Sexual activity in women improved by vaginal estrogen: study

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Women who are in their menopausal age may be reluctant to seek help, especially when it comes to their sexual health. Naturally, a drop in the estrogen hormone could mean vaginal dryness, making sexual intercourse painful and uncomfortable.

Fortunately, a recent study notes that by using vaginal estrogen, menopausal women can improve their sexual activity without the need of taking any hormonal replacement therapy (HRT).

Reuters reports that since 2002, women have been hesitant to use HRT to ease menopause symptoms, due to the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study that linked this treatment to elevated risk of breast cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Because of this, a team of researchers from Columbia University Medical Center began their analysis on possible alternatives like vaginal estrogen.

Dr. Michelle Warren and her team compared locally-applied estrogen on women who stopped using HRT on women who stayed on the treatment after the WHI study was released. They checked if it eased vaginal pain and dryness during sexual activity. They found out that women who experience painful sex are more than likely to use vaginal estrogen and have reportedly experienced increased satisfaction during intercourse, resulting to better and improved sex lives.

Health 24 notes that for the study, the researchers studied 310 women from ages 60 to 77, who have been using HRT for five years. The results suggest that 36 percent of these women are okay with using vaginal estrogen, showing three-fourths of the overall subjects. Although the sample size is small and the participants are generally healthy, the researchers believe the findings suggest that vaginal estrogen is beneficial for women, whether they use HRT or not.

Furthermore, Dr. Michael Thomas, a researcher from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, shares that using vaginal estrogen is safer than any other treatment, because there is no estradiol getting into the blood stream of the user. Lubricants may be helpful but it doesn't improve the vaginal mucous lining, and could even lead to bleeding or abrasions during intercourse.

Dr. Warren said they expect women who show the most severe symptoms to benefit greatly from the study, especially after using hormonal replacement therapy, Fox News adds. Before it was discovered that HRT can lead to adverse medical conditions, most menopausal women benefit from using Prempro, a pill that combines estrogen and progestin, and Premarin, a pill with estrogen.

Somehow, this study raises presents a safer way to ease menopausal symptoms, and eventually, increase and improve sexual activity of women.