Survey: Sexual Dysfunction with Menopause Neglected
A large majority of postmenopausal women experienced painful intercourse, vaginal dryness, itching or irritation, but only a small percentage asked for treatment, according to a small survey presented at the North American Menopause Society annual meeting in Orlando — apparently because they waited in vain for their physician to bring it up.
Eighty-one percent of women were unaware that vulvar and vaginal atrophy was a medical condition, and 42% of respondents simply considered it “a normal part of aging,” reported Sheryl Kingsberg, PhD, of University Hospitals in Cleveland, and colleagues.
But while 89% reported experiencing painful intercourse and vaginal dryness, and 70% had experienced vaginal itching and irritation, only 7% of women reported ever using prescription hormone therapy (defined as local estrogen creams, tablets, inserts, or oral selective estrogen receptor modulators). Only a quarter had even used over-the-counter remedies, such as moisturizers and lubricants.
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