Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Pediatrics, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Pediatrics, University of Udine, Udine, Italy.
Maturitas. 2018 Feb;108:18-23. doi: 10.1016/j.maturitas.2017.11.007. Epub 2017 Nov 10.
Vaginal atrophy (VA) is a chronic medical condition. It is managed unsatisfactorily, despite its high prevalence and negative impact on female quality of life. In order to meet their needs, it would be useful to know what women perceive to be the most bothersome symptom (MBS) of VA.
Cross-sectional, multicenter study of 913 postmenopausal women consulting 22 gynecological outpatient services.
Prevalence of the MBS perceived by postmenopausal women of different age and vaginal condition.
Vaginal dryness was the most prevalent MBS (54.4%), followed by dyspareunia (17.6%), itching (7.8%), dysuria (5.9%) and burning (2.0%). The prevalence of vaginal dryness as the MBS increased with years since menopause, while that of itching, dysuria and burning remained approximately constant over time. The prevalence of dyspareunia as the MBS was 26.2% in the first 6 years after menopause and declined thereafter, to 8.8%.
Among all postmenopausal women vaginal dryness per se, independent of dyspareunia, is the most commonly reported MBS. In each woman, the identification of the MBS may help to define more appropriate VA management.
阴道萎缩（VA）是一种慢性疾病。尽管其患病率高，对女性生活质量有负面影响，但治疗效果仍不尽人意。为了满足她们的需求，了解女性认为最困扰的 VA 症状（MBS）将很有帮助。
对 913 名绝经后妇女进行的横断面、多中心研究，这些妇女咨询了 22 个妇科门诊服务。
不同年龄和阴道状况的绝经后妇女感知到的 MBS 的患病率。
阴道干燥是最常见的 MBS（54.4%），其次是性交困难（17.6%）、瘙痒（7.8%）、尿痛（5.9%）和灼热感（2.0%）。阴道干燥作为 MBS 的患病率随着绝经后年限的增加而增加，而瘙痒、尿痛和灼热感随时间的推移基本保持不变。绝经后 6 年内，性交困难作为 MBS 的患病率为 26.2%，此后下降至 8.8%。
在所有绝经后妇女中，阴道干燥本身，无论是否伴有性交困难，都是最常报告的 MBS。在每位女性中，确定 MBS 可能有助于确定更合适的 VA 管理方案。
