Between 4 and 6 of every 10 women undergoing menopause suffer from symptoms related to vaginal atrophy. Dyspareunia, in relation to vaginal dryness, can lead to sexual dysfunction. Vaginal hormone treatment has been regarded as the ideal treatment for vaginal atrophy management. Laser treatment is used to reduce the symptoms generated by vaginal atrophy, and to offer patients an alternative to traditional hormone replacement therapy that minimizes or eliminates the present risks.
The objective of this interventional, prospective study is to analyze data about laser treatment for vaginal atrophy in women with natural menopause in comparison to women with menopause induced by the treatment of cancer of gynecological origin. All patients were treated at the Ginestetica Laser Center. The study's procedures were always ambulatory. Periodic control was made up to 3 months after the laser treatment.
The vaginal atrophy laser treatment results are similar for all treatment groups, independent of whether or not the patient had gynecological cancer. Before treatment, all patients reported to have severe vaginal dryness and severe dyspareunia, and 97.5% of patients avoided having sex as a result of the symptoms. At 3 months post laser treatment, 70% of the patients reported not having vaginal dryness and 30% claimed to have only mild vaginal dryness; 90% of the patients said they did not have dyspareunia and no longer avoided sexual intercourse, while only 10% of the patients remained with mild dyspareunia and rare sex avoidance.
Laser treatment is an excellent alternative for vaginal atrophy symptoms management in menopausal women as well as in post-gynecological cancer patients.
Key words: vaginal atrophy, laser treatment, menopause, gynecological cancer, dyspareunia.
Article: J. LA&HA, Vol. 2014, No.1; pp.65-71.
