Introduction A common question we hear at Lichen Sclerosus Support Network is, “What is menopause/genitourinary syndrome of menopause (aka GSM), and how do I know if that is causing my symptoms or changes to my vulva or if it’s lichen sclerosus? And this is an important question.  Unfortunately, most conditions that affect the vulva have overlapping symptoms. For example, if you Google “symptoms of GSM,” “symptoms of lichen simplex chronicus,” “symptoms of yeast (candidiasis),” etc., they will all come back with itch and pain as primary symptoms. In this post, I will discuss what menopause is, what GSM is, and the changes that can occur to the vulva from GSM. I will highlight some differences between GSM and lichen sclerosus  *This post is evidence-based; I draw on the medical literature to share what you need to know about menopause, genitourinary syndrome of menopause, and lichen sclerosus. Importantly, what I share is…