Post menopausal vaginal dryness treated with vitamin D vaginal suppositories – RCT

The effect of vitamin D on vaginal atrophy in postmenopausal women

Iranian Journal of Nursing and MidWifery Research Vol 20, No 2 (2015)

Parastou Rad, Mitra Tadayon, Mohammadreza Abbaspour, Seyed Mahmood Latifi, Iran Rashidi, Hamdollah Delaviz

44 women in 8 week Random Controlled TrialVaginal suppositories: 1000 IU vitamin D or placeboimageSee also Vitamin D LifeOverview Women and Vitamin DALL of the top 10 health problems of women are associated with low vitamin DVaginal Vitamin D reduced vaginal infections - Jan 2014Overview Skin and vitamin DTopical Vitamin DSuspect topical Vitamin D drops, creams would work just as well in vaginaSuspect more than 1,000 IU would be much betterMany Vitamin D drops available on Amazon >400 as of April 2015, etc.A variety of Vitamin D creams are also available on AmazonSee also webThe effect of vitamin D suppository on atrophic vaginal mucosa in menopausal women       Some of the same authors, May 2015, no abstract USD 36

Background: Most of the women suffer from vaginal atrophy and dryness, and therefore, efficient and safe treatment is needed to improve vaginal lubrication. Vitamin D has several important functions which may be effective in proliferation and repair of the epithelial tissue. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of vitamin D vaginal suppositories on maturation index, pH, and dryness in postmenopausal women.

Materials and Methods: Women were enrolled in this double-blind clinical trial, in whom menopause occurred at least one year ago. Those women who had an abnormal Papanicolaou smear, had undergone hormonal treatment, or have had vaginal infection in the previous year were excluded. Forty-four women who found eligible were randomized into two equal groups, the treatment and control groups, which received vitamin D and placebo vaginal suppository daily for 8 weeks, respectively. Vaginal pH and maturation value were measured at the beginning and end of the study. Pain, dryness, and paleness were assessed before treatment and at the end of the 2, 4, and 8 weeks of treatment.

Results: In the treatment group, the

  • number (Mean ± SD) of superficial cells increased (69.76 ± 12.4) and

  • vaginal pH decreased (1.42 ± 0.67) significantly compared to the control group after 56 days.

The mean pain significantly reduced after 8 weeks in the

  • treatment group ( 1.23 ± 0.53) compared to the

  • control group 1.95 ± 0.74 (P < 0.001).

The mean of dryness and paleness reduced significantly in the treatment group versus control at 56 days.

Conclusions: Vitamin D is effective in improving the maturation index and decreased the pH and dryness of the vaginal atrophy due to menopause.

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