Atrophic vaginitis

Atrophic vaginitis is inflammation of the vagina as a result of tissue thinning due to not enough estrogen. Symptoms may include pain with sex, vaginal itchiness or dryness, and an urge to urinate or burning with urination. It generally does not resolve without ongoing treatment. Complications may include urinary tract infections. The lack of estrogen typically occurs following menopause. Other causes may include when breastfeeding or as a result of specific medications. Risk factors include smoking. Diagnosis is typically based on symptoms. Treatment is generally with estrogen cream applied to the vagina. Other measures that may help include vaginal lubricants. It is recommended that soaps and other irritants are avoided. About half of postmenopausal women are affected. Many however are not being treated. Women often report reduced enjoyment in sex as well as life generally. After menopause the vaginal epithelium changes and becomes a few layers thick. Many of the signs and symptoms that accompany menopause occur in atrophic vaginitis. Genitourinary symptoms include dryness pain itching burning soreness pressure white discharge malodorous discharge due to infection painful sexual intercourse bleeding after intercourse painful urination blood in the urine increased urinary frequency incontinence increased susceptibility to infections decreased vaginal lubrication urinary tract infections painful urination difficulty sitting difficulty wiping Since women can have signs and symptoms that could be attributed to other causes, diagnosis is based upon the symptoms that cannot be better accounted for by another diagnosis. Lab tests usually do not provide information that will aid in diagnosing. A visual exam is useful. The observations of the following may indicate lower estrogen levels: little pubic hair, loss of the labial fat pad, thinning and resorption of the labia minora, and the narrowing of the vaginal opening. An internal exam will reveal the presence of low vaginal muscle tone, the lining of the vagina appears smooth, shiny, pale with loss of folds.

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Conjugated estrogens

Conjugated estrogens (CEs), or conjugated equine estrogens (CEEs), sold under the brand name Premarin among others, is an estrogen medication which is used in menopausal hormone therapy and for various other indications. It is a mixture of the sodium salts of estrogen conjugates found in horses, such as estrone sulfate and equilin sulfate. CEEs are available in the form of both natural preparations manufactured from the urine of pregnant mares and fully synthetic replications of the natural preparations.

Vulva

The vulva (: vulvas or vulvae; derived from Latin for "wrapper" or "covering") consists of the external female sex organs. The vulva includes the mons pubis (or mons veneris), labia majora, labia minora, clitoris, vestibular bulbs, vulval vestibule, urinary meatus, the vaginal opening, hymen, and Bartholin's and Skene's vestibular glands. The urinary meatus is also included as it opens into the vulval vestibule. Other features of the vulva include the pudendal cleft, sebaceous glands, the urogenital triangle (anterior part of the perineum), and pubic hair.

Vaginitis

Vaginitis, also known as vulvovaginitis, is inflammation of the vagina and vulva. Symptoms may include itching, burning, pain, discharge, and a bad smell. Certain types of vaginitis may result in complications during pregnancy. The three main causes are infections, specifically bacterial vaginosis, vaginal yeast infection, and trichomoniasis. Other causes include allergies to substances such as spermicides or soaps or as a result of low estrogen levels during breast-feeding or after menopause.

Association between endocrine adjuvant therapy intake timing and disease-free survival in patients with high-risk early breast cancer: results of a sub-study of the UCBG- UNIRAD trial

Elise Hélène Dumas, Fabrice André

Background Circadian rhythms regulate cellular physiology and could in fl uence the ef fi cacy of endocrine therapy (ET) in breast cancer (BC). We prospectively tested this hypothesis within the UNIRAD adjuvant phase III trial (NCT01805271). Methods 1278 p ...

Elsevier2024

Differential Roles of MAPK Kinases MKK3 and MKK6 in Osteoclastogenesis and Bone Loss

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Public Library of Science2014

Analysis of familial risk for prostate, colon and female breast cancer in Sweden

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Using the Swedish Familial Cancer Database, organized and studied by the Hemminki group since 1997, the hypotheses that breast, prostate and colorectal cancers were affected by familial risks in Sweden (1958-2008) are tested. The null hypotheses were rejec ...

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Understanding Menopause: Hormones and Symptoms BIO-450: Molecular endocrinology

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