Extreme mouth dryness during sex.

[PeriQuestions]

Sometime during the last year or two I have developed a really odd symptom of extreme dry mouth just before and during sex. I am not with a new partner, this isn't nerves at all. I've been with dh for well over a decade. I can't find anything online about it and I can't figure out why it's happening. I'm fine the rest of the time and it's extremely frustrating because we can't even kiss sometimes. Imagine a mouth full of cotton and talcum powder and you'll be halfway to it.

Health wise

I'm early 40s and have had hot flashes (at night only) for at least 6 years.

I've had vaginal dryness for a lot of that time and just use lube to deal with it. My periods haven't changed though, so still just Peri I guess.

In the past couple years I've been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and a few other health issues. I take Metformin.

I will literally down a glass of water if we're likely to have sex to mitigate the dryness which kind of kills the spontaneity.

Has anyone had this with metformin or diabetes or as a peri symptom or know why it's happening? I know vaginal dryness is common but I can't find anything about mouth dryness at all.

I have developed dry eyes and dry mouth along with vaginal dryness in the last few years. But what is peri and what is related to my other multiple health conditions is hard to say. I am being investigated for sjogrens but more as a precaution because it’s not as bad as those with sjogrens tend to get. I’ve not heard/seen anyone talking about dry mouth as a peri symptom so will be interested to see the replies to this thread.

Not a cure/diagnosis but xylitol is great for dry mouth (and teeth!) there is melts as well which sort of stick in your mouth so wouldn’t get in the way? Also gum

Get your thyroid and insulin checked.

Try breathing more through your nose than your mouth.

Have you been tested for autoimmune? Could be Sjogrens. You can buy mouth lubricant which you could keep by the bed.

Sialosis. Replacement of the glandular tissue with fat. Linked to diabetes. Less likely to be sjogrens. That's over diagnosed but if you want to make sure there's a simple blood test for it. Interesting about the electrolyte sachets! Certainly won't harm to try it!

Thank you for the replies! I didn't think anyone one was going to respond. I will do some research into sjogrens and Sialosis and ask if it's worth my doctor checking for me. I've never heard of them before! My thyroid has been checked recently ish I think because I was having having some issues with my throat/neck glands so I'm guessing it's not that, but it does seem to be a sjorgens symptom too? Actually, they did a host of tests, I'll check the NHS app to see if those were looked at

Unfortunately I can't breathe through my nose instead of my mouth, I've never been able to. I also use a CPAP at night to deal with the resulting snoring and apnea. It can cause dryness if the humidifier runs out at night but it's unrelated to the weird sex symptom as that's not when we have sex and clears up as soon as I take the CPAP mask off.

I can try xylitol gum and electrolytes to see if that helps too.

Actually, saying that. I've used a CPAP for years and the first one did not have a humidifier and DIDN'T cause me as dry a mouth as it does now when the humidifier is empty. I hadn't really thought about it. So I must be generally dryer than I have been to start with.