Department of Reproductive Biology, Case Western University, Cleveland, OH, USA.
J Sex Med. 2013 Jul;10(7):1790-9. doi: 10.1111/jsm.12190. Epub 2013 May 16.
Vulvar and vaginal atrophy (VVA) is a chronic medical condition experienced by many postmenopausal women. Symptoms include dyspareunia (pain with intercourse), vaginal dryness, and irritation and may affect sexual activities, relationships, and activities of daily life.
The aim of this study is to characterize postmenopausal women's experience with and perception of VVA symptoms, interactions with healthcare professionals (HCPs), and available treatment options.
An online survey was conducted in the United States in women from KnowledgePanel(®) , a 56,000-member probability-selected Internet panel projectable to the overall US population. Altogether, 3,046 postmenopausal women with VVA symptoms (the largest US cohort of recent surveys) responded to questions about their knowledge of VVA, impact of symptoms on their activities, communication with HCPs, and use of available treatments.
Percent is calculated as the ratio of response over total responding for each question for all and stratified participants.
The most common VVA symptoms were dryness (55% of participants), dyspareunia (44%), and irritation (37%). VVA symptoms affected enjoyment of sex in 59% of participants. Additionally, interference with sleep, general enjoyment of life, and temperament were reported by 24%, 23%, and 23% of participants, respectively. Few women attributed symptoms to menopause (24%) or hormonal changes (12%). Of all participants, 56% had ever discussed VVA symptoms with an HCP and 40% currently used VVA-specific topical treatments (vaginal over-the-counter [OTC] products [29%] and vaginal prescription therapies [11%]). Of those who had discussed symptoms with an HCP, 62% used OTC products. Insufficient symptom relief and inconvenience were cited as major limitations of OTC products and concerns about side effects and cancer risk limited use of topical vaginal prescription therapies.
VVA symptoms are common in postmenopausal women. Significant barriers to treatment include lack of knowledge about VVA, reluctance to discuss symptoms with HCPs, safety concerns, inconvenience, and inadequate symptom relief from available treatments.
外阴和阴道萎缩（VVA）是许多绝经后妇女经历的一种慢性疾病。症状包括性交疼痛（性交疼痛）、阴道干燥、刺激等，可能会影响性生活、人际关系和日常生活活动。
本研究旨在描述绝经后妇女对 VVA 症状的体验和认知、与医疗保健专业人员（HCP）的互动以及可用的治疗选择。
在美国，对来自 KnowledgePanel（®）的 3046 名患有 VVA 症状的绝经后妇女（最近调查中最大的美国队列）进行了在线调查，这是一个由 56000 名成员组成的概率选择互联网小组，可推广到整个美国人口。共有 3046 名患有 VVA 症状的绝经后妇女（最近调查中最大的美国队列）回答了有关 VVA 知识、症状对其活动的影响、与 HCP 的沟通以及可用治疗方法的使用等问题。
对于每个问题，总应答者中的百分比是通过应答者的比例计算得出的。
最常见的 VVA 症状是干燥（55%的参与者）、性交疼痛（44%）和刺激（37%）。VVA 症状影响 59%的参与者享受性生活。此外，24%、23%和 23%的参与者分别报告睡眠受到干扰、整体生活享受和情绪受到干扰。很少有女性将症状归因于绝经（24%）或荷尔蒙变化（12%）。在所有参与者中，56%的人曾与 HCP 讨论过 VVA 症状，40%的人目前正在使用 VVA 特定的局部治疗方法（阴道非处方[OTC]产品[29%]和阴道处方疗法[11%]）。在与 HCP 讨论过症状的参与者中，有 62%的人使用 OTC 产品。OTC 产品的主要局限性是症状缓解不足和不便，对副作用和癌症风险的担忧限制了局部阴道处方疗法的使用。
VVA 症状在绝经后妇女中很常见。治疗的主要障碍包括对 VVA 的认识不足、不愿与 HCP 讨论症状、对安全性的担忧、不便和现有治疗方法的症状缓解不足。
