Menopause causes symptoms like hot flashes and mood swing. It alsos cause a wide array of other symptoms including vaginal dryness and pain during sex. With a new suppository containing DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone) hormone, it could relieve irritable physical symptoms of postmenopausal women.
A new phase III trial has come up with a new and effective vaginal suppository alternative to estrogen in relieving vaginal problems usually experienced by postmenopausal women. In the trial, the suppository that contained the hormone DHEA successfully reduced vaginal dryness and pain during sexual intercourse without increasing overall levels of estrogen.
Published online in the journal Menopause, the study funded by EndoCeutics aims to receive a green light and approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this year.
Pain during sex and vaginal dryness improved more in postmenopausal women taking daily suppositories than in women in the controlled group who were given placebos. In fact, the overall vaginal health of the women in the treatment group improved too.
"The aim of this study is to confirm the local beneficial effects of intravaginal dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA, Prasterone) on moderate to severe dyspareunia or pain at sexual activity, the most frequent symptom of vulvovaginal atrophy due to menopause or genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM)," the researchers wrote in the study.
The suppositories are as good as creams containing estrogen and it can be an alternative for women who cannot use prolonged estrogen medicines.
What Happens To The Vagina After Menopause
Before menopause, the ovaries produce estrogen, a female hormone that maintains the health of the vaginal lining. When a woman reaches menopause, the ovaries gradually reduces the excretion of estrogen and eventually, they will stop. As a result, the vaginal lining shrinks, becomes dry and less elastic.
When this happens, women become irritable because of excessive dryness in the vagina causing pain during intercourse, urinary difficulties and increased risk of vaginal infections. For women with these complications, vaginal estrogen is usually prescribed to increase estrogen levels and alleviate the corresponding menopausal complications.
Estrogen Is Not Allowed For Some Women
For some women, intravaginal estrogen is not permitted due to certain circumstances. Women with breast cancer, whose disease was driven by estrogen, can't use intravaginal estrogen to treat menopausal effects.
For some women with liver disease, have had a stroke or heart attack, have a history of blood clots and have liver disease, hormone replacement using estrogen is not allowed.
What Is DHEA?
Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a hormone that originates from the adrenal gland and made in the brain. It can lead to the production of hormones like androgens or estrogens. This hormone, when delivered directly to the vagina, the tissues can transform it to an estrogen called estradiol without having increased levels of estrogen in other parts of the body.
"This has been such a positive contribution for the breast cancer patients," said Dr. James Woods, who is past chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Rochester School of Medicine, New York.
Photo: Ed Uthman | Flickr
