Effect of local estrogen therapy (LET) on urinary and sexual symptoms in premenopausal women with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS).
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.
['Gardella|Barbara|B|', 'Iacobone|Anna Daniela|AD|', 'Porru|Daniele|D|', 'Musacchi|Valentina|V|', 'Dominoni|Mattia|M|', 'Tinelli|Carmine|C|', 'Spinillo|Arsenio|A|', 'Nappi|Rossella E|RE|']
D000282:Administration, Intravaginal D000328:Adult D018856:Cystitis, Interstitial D004964:Estriol D005260:Female D006801:Humans D017697:Premenopause D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires D016896:Treatment Outcome D056650:Vulvodynia
Estrogens sexual function genitourinary syndrome uro-genital system vagina