TOPLINE:
Among women with genitourinary syndrome of menopause, 12 weeks of treatment with vaginal suppositories containing hyaluronic acid (HLA) reduces vulvovaginal symptoms, according to trial results presented at the annual Menopause Meeting. HLA may be a promising nonhormonal therapy for this condition, the researchers said.
METHODOLOGY:
- Investigators randomly assigned 49 women to receive treatment with a vaginal suppository containing 5 mg of HLA or standard-of-care treatment with vaginal estrogen cream (0.01%).
- The trial was conducted between September 2021 and August 2022.
TAKEAWAY:
- Patients in both treatment arms experienced improvements on the Vulvovaginal Symptom Questionnaire (VSQ), the study’s primary outcome.
- The VSQ assesses vulvovaginal symptoms associated with menopause such as itching, burning, and dryness, as well as the emotional toll of symptoms and their effect on sexual activity.
- Change in VSQ score did not significantly differ between the treatment groups. The measure improved from 5.2 to 1.7 in the group that received estrogen, and from 5.8 to 2.5 in those who received HLA (P = .81).
- No treatment-related severe adverse events were reported.
IN PRACTICE:
“Women often need to decide between different therapies for genitourinary syndrome of menopause,” study author Benjamin Brucker, MD, of New York University said in an interview. “Now we can help counsel them about this formulation of HLA.”
SOURCE:
Poster P-1 was presented at the 2023 meeting of the Menopause Society, held Sept. 27-30 in Philadelphia.
DISCLOSURES:
The study was funded by Bonafide Health, a company that sells supplements to treat menopause symptoms, including vaginal suppositories containing HLA.
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.