Vaginal dryness treatment

Question 1

What are your telehealth options for vaginal dryness treatment?

Answer

Amazon One Medical offers multiple ways to get care from the comfort of your own home.

If you're a One Medical member and you live in a state where One Medical has offices, you can schedule Remote Visits with One Medical providers, which are billable to you or your health insurance. As a member, you can also get 24/7 on-demand virtual care with Treat Me Now or Urgent Video Chat via the One Medical app at no extra cost, no matter where you live in the United States.

If you're not a One Medical member, you can start a one-time virtual visit with Pay-per-visit. Pay-per-visit offers 2 types of telehealth for Amazon customers: video visits and message-only visits. Video visits are available for $49 in all 50 states and D.C. Message-only visits are available for $29 in 36+ states.*

To see your Pay-per-visit options for this condition, start a one-time virtual visit and choose your state.

*State availability varies by condition.

Question 2

Can I use my health insurance for Amazon One Medical Pay-per-visit?

Answer

Amazon One Medical doesn't accept health insurance for Pay-per-visit care. You can submit a claim to your insurance provider for reimbursement, but we can’t guarantee they’ll reimburse you for your one-time virtual visit.

If you normally use insurance to pay for your medications, you can do that with medications prescribed through all Amazon One Medical services. Amazon Pharmacy accepts most insurance plans. For other pharmacies, please talk with your pharmacy directly about insurance coverage. The cost of medication isn’t included in the cost of your visit.

Question 3

What happens if my provider can't diagnose or treat my health issue through Pay-per-visit?

Answer

If your provider can’t diagnose or treat your health issue through Pay-per-visit, they may recommend that you see a primary care provider or a specialist for in-person care. If that happens, you won't be charged.

Question 4

Can I communicate with a provider after I get my Pay-per-visit treatment plan?

Answer

Yes. When you use Pay-per-visit, you can message with One Medical providers within your personal dashboard for an additional 2 weeks (14 days) at no extra cost. This complimentary communication window allows you time to:

• Ask follow-up questions about any prescriptions or over-the-counter medications in your treatment plan

• Connect with a provider if you think your treatment needs to be adjusted

• Tell a provider if you're experiencing side effects from your medication

• Tell a provider if there's an issue getting your prescription from the pharmacy

• Let the One Medical care team know that you're feeling better

Your secure, HIPAA-compliant message will be received by the first available provider, who will be able to review your visit’s treatment plan and any follow-up correspondence. If you still need treatment adjustments or have questions after the 14-day communication window, you'll need to start a new visit.

Question 5

What if I want to refill my medication?

Answer

If your provider didn't include refills with a prescription when they sent your treatment plan through Pay-per-visit, you'll need to start a new one-time virtual visit to request another prescription.

There are many reasons why a provider may decide that prescription refills aren't medically appropriate. For example, they may want to assess how well a medication is working and whether or not it needs to be adjusted before you continue with the same treatment.

Question 6

How does Amazon One Medical protect my health information?

Answer

Amazon One Medical protects customers’ protected health information (PHI) with stringent, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-compliant privacy and security practices to keep information safe and secure.

We’re committed to building an infrastructure that fosters and promotes a culture of customer privacy and a strong commitment to safeguarding health information. We maintain administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to protect customer information. This includes conducting rigorous security reviews and testing during product development, using encryption to protect data, and providing features like two-step verification to help customers protect their accounts.

Amazon does not sell customers’ personal information, including PHI.

Question 7

What causes vaginal dryness (vaginal atrophy)?

Answer

Vaginal dryness is caused by a decline in estrogen levels in the blood. Estrogens (the "female" sex hormones) influence hundreds of functions in the body, including the menstrual cycle. These hormones also help maintain the tissue strength of the vagina, labia, clitoris, vulva, urethra, and bladder.

Between premenopause and postmenopause, women experience a 95% reduction in their estradiol estrogen levels.

When estrogen levels decline, usually due to menopause, women can have the following symptoms:

• Less vaginal lubrication
• Thinning of vaginal tissue due to reduced collagen production
• Loss of vaginal elasticity
• Increased vaginal pH
• Loss of pubic hair

Collectively, these symptoms make up a condition that healthcare providers call vaginal atrophy, vulvovaginal atrophy, atrophic vaginitis, or—since 2014—the genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM).

GSM can lead to discomfort, pain, sexual impairment, and distress. Research suggests that this treatable condition affects up to 85% of women over age 40.

Did you know?

• Vaginal dryness affects 60% of women after menopause

• Up to 70% of women with vaginal atrophy don’t discuss their symptoms with a healthcare provider

Question 8

What are the symptoms of vaginal atrophy?

Answer

Vaginal atrophy, now called genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM), comprises far more than just vaginal dryness. GSM can have a wide range of symptoms, including the following:

• Vaginal burning, irritation, or itching
• Milky or yellow vaginal discharge
• Inflammation (swollen vulva or labia)
• Dryness during daily activities
• Dryness during sex
• Pain or discomfort during sex
• Sensitive vaginal tissue sometimes leading to small tears (fissures)
• Loss of vaginal elasticity (tightness)
• Recurring urinary tract infections (UTIs)
• Urinary urgency
• Pain or burning when urinating
• Levator spasm (sporadic pain in your rectum)

These symptoms can occur at the same time as other common menopause symptoms like hot flashes.

Question 9

Can I experience vaginal atrophy even if I'm not going through menopause?

Answer

Menopause isn't the only cause of vaginal atrophy. Other possible reasons for low estrogen levels include the following:

• Childbirth (vaginal dryness postpartum)
• Breastfeeding
• Hypothalamus issues that lead to a period stopping (amenorrhea)
• Antiestrogenic medication
• Pelvic radiation
• Surgical removal of the ovaries
• Breast cancer

The median age of menopause is 51.4 years, but younger women can also experience the change. When someone 40 to 50 goes through menopause, it's called early menopause. When someone younger than 40 experiences it, it's called primary ovarian insufficiency.

Question 10

How can I increase my natural lubrication?

Answer

There are no clinically-proven natural remedies for vaginal dryness that will increase estrogen levels in the body. But research shows that having sex can help preserve vaginal tissue, probably by increasing blood flow to the area.

Question 11

Clinical sources

Answer

1. Bachmann, G., & Pinkerton, J. (2022). Genitourinary syndrome of menopause (vulvovaginal atrophy): Clinical manifestations and diagnosis. In A. Chakrabarti (Ed.), UpToDate. Accessed April 20, 2023, from https://www.uptodate.com/contents/genitourinary-syndrome-of-menopause-vulvovaginal-atrophy-clinical-manifestations-and-diagnosis

2. Goncharenko, V., Bubnov, R., Polivka, J., Jr, Zubor, P., Biringer, K., Bielik, T., Kuhn, W., & Golubnitschaja, O. (2019). Vaginal dryness: individualised patient profiles, risks and mitigating measures. The EPMA journal, 10(1), 73–79. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6459457/

3. Sarmento, A. C. A., Costa, A. P. F., Vieira-Baptista, P., Giraldo, P. C., Eleutério, J., Jr, & Gonçalves, A. K. (2021). Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause: Epidemiology, Physiopathology, Clinical Manifestation and Diagnostic. Frontiers in reproductive health, 3, 779398.Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9580828/

4. Tomczyk, K., Chmaj-Wierzchowska, K., Wszołek, K., & Wilczak, M. (2023). New Possibilities for Hormonal Vaginal Treatment in Menopausal Women. Journal of clinical medicine, 12(14), 4740. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10380877/

Vaginal dryness treatment

Quickly treat vaginal dryness with 24/7 virtual care

Membership

Pay-per-visit

Get help for dryness and other health concerns

$9

$69

Quickly treat vaginal dryness with 24/7 virtual care

Membership

Pay-per-visit

Quickly treat vaginal dryness with 24/7 virtual care

Get help for dryness and other health concerns

$9

$69

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