Efficacy of Fractional CO2 Laser Treatment for Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause in Short-Term Evaluation—Preliminary Study

The postmenopausal state covers 40% of modern women’s lives and 50–70% of postmenopausal women report GSM symptoms such as vaginal dryness, itching, frequent inflammations, lack of elasticity, or dyspareunia. Consequently, a safe and effective method of treatment is crucial. In a group of 125 patien...

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Published in:Biomedicines 2023-04, Vol.11 (5), p.1304
Main Authors: Woźniak, Andrzej, Woźniak, Sławomir, Poleszak, Ewa, Kluz, Tomasz, Zapała, Łukasz, Woźniak, Aleksander, Rechberger, Tomasz, Wróbel, Andrzej
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
atrophy
Carbon dioxide
Epithelium
Estrogens
Fibroblasts
GSM
laser CO2
Lasers
Menopause
Metabolism
Patients
Post-menopause
Pruritus
Quality of life
Questionnaires
Urinary incontinence
Vagina
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Summary:The postmenopausal state covers 40% of modern women’s lives and 50–70% of postmenopausal women report GSM symptoms such as vaginal dryness, itching, frequent inflammations, lack of elasticity, or dyspareunia. Consequently, a safe and effective method of treatment is crucial. In a group of 125 patients, a prospective observational study was performed. The aim was to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of fractional CO2 laser in the treatment of GSM symptoms using a protocol of three procedures in 6-week intervals. The vaginal pH, VHIS, VMI, FSFI, and treatment satisfaction questionnaire were used. The fractional CO2 laser treatment was effective in improving all the objective forms of evaluation: vaginal pH (from 5.61 ± 0.50 at the baseline up to 4.69 ± 0.21 in the 6-week follow-up after the third procedure); VHIS (12.02 ± 1.89 at the baseline vs. 21.50 ± 1.76); VMI (21.5 ± 5.66 vs. 48.4 ± 4.46). Similar results were obtained for FSFI: 12.79 ± 5.351 vs. 24.39 ± 2.733, where 79.77% of patients were highly satisfied. Fractional CO2 laser therapy increases the quality of life by having a beneficial effect on the sexual function of women with GSM symptoms. This effect is obtained by restoring the correct structure and proportions of the cellular composition of the vaginal epithelium. This positive effect was confirmed by both objective and subjective forms of evaluating GSM symptom severity.
ISSN:2227-9059
2227-9059
DOI:10.3390/biomedicines11051304