Just some more interesting articles recently posted in our
AUA Daily Scope. It’s good to know female sexual medicine is getting more coverage each time and physicians and researchers are paying more attention to the sexual needs of women (and not just men).
Young, female breast cancer survivors may often suffer from sexual, intimate relationship issues, research indicates.
UPI (11/12) reports, "Young, female breast cancer survivors often suffer from sexual and intimate relationship issues and use sexual enhancement products," according to research published in the journal
Cancer Nursing. Researchers found that "a significant number of women reported vaginal dryness, genital pain, premature menopause, fatigue, and fertility problems. In addition, survivors experienced significant problems related to sexual arousal, desire, and orgasm."
Ultra-low-dose estradiol vaginal tablet may reduce symptoms of vaginal atrophy after 12 weeks of treatment, trial indicates.
Medscape (11/14, Barclay) reported, "An ultra-low-dose estradiol (E2) vaginal tablet reduces symptoms of vaginal atrophy after 12 weeks of treatment, according to the results of a multicenter, double-blind study reported in the November issue of
Obstetrics & Gynecology." For the trial, "... 309 postmenopausal women were randomly assigned to receive 10-µg 17β-E2 or placebo vaginal tablets for 52 weeks." Researchers found that "there was significant improvement from baseline to week 12 in vaginal Maturation Index for 10 µg of 17β-E2 vs. placebo.
Studies examine sexual problems in women.In the
Boston Globe (11/10) White Coat Notes blog, Stephan Smith wrote that two studies of "women's sexual problems — whether they care about them and, if they do, how to address them ... get to the heart of what qualifies as a medical disorder and what risks might be involved in taking drugs to treat them." In a study in
Obstetrics and Gynecology, "more than 31,000 women [were asked] if they had [sexual difficulties] and whether these problems caused them unhappiness. About 43 percent ... had one or more problems, but" only 12 percent were troubled by them. The study's lead researcher said that "something ... in 40 percent of otherwise healthy women" should not be called a disorder. In a
New England Journal of Medicine study, "about 800 postmenopausal women [wore] patches that delivered ... high or low levels of testosterone or no hormone at all." Researchers found that high-dose patch wearers "experienced a 'modest but meaningful' improvement in their sex lives." The study's lead author said, "Clearly it's only for that group of women for whom any potential risk would be justified."
Study indicates testosterone patch may improve libido in older women.UPI (11/6) reported, "Australian researchers suggest a testosterone patch may significantly improve flagging libidos in older women, though there are side effects," according to a study published this week in the
New England Journal of Medicine. The study included "800 postmenopausal women who weren't on estrogen therapy [and] who reported low sexual desire."
While "either dose of testosterone significantly increased the women's sex drive," Rob Stein noted in the
Washington Post (11/6) Checkup blog, women who received "higher doses reported a big increase in the frequency of 'satisfying sexual episodes' each month -- from about two a month before the treatment to more than four." These women also "reported more orgasms and pleasure."