TY - JOUR
T1 - Effect of intravaginal dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) on the female sexual function in postmenopausal women
T2 - ERC-230 open-label study
AU - Bouchard, Celine
AU - Labrie, Fernand
AU - DeRogatis, Leonard
AU - Girard, Ginette
AU - Ayotte, Normand
AU - Gallagher, John
AU - Cusan, Leonello
AU - Archer, David F.
AU - Portman, David
AU - Lavoie, Lyne
AU - Beauregard, Adam
AU - Côte, Isabelle
AU - Martel, Celine
AU - Vaillancourt, Mario
AU - Balser, John
AU - Moyneur, Erick
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 by De Gruyter.
PY - 2016/3/1
Y1 - 2016/3/1
N2 - Objective: Intravaginal DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone, prasterone), the exclusive precursor of androgens and estrogens in postmenopausal women, has previously been shown to improve all the domains of sexual function by a strictly local action in the vagina. The well recognized female sexual function index (FSFI) questionnaire was used in the present study. Design: The long-term effect of 52-week treatment with daily intravaginal 0.50% (6.5 mg) DHEA was evaluated on the various domains of female sexual function using the FSFI questionnaire at baseline, Week 26 and Week 52. Subjects: One hundred and fifty-four postmenopausal women with at least one mild to severe symptom of vulvovaginal atrophy (VVA) and who have completed the FSFI questionnaire at baseline and at least one post-baseline timepoint were included in the analysis. Results: The FSFI domains desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction and pain were increased by 28%, 49%, 115%, 51%, 41% and 108%, respectively (p<0.0001 for all parameters) at 52 weeks vs. baseline, while the total score was increased from 13.4±0.62 at baseline to 21.5±0.82 (+60%, p<0.0001) at 52 weeks. Conclusion: As the serum levels of DHEA and all its metabolites, including estradiol and testosterone, show no meaningful change, the present clinical data indicate a stimulatory effect of intravaginal DHEA through a strictly local action in agreement with the preclinical data showing that the androgens made locally from DHEA in the vagina induce an increase in local nerve density.
AB - Objective: Intravaginal DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone, prasterone), the exclusive precursor of androgens and estrogens in postmenopausal women, has previously been shown to improve all the domains of sexual function by a strictly local action in the vagina. The well recognized female sexual function index (FSFI) questionnaire was used in the present study. Design: The long-term effect of 52-week treatment with daily intravaginal 0.50% (6.5 mg) DHEA was evaluated on the various domains of female sexual function using the FSFI questionnaire at baseline, Week 26 and Week 52. Subjects: One hundred and fifty-four postmenopausal women with at least one mild to severe symptom of vulvovaginal atrophy (VVA) and who have completed the FSFI questionnaire at baseline and at least one post-baseline timepoint were included in the analysis. Results: The FSFI domains desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction and pain were increased by 28%, 49%, 115%, 51%, 41% and 108%, respectively (p<0.0001 for all parameters) at 52 weeks vs. baseline, while the total score was increased from 13.4±0.62 at baseline to 21.5±0.82 (+60%, p<0.0001) at 52 weeks. Conclusion: As the serum levels of DHEA and all its metabolites, including estradiol and testosterone, show no meaningful change, the present clinical data indicate a stimulatory effect of intravaginal DHEA through a strictly local action in agreement with the preclinical data showing that the androgens made locally from DHEA in the vagina induce an increase in local nerve density.
KW - Androgens
KW - FSFI
KW - dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)
KW - female sexual dysfunction
KW - intracrinology
KW - low arousal
KW - low desire
KW - postmenopause
KW - prasterone
KW - vaginal nerve fibers
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U2 - 10.1515/hmbci-2015-0044
DO - 10.1515/hmbci-2015-0044
M3 - Article
C2 - 26725467
AN - SCOPUS:84979463991
SN - 1868-1883
VL - 25
SP - 181
EP - 190
JO - Hormone Molecular Biology and Clinical Investigation
JF - Hormone Molecular Biology and Clinical Investigation
IS - 3
ER -