Local oestrogen therapy useful in women of any age
Older patients benefit too: local oestrogen therapy for vaginal atrophy can start before or after age 60
Treatment with low-dose local oestrogen therapy to improve symptoms of vaginal atrophy has benefits for women before or after age 60, a study shows.
Canadian researchers carried out a post-hoc analysis of a randomised, placebo-controlled trial in the US and Canada which treated 205 postmenopausal women ages 45 and over with 10mcg vaginal oestrogen therapy for one year.
Women younger or older than 60 at treatment start were evaluated according to vaginal maturation index (VMI; assessed by vaginal cytology samples), vaginal pH and “most bothersome” symptom (both graded on four-point scales).
Vaginal oestrogen therapy improved the VMI for all cell layers, as well as vaginal pH and symptom scores for both age groups.
