Impact of vulvovaginal atrophy of menopause in Spanish women: prevalence and symptoms according to the EVES Study

Abstract

Introduction: The prevalence of menopausal women with confirmed vulvovaginal atrophy (VVA) oscillates between 67e98%. Aim: To assess the prevalence of postmenopausal women with VVA confirmed by gynecologic clinical assessment among all women attending menopause centers in Spain, as well as to describe the impact of VVA on quality of life and sexual functioning. Methods: Women aged 45e75 years old with the last menstrual period >12 months before were included in a cross-sectional study. Main Outcome Measures: Women with 1 VVA symptoms filled out a number of questionnaires, including EuroQoL, Day-to-Day Impact of Vaginal Aging, Female Sexual Function Index, and Female Sexual Distress Scale-revised. A gynecologic examination was performed to confirm diagnosis. Results: 1,177 evaluable patients were included. VVA was confirmed in 87.3% of the patients. Almost 80% of women who acknowledged being sexually active (n ¼ 717) presented pain during intercourse. As compared with patients without confirmed VVA (n ¼ 66), patients with confirmed VVA (n ¼ 1,028) were significantly older (P < .0001), had lower rates of sexual activity (P < .05), and used more VVA treatments (P < .05). Severe vaginal atrophy and severe vulvar atrophy were more prevalent in VVA-confirmed women (P < .0001, in both cases). No differences regarding the confirmation of VVA were observed for EuroQoL andDay-to-Day Impact of Vaginal Aging quality-oflife questionnaires. Sexual function measured through the Female Sexual Function Index score was significantly reduced in sexually-active patients with confirmed VVA (P < .05). Conclusion: VVA signs and symptoms are highly prevalent in Spanish postmenopausal women. Confirmation of VVA diagnosis was associated with impaired sexual function. The early recognition of VVA symptoms should be actively promoted in medical practice, instead of waiting until signs appear to exclude other reasons for VVA and to manage treatment effectively.