Menopause and genitourinary health: optimal support and correction of disorders

Abstract

The vulva, vagina, lower urinary tract, and pelvic floor have the same embryonic origin. Thus, all of the abovementioned organs are equally sensitive to estrogen deficiency and menopausal hormone therapy due to expression of the respective receptors. Genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM) is a concept first introduced in 2013 to provide a more complete definition of the consequences of estrogen deficiency in urogenital tissues and reflect the full range of vaginal and urinary symptoms that women experience during menopause. The term broadly reflects the condition, which, unlike the older term “vulvovaginal atrophy”, is not limited to a single symptom of dyspareunia and includes women who are not sexually active. The consequences of GSM significantly alter the quality of life of most menopausal women. Some patients with symptoms of vulvovaginal atrophy completely stop their sexual activity (58 %) and avoid sexual intimacy (55%). Various forms of urinary disorders also alter activities of daily living, sleep, sexual activity, and can lead to social isolation and loss of self-respect. Women with recurrent vulvovaginal infection often have to seek medical care. Estrogen therapy during menopause is pathogenetically justified. Estrogens administered intravaginally are more effective in relieving the symptoms of GSM, both objectively and subjectively, than their systemic use. Up to 40% of women receiving systemic menopausal hormone therapy do not have the expected effect of estrogens on the urogenital tract. If the symptoms of GSM prevail, it is advisable to consider monotherapy with local estrogens or combine it with systemic therapy instead of increasing a dose of the latter. The article presents a clinical case of a personalized approach to solving the issue of vulvovaginal atrophy combined with a mixed urinary incontinence (MUI) in a postmenopausal female patient.