\nThere is another issue that so many women suffer from, but which is still talked about too little today: the vaginal dryness<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
Many women think it's \u201cnormal\u201d<\/strong>, something to put up with with age, but it's not like that.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It can mean burning<\/strong>, Pain during intercourse<\/strong>, irritation, recurrent urinary tract infections, loss of desire<\/strong>, everyday discomfort, and even feeling changed in one's body and femininity.<\/p>\n The good news?<\/strong> In recent years, research has also studied the prasterone<\/strong> (DHEA\/Intrarosa) and the tVaginal testosterone<\/strong>, with very interesting results.<\/p>\n Let's understand together, in a simple yet rigorous way, what we truly know today.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The so-called GSMGenitourinary Syndrome of Menopause<\/strong>) affects almost one in two women after menopause, yet many continue to suffer in silence thinking it's inevitable.<\/p>\n With hormone decline<\/strong>, not only estrogen but also androgens such as testosterone cause the vaginal, vulvar, and urinary tissues to become thinner, less elastic, and less lubricated.<\/p>\n From here, they can appear:<\/p>\n For years, we've been led to believe it was \u201cjust a matter of estrogen,\u201d but in reality, vaginal tissues also respond to androgens, including testosterone, and this is precisely where the latest research is changing perspectives.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n To this day, it is the most studied therapy with the most scientific evidence.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A large meta-analysis published in 2024 on Journal of Menopausal Medicine<\/em> has shown significant improvements in:<\/p>\n The good news is that at low vaginal doses, blood estrogen levels generally remain within post-menopausal ranges.<\/p>\n When symptoms are predominantly local: dryness, irritation, pain during intercourse, and urinary issues.<\/p>\n It generally takes about 8-12 weeks to see the maximum benefit.<\/p>\n Here we enter into one of the most interesting innovations of recent years.<\/p>\n Prasterone is the pharmaceutical form of DHEA, a hormone that our body produces naturally and which progressively decreases with age.<\/p>\n Once inserted into the vagina, prasterone is locally transformed into both estrogens and androgens.<\/p>\n This means that:<\/p>\n The registration studies that led to EMA and FDA approval have shown:<\/p>\n But there's a very interesting aspect.<\/p>\n A more recent study has shown that prasterone can also increase elastin and the density of nerve endings in vaginal tissues \u2014 an effect that likely depends on the androgenic component.<\/p>\n In Italy, it is available as a 6.5 mg vaginal ovule for evening use, by medical prescription.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It's probably the least known option, but also one of the most interesting in some selected cases.<\/p>\n In Italy, there isn't a registered industrial drug: it is prepared as a masterly compounded medication in pharmacies, following a personalized medical prescription.<\/p>\n Why are the vulva, vestibule, and periurethral zone rich in androgen receptors?.<\/p>\n When testosterone levels drop, these tissues can also \u201csuffer.\u201d.<\/p>\n Vaginal testosterone acts directly on these receptors<\/strong> and a small amount is converted locally into estradiol.<\/p>\n One of the most cited studies was published in JAMA Oncology<\/em> in women with breast cancer treated with aromatase inhibitors.<\/p>\n Result?<\/p>\n Improvement of:<\/p>\n without clinically relevant increases in blood estradiol.<\/p>\n When is it considered?<\/strong><\/p>\n However, it must be said honestly: compared to estrogens and dehydroepiandrosterone (prasterone), vaginal testosterone has even fewer studies and fewer women enrolled in trials.<\/p>\n This must be followed by specialists experienced in menopause and female hormonal health.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n There isn't one single \u201cbest\u201d therapy.<\/strong><\/p>\n The choice depends on:<\/p>\n In general<\/p>\n They remain very important, especially for those who cannot or do not wish to use hormones.<\/p>\n Among the most used:<\/p>\n Many women also benefit from combining multiple strategies.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Vaginal dryness isn't \u201cin your head,\u201d it's not something to suffer through in silence, and it doesn't mean you're \u201caging badly.\u201d It is\u00a0a real biological change<\/strong>, related to hormones and tissues and above all: Today we have tools to feel better.<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Inform yourselves, ask questions, seek professionals knowledgeable about menopause and female hormonal health.<\/p>\n Why feeling good even after 40, 50, or 60 is not a luxury, it's a right<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Vaginal estrogens<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Prasterone (DHEA \/ Intrarosa)<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Vaginal testosterone<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Guidelines and Recent Revisions<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n With affection, yours ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Care Fenici, nelle ultime settimane abbiamo parlato molto di menopausa, ormoni e cambiamenti del corpo femminile. C\u2019\u00e8 un altro tema di cui tantissime donne soffrono, ma di cui ancora oggi si parla troppo poco: la secchezza vaginale. Molte donne pensano sia \u201cnormale\u201d, qualcosa da sopportare con l\u2019et\u00e0, ma non \u00e8 cos\u00ec. \u2b07\ufe0f Perch\u00e9 la […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":32176,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[174,178,73],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-integratori","category-benessere","category-menopausa-e-dintorni"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cristinatomasi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cristinatomasi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cristinatomasi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cristinatomasi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cristinatomasi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32165"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cristinatomasi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32165\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cristinatomasi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32176"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cristinatomasi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cristinatomasi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cristinatomasi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/h3>\n
Down arrow<\/h3>\n
Why vaginal dryness is more than just an intimate annoyance.<\/h3>\n
\nToday we have many more therapeutic options than in the past, and it's not just vaginal estrogen.<\/p>\nDown arrow<\/h3>\n
First of all: what is GSM?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Down arrow<\/h3>\n
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Vaginal estrogen<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
What do they do?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
The most commonly used phrases in Italy<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Down arrow<\/h3>\n
What does science say?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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When can they be particularly useful?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Prasterone (DHEA) \u2013 Intrarosa<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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The difference compared to estrogens<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
What did the studies show?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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When can it be particularly interesting?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\nwhen vulvar pain prevails
\n\u2022 when you want a very local action<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nDown arrow<\/h3>\n
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Vaginal Testosterone \u2013 The Great Unknown<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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Why can it work?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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The scientific evidence<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Down arrow<\/h3>\n
How do you choose between the three options?<\/h2>\n
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And non-hormonal options?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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In summary: 6 things to remember<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Down arrow<\/h3>\n
One last important thing, Phoenicians!<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"\u26a0\ufe0f\"](\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/17.0.2\/svg\/26a0.svg\")
You don't need to be ashamed of talking about these symptoms. <\/strong><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Primary scientific sources<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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\nDr. Tomasi<\/strong><\/p>\n