TY - JOUR
T1 - Effect of local estrogen therapy (LET) on urinary and sexual symptoms in premenopausal women with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS)
AU - Gardella, Barbara
AU - Iacobone, Anna Daniela
AU - Porru, Daniele
AU - Musacchi, Valentina
AU - Dominoni, Mattia
AU - Tinelli, Carmine
AU - Spinillo, Arsenio
AU - Nappi, Rossella E.
PY - 2015/10/3
Y1 - 2015/10/3
N2 - The association between vulvodynia and interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS), a chronic, debilitating disease of unknown etiology, may involve sex hormone-dependent mechanisms regulating vulvo-vaginal health. We aimed to prospectively investigate the effects of 12 weeks of local estrogen therapy (LET) on urinary/bladder and sexual symptoms in premenopausal women with IC/BPS. Thirty-four women (mean age: 36.1 ± 8.4) diagnosed with IC/BPS were treated vulvo-vaginally three-times/week with estriol 0.5 mg cream and tested by validated questionnaires (ICSI/ICPI, pain urgency frequency [PUF], female sexual function index [FSFI]) and by cotton swab testing, vaginal health index (VHI) and maturation index (MI) before and after treatment. Vulvodynia was present in 94.1% of IC/BPS women. A significant positive effect of LET was evident on urinary and sexual function (p <0.001, for both) following 12 weeks, as well as an improvement of the VHI (p <0.001) and the MI (p <0.04). The results of this open study indicate that 12 weeks of local estriol cream at vaginal and vestibular level may ameliorate urinary/bladder pain symptoms, as well as may improve domains of sexual function. The association between vulvar pain and bladder pain could, therefore, be related to a vaginal environment carrying signs of hypoestrogenism, but further studies are needed to clarify this issue.
AB - The association between vulvodynia and interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS), a chronic, debilitating disease of unknown etiology, may involve sex hormone-dependent mechanisms regulating vulvo-vaginal health. We aimed to prospectively investigate the effects of 12 weeks of local estrogen therapy (LET) on urinary/bladder and sexual symptoms in premenopausal women with IC/BPS. Thirty-four women (mean age: 36.1 ± 8.4) diagnosed with IC/BPS were treated vulvo-vaginally three-times/week with estriol 0.5 mg cream and tested by validated questionnaires (ICSI/ICPI, pain urgency frequency [PUF], female sexual function index [FSFI]) and by cotton swab testing, vaginal health index (VHI) and maturation index (MI) before and after treatment. Vulvodynia was present in 94.1% of IC/BPS women. A significant positive effect of LET was evident on urinary and sexual function (p <0.001, for both) following 12 weeks, as well as an improvement of the VHI (p <0.001) and the MI (p <0.04). The results of this open study indicate that 12 weeks of local estriol cream at vaginal and vestibular level may ameliorate urinary/bladder pain symptoms, as well as may improve domains of sexual function. The association between vulvar pain and bladder pain could, therefore, be related to a vaginal environment carrying signs of hypoestrogenism, but further studies are needed to clarify this issue.
KW - Estrogens
KW - genitourinary syndrome
KW - sexual function
KW - uro-genital system
KW - vagina
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U2 - 10.3109/09513590.2015.1063119
DO - 10.3109/09513590.2015.1063119
M3 - Article
C2 - 26291799
AN - SCOPUS:84947036922
VL - 31
SP - 828
EP - 832
JO - Gynecological Endocrinology
JF - Gynecological Endocrinology
SN - 0951-3590
IS - 10
ER -