I’m 48, a happily married woman, and am now finding sex really difficult, as I’m just so dry that it hurts and we have to use lubrication.

Now I’ve also found that my eyes are dry and itchy, and that my teeth are giving me a lot of trouble. I thought that this was just my age, but I’ve been looking this up on the internet and Sjogrens keeps coming up.

Should I mention this to my GP who is mystified by my symptoms?

Barbara says: It’s worth mentioning this, if you feel it fits. The problem with checking things out on the internet is that we can all think we have some obscure something or other. However, if you’re genuinely suffering from all these symptoms of dryness (and a dry mouth can lead to problems with teeth) then you may be the one in hundreds of thousands who actually does have a real problem, researched through internet searches.

Sjogrens syndrome is an auto-immune condition that leads to dryness, which is exactly what you describe, and your age is right, too. Tests take a long time, and even if it’s diagnosed, there’s no cure, but may be ways of making it easier to live with. Let’s hope you get what you’re hoping for, whatever that is.