Adherence to Vaginal Estrogen Therapy in Hypoestrogenic Women With Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections

Summary

* The goal of this clinical trial is to learn about medication adherence to difference types of vaginal estrogen in women with low levels of estrogen (for example, post-menopausal women) who have recurrent urinary tract infections. Medication adherence means whether patients take their medicine as prescribed. * Another goal of the study is to learn about changes to the skin of the vagina before and after estrogen treatment, using a specialized imaging modality called optical coherence tomography, which is similar to receiving an ultrasound. * A third goal of the study is to learn about changes to the microbiome (all the bacteria that naturally live in our bodies) before and after treatment with vaginal estrogen. The researchers will be looking specifically at the microbiome in the urine and the vagina. Participants will be assigned by chance (like the flip of a coin) to receive one of three possible vaginal estrogen treatments - cream, tablets, or drug-eluting ring. * The main study tests and procedures include an initial visit in which the researchers will collect baseline information about participants and have participants complete a series of questionnaires. * There will then be 3 and 6 month follow-ups in which the researchers will have participants complete additional questionnaires and the researchers also assess whether participants are using the vaginal estrogen treatment that you were prescribed. If a participant is part of the microbiome cohort, they will also be asked to do the following: * a baseline visit in which urinary and vaginal specimens are collected to assess their baseline microbiome. The vaginal specimen collection will involve a q-tip swab inside the vagina; it is similar to a pap smear. * Finally, participants will have an imaging modality performed on their vagina called optical coherence tomography, which allows the researchers to assess the thickness of the vaginal walls and the blood vessel density. This imaging modality involves the insertion of a thin probe into the vagina to obtain the images of the vaginal wall. * These tests will then be repeated at 6 months to assess if vaginal estrogen treatment causes changes to the vagina.

Timeline

Start

2024-06-14

Primary completion

2027-06

Completion

2027-09

Publications

• Background Foxman B. Epidemiology of urinary tract infections: incidence, morbidity, and economic costs. Am J Med. 2002 Jul 8;113 Suppl 1A:5S-13S. doi: 10.1016/s0002-9343(02)01054-9.
• Background Tan-Kim J, Shah NM, Do D, Menefee SA. Efficacy of vaginal estrogen for recurrent urinary tract infection prevention in hypoestrogenic women. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2023 Aug;229(2):143.e1-143.e9. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2023.05.002. Epub 2023 May 11.
• Background Perrotta C, Aznar M, Mejia R, Albert X, Ng CW. Oestrogens for preventing recurrent urinary tract infection in postmenopausal women. Obstet Gynecol. 2008 Sep;112(3):689-90. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0b013e318185f7a5. No abstract available.
• Background Brubaker L, Carberry C, Nardos R, Carter-Brooks C, Lowder JL. American Urogynecologic Society Best-Practice Statement: Recurrent Urinary Tract Infection in Adult Women. Female Pelvic Med Reconstr Surg. 2018 Sep/Oct;24(5):321-335. doi: 10.1097/SPV.0000000000000550. No abstract available.
• Background Raz R, Stamm WE. A controlled trial of intravaginal estriol in postmenopausal women with recurrent urinary tract infections. N Engl J Med. 1993 Sep 9;329(11):753-6. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199309093291102.
• Background Eriksen B. A randomized, open, parallel-group study on the preventive effect of an estradiol-releasing vaginal ring (Estring) on recurrent urinary tract infections in postmenopausal women. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1999 May;180(5):1072-9. doi: 10.1016/s0002-9378(99)70597-1.
• Background Portman D, Shulman L, Yeaw J, Zeng S, Uzoigwe C, Maamari R, Iyer NN. One-year treatment persistence with local estrogen therapy in postmenopausal women diagnosed as having vaginal atrophy. Menopause. 2015 Nov;22(11):1197-203. doi: 10.1097/GME.0000000000000465.
• Background Minkin MJ, Maamari R, Reiter S. Improved compliance and patient satisfaction with estradiol vaginal tablets in postmenopausal women previously treated with another local estrogen therapy. Int J Womens Health. 2013;5:133-9. doi: 10.2147/IJWH.S41897. Epub 2013 Mar 15.
• Background Weissmann-Brenner A, Bayevsky T, Yoles I. Compliance to vaginal treatment-tablets versus cream: a retrospective 9 years study. Menopause. 2017 Jan;24(1):73-76. doi: 10.1097/GME.0000000000000729.
• Background Rioux JE, Devlin C, Gelfand MM, Steinberg WM, Hepburn DS. 17beta-estradiol vaginal tablet versus conjugated equine estrogen vaginal cream to relieve menopausal atrophic vaginitis. Menopause. 2000 May-Jun;7(3):156-61. doi: 10.1097/00042192-200007030-00005.

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Indications