For many women, menopause marks a powerful — yet challenging — transition. It’s a time of hormonal shifts, physical changes, and emotional reckoning. But if you’re also living with Lichen Sclerosus, the impact can feel doubled. Exhausting. Even defeating.

Talking about Lichen Sclerosus with a partner can feel like walking through fog. How do you explain something so personal, so intimate, and sometimes so painful — especially if you’re still trying to understand it yourself?

Living with Lichen Sclerosus is not just a physical experience — it’s an emotional one. Many people with LS carry silent burdens: guilt for not noticing symptoms sooner, grief over what’s been lost, and fear about what the future might hold.

Living with Lichen Sclerosus doesn’t begin and end with physical symptoms. It quietly seeps into the day-today details of your life — sometimes in ways that are hard to describe to others. The constant itch, the uncertainty, the discomfort, the impact on relationships, and the erosion of self-confidence can all take a toll.

When you’re first told you have Lichen Sclerosus, it can feel like a tidal wave of unfamiliar terms, confusing instructions, and unanswered questions. You deserve better than that. You deserve to understand what’s happening in your body, what your diagnosis means, and how to take your next steps with confidence.

One of the most painful consequences of Lichen Sclerosus isn’t just the physical discomfort — it’s the loss of connection with your body. When pain, fear, and medical trauma are centred around your most intimate area, it’s no wonder that many people start to dissociate from that part of themselves altogether.

When you live with Lichen Sclerosus, it doesn’t just affect your skin — it affects your entire life. Yet because it’s a condition that isn’t always visible, people often downplay or dismiss its impact. That can leave you feeling unseen, unheard, and even doubting yourself.

If it took you months or even years to receive a diagnosis, you are not alone — and it’s not your fault. One of the most painful truths about Lichen Sclerosus is that it’s often missed, misdiagnosed, or minimised for far too long. Many of my patients have been told it’s just thrush, eczema, or a hygiene issue. Others have been prescribed creams that never worked — not because they were wrong about their symptoms, but because they were handed the wrong label.

Lichen Sclerosus can make you question your body, your sanity, and your sense of self — especially when no one around you is talking about the symptoms you’re experiencing. In this chapter, we’ll walk through both the common and the less-talked-about symptoms of LS, not just to educate, but to validate. If you see yourself in these words, please know: you are not alone, and your experiences are real.

You’re Not Imagining It: Understanding Lichen Sclerosus If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve experienced itching, soreness, pain, or changes to your intimate skin — and maybe you’ve been told it’s “just thrush,” “eczema,” or “all in your head.” Let me start by saying this: you are not imagining it.