Abstract
The aim of this multicentric, prospective study was to evaluate the effects of vaginal erbium laser (VEL-SMOOTH®) on sexual function in postmenopausal women suffering from the genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM). This study was performed on an outpatient basis without anesthesia or drug use before or after the intervention, using an erbium laser (XS Fotona Smooth®, Fotona, Ljubljana, Slovenia) in 1081 postmenopausal women (age 54.3 ± 3.9 years) treated with up to three laser applications every 30 days. Patients were assessed using the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) and the Female Sexual Distress Scale-Revised (FSDS-R). No adverse events were recorded during the study. The FSDS-R scores (n = 554), from basal values of 25.5 ± 3.5, were 11.5 ± 3.0, 10.5 ± 3.5 and 11.5 ± 3.5 at the 4-, 12- and 24-week follow-ups, respectively (p < 0.01 vs. corresponding basal values). Individual FSFI domain scores (n = 569) significantly (p < 0.001) increased after VEL-SMOOTH® treatment and remained significantly higher up to the 24th week after the end of treatment. The total scores, from basal values of 15.5 ± 1.5, were 27.5 ± 2.5, 27.6 ± 2.7and 27.0 ± 3.5 at the 4-, 12- and 24-week follow-ups, respectively (p < 0.01 vs. corresponding basal values). Albeit not randomized, this large, prospective study shows that VEL-SMOOTH® treatment may improve sexual function in postmenopausal women suffering from GSM.
Keywords: Menopause; genitourinary syndrome of menopause; sexual function; vaginal erbium laser.
