cohosh Rejuvenates Vaginal Tissues

By Megan Shields, M.D.Megan Shields, M.D.

Menopause:
Coping with Sexual Consequences

Are women over the age of 50 interested in sex? Baby boomers who are now facing middle age are realizing that, although the sexual revolution may be a thing of the past, their own sexual evolution continues.
    More than half of midlife women who are married or currently have a partner agree that when they were younger they didn’t think that people over the age of 50 were interested in sex, according to a newly released report on menopause. But, now that they have entered midlife, more than 90 percent of this same group are currently sexually active and consider sexuality to be a fulfilling and enhancing part of their lives, says the report.
    However, the survey also makes it clear that while baby boomers believe sex and intimacy are important, some difficulties, such as vaginal dryness associated with menopause, affect sexual functioning and sexual comfort.
    Overall, 59 percent of menopausal or postmenopausal women report some negative experiences regarding sex. In fact, 41 percent experienced vaginal dryness, 39 percent experienced a decreased interest in sex, and 22 percent experienced pain during intercourse.
    “The vast majority of menopausal women do experience some symptoms related to sexual functioning, and it’s important they know vaginal dryness is usually the rule rather than the exception,” says Jill Rabin, M.D., Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Long Island Jewish Medical Center, New York.
    It is therefore important that women know that although treatments such as hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may provide relief from physical

symptoms of menopause such as vaginal dryness, for women who wish to take advantage of the power of nature’s pharmacy, nature offers its own version of hormone replacement therapy.
The formulas I find truly effective with my own patients are Propause^Ž and ProTrans^™ Cream (with natural progesterone) from Whitewing Labs. I use these formulas with my patients all the time. Their herbal phytoestrogens can play a role similar to that of medical estrogens.
Š copyright 1998 PhotoDisc

Sexual Difficulties Related to Decline in Hormones
The declining estrogen levels associated with menopause may cause vaginal dryness. When estrogen levels drop, vaginal tissues produce less lubrication and, without adequate lubrication, sexual intercourse can become uncomfortable, even painful.
Fifty-two percent of the women who experience sexual difficulties after menopause say they address their symptoms with treatments such as HRT, over-the-counter lubricants and prescription vaginal creams.
Yet while over-the-counter lubricants help to relieve symptoms, many of my patients have found lasting help from Propause, a black cohosh-based

formula. Propause helps to naturally address the underlying cause of vaginal dryness at menopause: lack of estrogen.
    As Joseph Mayor, M.D., reports “When taken orally, black cohosh is effective in building up the vaginal mucous membrane.” Many medical studies have shown that black cohosh actually rejuvenates vaginal tissues, so that women may feel thirtysomething all over again.
    ProTrans Cream supplies important hormones to the vaginal tissues, including soy estrogens and progesterone. Applied daily, ProTrans Cream works to improve the body’s ability to naturally lubricate.
    Women can have good, satisfying relationships with their partners; pleasurable sexual functioning can continue indefinitely for couples who communicate about differences in sexual issues and seek treatment when needed.
    The Complete Women’s Health Package with Propause, ProTrans Cream and OsteoSafe^Ž can help. I’ve seen it help so many of my patients. Order from the order form in this journal.

Use It or Lose It

One study of women between the ages of 50 and 67 found that those women who had intercourse at least three times a month had less vaginal atrophy than did those who had intercourse fewer than 10 times a year. S. Leiblum et al: JAMA 1983 249(16):2195-2198. The effects were probably due to increased androgen levels in some women.
A second study has reported similar results: weekly intercourse is associated with less urogenital atrophy.