Vaginal dryness statistics: how common it is at every life stage (2026)

Key statistics.

• 27% to 84% of postmenopausal women have genitourinary syndrome of menopause, which includes vaginal dryness, according to the 2020 Menopause Society position statement.
• More than 15% of females have vaginal dryness before menopause, and over half experience it after menopause, according to Cleveland Clinic.
• 53.6% of postpartum lactating individuals reported vaginal dryness in a 2025 systematic review of 65 studies in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
• 60.0% of postpartum individuals had painful sex at 3 months, falling to 39.7% at 6 months and 28.5% at 12 months, in the pooled estimates of the same 2025 review.
• 2.54 times as many women reported moderately to severely bothersome vaginal dryness in late perimenopause as in premenopause (adjusted prevalence ratio) among 5,509 women classified by menopause stage in the 2025 Australian Women's Midlife Years Study.
• 55% of 3,046 US postmenopausal women with vulvovaginal atrophy symptoms named dryness as a symptom in the REVIVE survey, ahead of painful sex (44%) and irritation (37%).
• 45% of 3,520 postmenopausal women aged 55 to 65 in seven countries reported vaginal symptoms in the VIVA survey, and only 4% attributed them to vaginal atrophy.
• 24% of women in the REVIVE survey attributed their symptoms to menopause, and 12% to hormonal changes.
• 56% of REVIVE participants had ever discussed their symptoms with a health care professional, per the 2013 REVIVE paper.
• 11% of REVIVE participants used a vaginal prescription therapy and 29% used vaginal over the counter products, per the same survey.
• 46% of VIVA respondents lacked knowledge about local estrogen therapy, according to the VIVA results.
• 59% of REVIVE participants said symptoms affected their enjoyment of sex, and 24% said they interfered with sleep, per the REVIVE survey.
• 58% of postmenopausal women and 61% of male partners said vaginal discomfort meant having sex less often in the CLOSER survey of 4,100 women and 4,100 men.
• 28% of women in the CLOSER survey did not tell their partner when they first had vaginal discomfort.
• 78.2% of 1,775 breast cancer survivors reported vaginal dryness in the 2025 WISH-BREAST survey.
• 73% of WISH-BREAST respondents did not receive information about sexual health from their health care team, per the same survey.

Vaginal dryness by life stage.

Dryness follows estrogen. It is most common after menopause, but it shows up whenever estrogen is low: while breastfeeding, during the menopause transition, and after cancer treatments that block or remove estrogen. The table puts the main life stage figures side by side. Populations and definitions differ, so compare them with care rather than as one curve.

Life stage	Figure	Population	Source
Before menopause	More than 15%	Females before menopause	Cleveland Clinic
Breastfeeding	53.6%	Postpartum lactating individuals, 65 studies pooled (2025)	Perelmuter et al.
Late perimenopause	2.54 times premenopause	Moderate to severe dryness, 5,509 Australian women aged 40 to 69 classified by stage (2025)	AMY Study
After menopause	Over half	Females after menopause	Cleveland Clinic
After menopause	27% to 84%	Postmenopausal women, genitourinary syndrome of menopause (2020)	The Menopause Society
After breast cancer	78.2%	1,775 breast cancer survivors, online survey (2025)	WISH-BREAST
After breast cancer	75%	385 Australian survivors reporting symptoms (2021)	Peate et al.

Discomfort before menopause is easy to underrate. In a Massachusetts General Hospital primary care survey, 42% of premenopausal and 37% of postmenopausal respondents reported at least one moderate to severe vulvovaginal symptom (itching, burning, irritation, discharge, dryness or pain) in the past month, a difference that was not statistically significant. That survey counted any symptom, not dryness alone. For the reasons behind dryness at each stage, see vaginal dryness causes, and for the months after birth, postpartum dryness.

Genitourinary syndrome of menopause.

Genitourinary syndrome of menopause is the medical name for the group of vaginal, vulvar and urinary changes that follow the drop in estrogen. Symptomatic vulvovaginal atrophy is one part of it. The 2020 Menopause Society statement calls it likely underdiagnosed and undertreated, and the REVIVE authors describe vulvovaginal atrophy as chronic and progressive. Our plain English explainer is vaginal atrophy.

Survey	Year	Who	Key figure	Source
Menopause Society position statement	2020	Postmenopausal women	GSM affects approximately 27% to 84%	Menopause
REVIVE	2013	3,046 US postmenopausal women with symptoms	Dryness 55%, painful sex 44%, irritation 37%	J Sex Med
VIVA	2012	3,520 women aged 55 to 65, seven countries	45% reported vaginal symptoms	Climacteric
CLOSER	2013	4,100 women and 4,100 male partners, nine countries	58% of women had sex less often	J Sex Med

The jump through the transition is visible in long running cohorts. The Melbourne Women's Midlife Health Project followed 438 Australian born women and reported that the number reporting vaginal dryness rose by 17% from early to late perimenopause, one of the few symptoms the authors tied directly to the hormonal change (Dennerstein et al., 2000).

Awareness and treatment rates.

Most women with dryness never hear the word for it and never get a prescription. The surveys agree on three gaps: women do not connect symptoms to menopause, they do not bring them up, and they do not know local treatments exist.

Measure	Figure	Survey	Source
Attributed symptoms to vaginal atrophy	4%	VIVA, 3,520 women	Nappi and Kokot-Kierepa
Did not recognize vaginal atrophy as chronic	63%	VIVA	Nappi and Kokot-Kierepa
Attributed symptoms to menopause	24%	REVIVE, 3,046 US women	Kingsberg et al.
Ever discussed symptoms with a clinician	56%	REVIVE	Kingsberg et al.
Currently used any vaginal specific treatment	40%	REVIVE	Kingsberg et al.
Used vaginal over the counter products	29%	REVIVE	Kingsberg et al.
Used vaginal prescription therapy	11%	REVIVE	Kingsberg et al.
Lacked knowledge of local estrogen therapy	46%	VIVA	Nappi and Kokot-Kierepa
Breast cancer survivors offered treatment for symptoms	32%	385 Australian survivors	Peate et al.

REVIVE participants who stopped short of prescriptions cited concerns about side effects and cancer risk, and they named insufficient relief and inconvenience as the main limits of over the counter products. The Menopause Society says nonhormone products available without a prescription provide sufficient relief for most women with mild symptoms, and that low dose vaginal estrogen, vaginal DHEA and ospemifene are effective for moderate to severe symptoms. The over the counter side of that is covered in vaginal moisturizer vs lube and best vaginal moisturizers; the full menu is in how to treat vaginal dryness.

Impact on sex and relationships.

Dryness is the symptom, and sex is where most women feel it. The CLOSER survey is unusual because it asked male partners too.

Effect	Women	Male partners	Source
Having sex less often	58%	61%	CLOSER
Less satisfying sex	49%	28%	CLOSER
Putting off having sex	35%	14%	CLOSER
Avoiding intimacy because of painful sex	55%	61%	CLOSER
Comfortable discussing vaginal atrophy	58%	68%	CLOSER

In CLOSER, 28% of women did not tell their partner when the discomfort started, mostly because they felt it was a natural part of growing older (52%) or out of embarrassment (21%), and 82% of men wanted their partner to share the experience. In REVIVE, symptoms affected enjoyment of sex for 59% of participants and interfered with sleep (24%), general enjoyment of life (23%) and temperament (23%). In the VIVA survey, 75% felt vaginal atrophy had a negative impact on life. For the part of this that a lubricant can solve, see lube for menopause dryness.

Dryness after cancer treatment.

Chemotherapy, ovary removal and estrogen blocking drugs such as aromatase inhibitors can bring on menopause or deepen it, which is why survivors report dryness at some of the highest rates in the literature. The 2018 Menopause Society and ISSWSH consensus says genitourinary syndrome of menopause is more prevalent in breast cancer survivors and is commonly undiagnosed and untreated.

Year	Figure	Population	Source
2025	78.2% reported vaginal dryness	1,775 breast cancer survivors, online survey	WISH-BREAST
2025	73% got no sexual health information from their care team	Same survey	WISH-BREAST
2021	75% reported vaginal dryness	385 Australian survivors with symptoms of interest	Peate et al.
2021	32% were offered treatment	Same survey	Peate et al.

Both are self selected surveys, so they likely overstate the rate across all survivors. What they show reliably is that dryness is the norm among survivors who answer, and that most do not get help. Anyone with a history of breast cancer should talk to their oncologist before using a hormonal treatment. For lubes that suit sensitive, low estrogen tissue, see best lube for sensitive skin.

Work and quality of life.

One study tried to put a number on the day to day cost. It was run by RB Healthcare, a consumer health company, so treat it as a brand funded study. Among 524 UK women with self reported vaginal dryness (just under 62% premenopausal), around 40% rated it severe or very severe, and the 369 who were employed reported losing 16.5% of their working hours to it (Smith et al., 2020). No independent study has repeated that measure, so we do not list it among the key statistics.

How we compiled these numbers.

We collected published figures from primary sources: peer reviewed studies indexed on PubMed, position statements from The Menopause Society, and patient information from Cleveland Clinic. We opened every source and copied each number as published, with its year and population. We list the newest authoritative figure first and show competing figures side by side when sources disagree rather than averaging them. We do not combine studies into a single number or estimate figures that were not published. Some of the large menopause surveys, including VIVA and CLOSER, list authors employed by the drug maker Novo Nordisk. They are peer reviewed, and we use them because they remain the largest datasets of their kind. Surveys run by consumer brands appear only when labeled as brand studies. This page is reviewed when new data is published.

Using these statistics.

These statistics are free to cite. Please name the original source shown next to each number and link to this page, wetbetty.com/vaginal-dryness-statistics, as the compiler. If you spot a newer figure or an error, tell us and we will update the page. Nothing here is medical advice; for symptoms, see a clinician, and for our full coverage, the dryness hub.