Effects of Vaginal Oxytocin Gel on Vaginal Cytologic Parameters in Postmenopausal Woman

Summary

Vulvovaginal atrophy affects around 90% of postmenopausal women who may present with symptoms such as dryness, irritation, itching, burning, and dyspareunia that negatively affect the quality of life. Topical estrogen is recommended for the treatment of vulvovaginal atrophy in postmenopausal women and the FDA approved it. But it may increase the risk of breast and endometrial cancer. The oxytocin hormone also promotes positive social behavior, stress regulation, and female sexual arousal. Many previous studies show that topical oxytocin is useful for reducing vaginal atrophy in postmenopausal women.

Timeline

Start

2022-11-30

Primary completion

2023-07-31

Completion

2023-08-28

Publications

• Background Zohrabi I, Abedi P, Ansari S, Maraghi E, Shakiba Maram N, Houshmand G. The effect of oxytocin vaginal gel on vaginal atrophy in postmenopausal women: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Womens Health. 2020 May 19;20(1):108. doi: 10.1186/s12905-020-00935-5.
• Background Alvisi S, Gava G, Orsili I, Giacomelli G, Baldassarre M, Seracchioli R, Meriggiola MC. Vaginal Health in Menopausal Women. Medicina (Kaunas). 2019 Sep 20;55(10):615. doi: 10.3390/medicina55100615.
• Background Gandhi J, Chen A, Dagur G, Suh Y, Smith N, Cali B, Khan SA. Genitourinary syndrome of menopause: an overview of clinical manifestations, pathophysiology, etiology, evaluation, and management. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2016 Dec;215(6):704-711. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2016.07.045. Epub 2016 Jul 26.
• Background Jonasson AF, Edwall L, Uvnas-Moberg K. Topical oxytocin reverses vaginal atrophy in postmenopausal women: a double-blind randomized pilot study. Menopause Int. 2011 Dec;17(4):120-5. doi: 10.1258/mi.2011.011030. Epub 2011 Nov 25.
• Background Fianu Jonasson A, Bixo M, Sundstrom Poromaa I, Astrom M. Safety and Efficacy of an Oxytocin Gel and an Equivalent Gel but Without Hormonal Ingredients (Vagivital(R) Gel) in Postmenopausal Women with Symptoms of Vulvovaginal Atrophy: A Randomized, Double-Blind Controlled Study. Med Devices (Auckl). 2020 Oct 5;13:339-347. doi: 10.2147/MDER.S265824. eCollection 2020.
• Background Kallak TK, Uvnas-Moberg K. Oxytocin stimulates cell proliferation in vaginal cell line Vk2E6E7. Post Reprod Health. 2017 Mar;23(1):6-12. doi: 10.1177/2053369117693148. Epub 2017 Mar 8.
• Background Hess R, Austin RM, Dillon S, Chang CC, Ness RB. Vaginal maturation index self-sample collection in mid-life women: acceptability and correlation with physician-collected samples. Menopause. 2008 Jul-Aug;15(4 Pt 1):726-9. doi: 10.1097/gme.0b013e31816c5541.
• Background Torky HA, Taha A, Marie H, El-Desouky E, Raslan O, Moussa AA, Ahmad AM, Abo-Louz A, Zaki S, Fares T, Eesa A. Role of topical oxytocin in improving vaginal atrophy in postmenopausal women: a randomized, controlled trial. Climacteric. 2018 Apr;21(2):174-178. doi: 10.1080/13697137.2017.1421924. Epub 2018 Jan 19.
• Background Al-Saqi SH, Uvnas-Moberg K, Jonasson AF. Intravaginally applied oxytocin improves post-menopausal vaginal atrophy. Post Reprod Health. 2015 Sep;21(3):88-97. doi: 10.1177/2053369115577328. Epub 2015 May 19.

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