As part of another discussion some of us have started talking about Sea Buckthorn oil. It contains Omegas 3, 6, 7 and 9. It is one of the few things to counting Omega 7. It also contains palmitic acid. Taken orally, it has been shown to improve the condition of vaginal wall cells with vaginal atrophy. See http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378512214002394
for a study showing the benefits of this oil when taken orally. I have been taking it for some months and my vagina, while dry, is not fragile. However, in the study the participants took 3g a day. I have been taking 2 X 500mg, which it says on the bottle. I am going to up the daily dose and see if things improve further. I will keep you posted. I have also purchased a bottle of the pure organic oil and may try applying it directly in my vagina. Again, I will keep you posted. The quest for a non-hormonal solution continues ...
This sounds interesting Suki , do you take them in tablet form ?
might see if they have them at my local supermarket , or are they more of a speciality item ?
Yes, this is interesting, but I don't really know how to interpert the results, do you? What would a non-compliant participant be? All I can imagine it to mean would be a person not taking the material being tested as instructed so why would they even be considered? I would try taking the larger dose and see if you get results before applying it directly because of possible PH issues. Let us know how you make out. Do you follow up with an exam to get the doctor's opinion or are you judging results by symptoms?
Sorry - palmiloleic acid is Omega 7
Capsules. I get them off Amazon
Judging the results by my symptoms - I know my own body better than anyone.
I didn't think oils affected Ph. Perhaps I'm wrong.
The study showed an improvement in the integrity of the cells lining the vaginal wall (I assume this means that they became less fragile) but did not affect production of natural moisture. I have been taking 1g of the oil for some months during premenopause, perhaps that is why I do not feel that my vaginal wall is fragile, it just lacks moisture.
I think Chris (?) said that oil based (rather than water based) hyalaronic cream(?) could cause yeast which I assumed meant it was affecting PH for that to happen. It would be helpful if there ere actually a medical person on this site, wouldn't it?
I agree we certainly know how are bodies feel, but I think it would be difficult for me to judge if anything were improving my VA as I have no real symptoms...just can't handle having an exam...way too painful.The doctor has said she can see the inside of the vagina definitely has atrophy. I wouldn't have known otherwise.
No, oil has no ph because it is not soluable in water. I think oil based lubes are supposed to leave you more susceptible to yeast infections because they hang around in the v and can be a medium for the candida to grow in. Coconut oil must be an exception because it has anti fungal and anti bacterial properties. If I use hyaloronic acid I will have to go for the oil based pessaries (Balance Activ) - I tried these before and they didn't irritate but I think I swelled up a bit. Not sure as going through big changes at that time as menopause was very close.
Re applying sea buckthorn oil directly to the v. The website sea buckthorn insider states:
We always recommend taking an inside out approach with sea buckthorn. For vaginal dryness the same method should be used. Topically the oil will relieve dryness immediately but taking it internally will provide the body the Omega 7′s to do this itself.
Early experiments with applying sea buckthorn topically:
I put a little on the outer area this morning (which I always do when trying something new, to test my tolerance of it) and it didn't sting. However, it is a very dark orange colour and has quite a strong smell. I only left it on briefly as a first test and because it seemed like such a strong oil. I suppose olive oil is fairly dark and has a smell, but not to the extent of the sea buckthorn. The bottle says it is ok to use neat on skin (although they may not have been thinking of the skin I applied it too) but warns it can stain yellow. Needless to say my finger and nail wer yellow, which took a bit of scrubbing to get off. Anyway, I wiped it off by privates with some coconut oil, which got me thinking that perhaps it would not be so messy, potent, or staining if a diluted it with another, thicker, oil. What I have done is mix it with some Yes oil based lube, which I love, and will try that later.
Oh yes, and my carpet has got orange spots on it because things got a bit messy during mixing. Why did I do it over a carpet? Who knows! Anyway, it will certainly stain clothes so a pad will need to be worn in knickers.
Tried the sea buckthorn oil / yes oil based lube mixture on the outer bits. It was fine. No adverse effects. Too soon to tell if it is beneficial and haven't tried it inside yet. It is still rather potent smelling and gave me yellow privates! The yellow didn't stain though and could be wiped off with some coconut oil. Not sure about long term use re staining. Think I'll wait for the swelling to fully subside (from my trying out vagifem) before I try this new concoction inside.