Suppository May Help Ease Vaginal Dryness During Sex in Older Adults

In the United States, the average age of the onset of menopause among women is 51, and in 1998, there were over 477 million postmenopausal women globally, Healthline reports. It is estimated to rise to 1.1 billion by the year 2025, due to the rise in population. Menopause brings a number of bodily changes, including vaginal dryness.

A new study published in the journal "Menopause" from the North American Menopause Society (NAMS), has revealed that suppositories containing DHEA can reduce vaginal dryness and discomfort and pain during sex among post-menopausal women, HealthDay reports. These suppositories can bring these health benefits without raising overall estrogen levels, said the researchers.

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, dehydroepiandrosterone or DHEA is an anti-aging hormone produced by both men and women. When consumed as a supplement, it can help improve thinking skills in older people. However, it is also a hormonal precursor of estrogen and testosterone, thus, some women consume DHEA to increase hormones and improve overall well-being and sexuality.

Health Newsline reports that the researchers conducted a phase 3 clinical trial in which 325 women who used DHEA suppository found significant improvements in vaginal dryness after three months of usage, compared to 157 female counterparts who used placebo.

"Although this medication is considered 'hormonal,' the mechanism appears to be primarily local with minimal side effects beyond vaginal discharge from the suppository," Dr. JoAnn Pinkerton, executive director of NAMS, explained. "Its action seems to be entirely within [vaginal] cells, and no significant amount of sex hormone gets released into the circulation."

"That means that intravaginal DHEA avoids the raised hormone levels that might stimulate breast tissue or the lining of the uterus, which are concerns for women at risk of estrogen-sensitive cancers, or cancer recurrence, in these organs," Dr. Pinkerton further explained.

Dr. Elizabeth Kavaler, a urology specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, commented that "Intravaginal DHEA is a good alternative to estrogen creams in postmenopausal women with vaginal atrophy that manifests as vaginal dryness and pain with intercourse."

"Intravaginal DHEA does not increase a woman's exposure to the effects of estrogen that concern many women, like endometrial hyperplasia [thickening of the lining of the uterus that can raise the risk for cancer] and breast cancer risk," Dr. Kavaler said.

This is good news for women, as some opt out of using estrogen cream, because as per FOX News, breast cancer is sometimes driven by estrogen. Women who do have certain cancers take medication to prevent their body from producing the hormone.

According to Dr. James Woods, chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Rochester School of Medicine in New York, "For people who can't take estrogen into their system, this is a huge advantage for them, because it brings them back to more of a normal life. This has been such a positive contribution for the breast cancer patients."