Vaginal application of estradiol in women with urogenital atrophy – important influence on the quality of life

Summary

The women spend more than one third of their lives in the condition of postmenopausal estrogen defficiency. It leads to the changes in lower urinary tract and vagina, which have a negative influence on the quality of life. The symptoms of urogenital atrophic discomfort are common and subjectively stressing. They can be moderated by appropriate exogenous estrogen substitution. The number of women suffering from unpleasant subjective symptoms in consequence of local estrogen defficiency disease (colpoxerosis, pruritus, dyspareunia, dysuria, urgent urination, urgent urinary incontinence) is higher than it is generally presumed. Urogenital atrophy prevalence is growing to 40–45 % after menopause. With the population ageing expected, the number of women with these problems will still increase. There are many women who need local vaginal estrogenization which would be comfortably applicable, hygienically acceptable, acting with any side effects or possible risks. It is therefore necessary to make them an active offer of a proved, nonloading and at the same time an effective way how to moderate everyday urogenital discomfort. Own practical experience with the treatment of significant subjective urogynaecologic complaints includes 42 postmenopausal patients in the age of 45–79 years (average age 65,1 years). There had been used a substitution local therapy with low 17-beta estradiol (VAGIFEM tbl vag). At the continuous controls, 36 patients (85,4%) had subjectively felt cured or significantly improved. Local application of estradiol significantly improves the quality of life of menopausal women. To achieve optimal results, a long-term treatment is required. The improvement of quality of life as a subjective feeling is crucial.

Key words:
quality of life during menopause – estrogen deficiency disease – urogenital discomfort – local estradiol therapy