Intravaginal dehydroepiandrosterone for genitourinary symptoms of the menopause : Is the evidence sufficient?

Intravaginal dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a locally metabolised estrogen and androgen precursor, licensed in 2018 in the EU for moderate to severe vulvovaginal atrophy in postmenopausal women. A literature search revealed four original trials suitable for appraisal, three evaluating change in dyspareunia or dryness as a primary outcome, one evaluated safety as a primary outcome. In two trials of 255 and 558 women without cancer, the benefit of placebo (nightly vaginal suppositories with a lipophilic base) was a 0.9 and 1 point reduction in dyspareunia as measured on a 3 point scale, an unvalidated outcome measure. With nightly DHEA, dyspareunia was reduced by an additional 0.4 points compared to placebo. When 464 women with gynaecological cancer were randomised, those using nightly plain moisturiser gel reported a reduction of 'most bothersome symptom' (either dyspareunia or dryness) of 1.5 points on a 3 point scale. Those using nightly DHEA reported an additional symptom reduction of 0.3 points. This is also an unvalidated outcome measure. Data evaluating the efficacy of DHEA over placebo is unconvincing and based on unvalidated primary outcome measures that also do not reflect the complex psycho-sexual and socio-cultural components of genitourinary menopausal symptoms. The efficacy and safety data excluded women taking systemic HRT, applies to postmenopausal, not perimenopausal, women and had relatively short follow up. It is important further independent trials use sophisticated and validated assessment tools to better establish the efficacy, safety and cost effectiveness of intravaginal DHEA in clinically representative groups of women before being routinely prescribed.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2022

Erschienen:

2022

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:28

Enthalten in:

Post reproductive health - 28(2022), 4 vom: 06. Dez., Seite 237-243

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Kearley-Shiers, Katherine [VerfasserIn]
Holloway, Debra [VerfasserIn]
Janice Rymer [VerfasserIn]
Bruce, Deborah [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

459AG36T1B
Dehydroepiandrosterone
Journal Article
Menopause
Perimenopause
Postmenopause
Randomized Controlled Trial
Urogenital atrophy

Anmerkungen:

Date Completed 07.12.2022

Date Revised 07.12.2022

published: Print-Electronic

Citation Status MEDLINE

doi:

10.1177/20533691221135906

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM348146817