Local treatment

• After the menopause, due to lack of oestrogen, the vagina becomes shorter, less elastic and dryer. These changes are referred to as 'atrophic vaginitis' or “vaginal atrophy”. Common symptoms are vaginal dryness, itching, burning, soreness of the vagina and pain during intercourse (dyspareunia).
• Changes in vaginal flora may result in more frequent bacterial of fungal vaginal infections.
• Approximately 30% of women experience vaginal symptoms during the early post-menopausal period, and up to 47% of women have them during the later post-menopausal period¹.

1. NHS Direct: Health Encyclopaedia - 2008 http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/.

• Oestrogen helps keep the muscles at the base of the bladder tight and strong. As oestrogen levels fall during menopause, these tissues can weaken and many women find that they need to urinate more often. An increase in urinary frequency may occur during both day and night. A sudden need to urinate (urge incontinence), soon after emptying the bladder, is also a common problem.
• Recurring urine infections are more common after the menopause. Lack of oestrogen lowers the acidity of urethral secretions (the urethra is the tube connecting the bladder to the outside of the body), resulting in fewer protective bacteria being present to help to fight infection. A sign of possible infection is burning or stinging when urinating.