Winter can be a pleasant season but its adverse effects on the skin and hair are widely known. We all have dealt with our hair getting drier and more brittle in winter. We have also dealt with our lips getting chapped and dry, but very few of us have a working knowledge of what a ‘winter vagina’ is.

Mary Burke, a senior nurse at the London Bridge Plastic Surgery and Aesthetic Clinic, says that women of all ages may face more vaginal dryness than usual during the winter months.

The dry winter and autumn air deprive the body greatly of moisture, leaving the skin cracking and dehydrated. Our sinuses also dry up at the time. The vagina can also dry up during this time.

When we spend a lot of time in air-conditioned rooms or even when the room heating is turned on, we breathe in air which contains very little moisture. The dryness often extends to every inch of our body, including our private parts. However, Dr Jane Gunther disagrees. She said that while climate change can greatly affect the vagina of a woman, there should also be a ‘summer vagina’ just like there is a winter vagina.

According to Dr Jane Gunter, vaginal dryness has nothing to do with the temperature outside but mostly occurs due to low levels of estrogen, certain medications and thrush. According to her, the vagina can adapt very well in all seasons since it maintains a constant temperature, being located on the deep interiors of the human body.

The human body temperature only increases with the outside temperature when someone is suffering from heatstroke. Vaginal dryness is a seriously debilitating condition that can affect women of all ages. Not only is it very embarrassing, but it can also make sex extremely painful.