Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Observational Study
. 2021 Nov 30;21(1):398.
doi: 10.1186/s12905-021-01548-2.

Women's knowledge about the genitourinary syndrome of menopause: adherence to its treatments in the COVID-19 era in a sample of them: COMEM-GSM study

Laura Baquedano Mainar  1 , Sonia Sánchez Méndez  2 , Peña Dieste Pérez  3 , Mónica Hernández Aragón  3 , Nicolás Mendoza Ladrón de Guevara  4 ; COMEM Study Spanish investigators
Collaborators, Affiliations
Observational Study

Women's knowledge about the genitourinary syndrome of menopause: adherence to its treatments in the COVID-19 era in a sample of them: COMEM-GSM study

Laura Baquedano Mainar et al. BMC Womens Health. .

Abstract

Objective: To study knowledge regarding genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM) and the treatments for it and to analyze treatment adherence during the COVID-19 confinement.

Methods: Multi-center observational study including women between 35 and 75 years. An extension study of treatment adherence was conducted during the coronavirus pandemic between March and April 2020.

Results: A sample of 2355 women were included. Vaginal dryness was the most frequently identified symptom (74.3%). Lubricants were the best-known treatments (69.6%), followed by local estrogens (25.7%); 66% of the women did not speak to their gynecologist about sexuality. Comparative analyses were conducted according to age, menopausal status, type of menopause, place of residence, type of health care received and level of education. During the coronavirus confinement period, adherence to treatments for vulvovaginal atrophy was poor in 72.5% asked (n = 204). Reduced sexual activity (p > 0.001) and coronavirus diagnosis (p = 0.003) were significantly associated with poorer treatment compliance.

Conclusions: There is great lack of knowledge of the treatments used for GSM. Most women do not talk to their gynecologist about sexuality. Adherence to treatments during the coronavirus confinement has been worryingly low.

Keywords: Adherence; COVID-19; Confinement; Genitourinary syndrome of menopause; Knowledge; Menopause.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

References

    1. Palacios S, Castelo-Branco C, Currie H, et al. Update on management of genitourinary syndrome of menopause: a practical guide. Maturitas. 2015;82(3):308–313. doi: 10.1016/j.maturitas.2015.07.020. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Cain VS, Johannes CB, Avis NE, Mohr B, Schocken M, Skurnick J, Ory M. Sexual functioning and practices in a multi-ethnic study of midlife women: baseline results from SWAN. J Sex Res. 2003;40:266–276. doi: 10.1080/00224490309552191. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Damsted Petersen C. Female sexual function in midlife in Kirana. In: Anu A, editor. The EFS and ESSM syllabus of clinical sexology. 1. Amsterdam: Medix Publishers; 2013. pp. 1173–1197.
    1. Krychman M, Graham S, Bernick B, Mirkin S, Kingsberg SA. The women's EMPOWER survey: women's knowledge and awareness of treatment options for vulvar and vaginal atrophy remains inadequate. J Sex Med. 2017;14(3):425–433. doi: 10.1016/j.jsxm.2017.01.011. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Baquedano L, Sánchez S, Aznar T, Cancelo MJ, Escribano JJ, González S, Iglesias E, Jaimes J, Manubens M, Puy J, Mendoza N, Sánchez-Borrego R, Palacios S. Síndrome genitourinario de la menopausia, MenoGuía AEEM. Primera edición. 2020

Publication types