Lubricants

[CST]

I know this has been discussed in various forms, but just wanted to add my thoughts about using lube. My personal favorite is still KY or lubes that resemble that type of consistency. I hate Astroglide for the simple reason that it doesn't provide enough cushion to protect the urethra from trauma during sex. As most of us here know, the urethral area is often the main culprit in some of our worst pain, including burning after sex, stabbing pains in the urethra, etc. For women who don't have IC, I can understand how the thinner, runnier lubes like Astroglide and other brands would be great. For someone with IC, in my opinion, it only makes sense to use a thicker gel-like substance. True, it may not feel as much like a natural lubrication, but the goal is to keep us pain free, not just slick and runny. Fortunately, I've never had any problems using KY, so if other people have, they shouldn't use it. Again, I keep wondering why anyone with IC would use a thin, runny type of lube instead of a thicker substance. I also don't understand how vegetable oil/crisco could cushion the blows the urethra sustains during sex either. Yes, it's slick, but how does it put enough distance between our tissues and the friction?
Shouldn't that be the goal of women with IC when we have sex? Minimize the pain and irritation as much as we possibly can? I realize we're all different, our bodies react differently, and many people seem very negative toward KY or similar gels . Anyway, I'd love to see your opinions on this, if I'm way of track or others feel the same or what? Thanks! (and keep on using whatever works best for you, as I said, we're all different!)

[Briza]

For me, what you said is right on track. I prefer a thicker lube, unfortunately KY irritates me but I found one called Femglide that has the same consistency, maybe just a little less thick, and it doesn't irritate me. I can only find it thru an online pharmacy. If anyone is interested in trying it, just do a search for femglide and you can easily find a reputable online pharmacy that that sells it. I order it in BIG pump bottles.

[CST]

wow, I'm glad to see I'm not alone LOL.....even though I like KY, I'll try Femglide also just to make sure.....
I also just ordered something called "Better Sex" gel lubricant, no glycerin, etc. so I'll see if that's good as well. It might be similar to Femglide.
I also think KY has fairly good staying power, and doesn't seem to dry out very fast for me anyway. I think the main thing IC patients need to keep in mind when shopping for a lube (if they've never used lube before), is most of the online reviews for lubes are coming from people who don't suffer from IC. That makes a huge difference in their perception of how it's working and how their bodies are using it. They basically are buying it for slippery action, not to protect and cushion highly inflamed and tender tissues. So naturally they're gonna be happy with ID glide, or slippery this or that. I got a sample for one of the silicone lubes and didn't like it either. Very very slick, but no cushioning at all. Just gotta keep that in mind when shopping around. Thanks for the feedback, it's a complicated topic for us IC'er.s

[Briza]

The FemGlide bottle says that it is safe for people with diabetes and that women sensitive to yeast infections prefer FemGlide. I'm in the latter group.

It's gylcerin, oil, and sugar free; sperm and latex compatible; odorless and residue free

The ingredients are : Deionized (purified) water, polyoxyethylene, methylparaben, and sodium-carbomer.

Says it's recommended by sex therapists and also physical therapists working on patients with Pelvic Floor Dysfunction, and is recommended for women with dryness issues, and that is used by professionals for pap smear testing and other gyn procedures that require lubrication.

This is not an advertisement...just a summary of what the bottle says.

How do the ingredients compare to what is in KY gel?

[CST]

The femglide sounds good, I'll try it. The KY ingredients are:

purified water, glycerin (uh oh), hydroxyethylcellulose (whatever that is), chlorhexidine gluconate, sodium hydroxide and a couple of other long sounding ingredients....maybe some of this is what's causing burning in some IC patients. I actually didn't know until just now that KY had glycerin in it. Makes me think about switching although it's never bothered me, but I'd rather do without it. The stuff I just ordered "Better Sex" doesn't have any of this and sounds similar to the Femglide ingredients. I guess we'll all become experts in the area of lubes, huh? LOL.....anyway, thanks for the tip. Hopefully this info is helping others out there to make wise choices!