Are women with urogenital atrophy symptomatic?

Autor: Stacy L. Kopka, G. Willy Davila, Stephen E. Zimberg, Anita Singh, Jeffrey C. Seiler, Karen Huber, Ifigenia Karapanagiotou, Sherry Woodhouse
Rok vydání: 2003
Předmět:
Zdroj: American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 188:382-388
ISSN: 0002-9378
DOI: 10.1067/mob.2003.23
Popis: Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the degree of correlation between physical signs of genital atrophy and symptoms that are suggestive of atrophic vaginitis. Study design: Female volunteers (n = 135; mean age, 69 years) rated the presence and severity (rating, 0-3) of vaginal atrophy symptoms. The presence and severity of vaginal mucosal changes, which included vaginal pH (0-3), were recorded during a pelvic examination. A vaginal cytologic maturation value was performed. Symptoms, signs, pH, and maturation value were correlated by the Spearman rank test. Results: Symptom scores were low (mean, 0.41; range, 0-2.6). Symptoms were only weakly correlated with physical findings ( r = 0.14) and not with maturation value ( r = 0.06) or age ( r = −0.004). There was a moderate correlation between physical examination score and maturation value ( r = −0.48). In women ≥65 years old, symptom score and physical examination score were correlated weakly ( r = 0.25). Low pH correlated well with high maturation value ( r = −0.52). Women who were undergoing estrogen therapy had higher symptoms scores ( P = .0007) and maturation values ( P = .0002) than women who were not undergoing therapy. Conclusion: Although urogenital atrophy occurs universally after menopause, most elderly women are minimally symptomatic. Those women on estrogen replacement therapy may be more symptomatic. Symptoms alone should not be used as a guide for the initiation of estrogen therapy. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2003;188:382-8.)
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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