Abstract
BackgroundOur aim was to gain insight into the experiences of women suffering from the urinary component of the Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause (GSM) and to understand the impact of urinary complaints as part of GSM on the lives of affected women.DesignQualitative study.SettingOnline, primary care.Participants and methodsPostmenopausal women aged from 46 to 85 years reporting vaginal and urinary complaints were recruited to participate in either online or face-to-face focus groups to share their experiences with urinary complaints as part of GSM. Transcripts of sessions were analysed using qualitative content analysis.ResultsOne online focus group, one face-to-face focus group and one online-interview were conducted, involving 11 women. Five a priori assumed main themes related to the impact of urogenital symptoms were identified: daily life, emotional well-being, sexual functioning, self-concept and body image, and interpersonal relations and communication. Additionally, two further themes associated with GMS as a clinical condition were inductively found: unmet healthcare needs, including expectations of affected women regarding menopausal symptoms and a lack of adequate health education, and aspects on the personal dealing with the complaints, including personal coping strategies and medical treatment.ConclusionsThis study showed that urinary complaints as part of GSM have, similar to vaginal complaints, negative impacts on the daily life, the emotional well-being, the sexual functioning, the self-concept and body impact as well as interpersonal relations and communication of affected women. We further identified several unmet healthcare needs that should trigger improvements in healthcare.
Highlights
Our aim was to gain insight into the experiences of women suffering from the urinary component of the Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause (GSM) and to understand the impact of urinary complaints as part of GSM on the lives of affected women
Five a priori assumed main themes related to the impact of urogenital symptoms were identified: daily life, emotional well-being, sexual functioning, self-concept and body image, and interpersonal relations and communication
This study showed that urinary complaints as part of GSM have, similar to vaginal complaints, negative impacts on the daily life, the emotional well-being, the sexual functioning, the self-concept and body impact as well
Summary
Our aim was to gain insight into the experiences of women suffering from the urinary component of the Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause (GSM) and to understand the impact of urinary complaints as part of GSM on the lives of affected women. The negative impact of VVA on the quality of life and sexual health of affected women has already been shown in different studies [3, 4]. In a qualitative study of Huang et al [5] vaginal symptoms in postmenopausal women, such as dryness, soreness, itching, and pain with sexual intercourse, affected everyday activities, the emotional well-being, the sexual functioning, the self-concept and body image, as well as interpersonal relations and communication. The impact of the urinary component of GSM has hardly or even not at all been examined so far, albeit recent studies, such as the Italian AGATA study by Palma et al, showed that 36.1% of women with GSM reported dysuria for instance [10]
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