Differences in vaginal dryness according to hormone therapy schedule using pH test strip in two groups of...

To compare vaginal dryness in two groups of postmenopausal women according to hormone replacement therapy schedule using pH test strip.

Twenty-two healthy postmenopausal women were divided into two groups according to the treatment they received: Group I, conjugated equine estrogens (CEE) 0.625 mg/day (n = 15); Group II, CEE 0.625 mg/day plus medroxyprogesterone 2.5 mg/day (n = 7). Vaginal dryness intensity was analyzed using an analog visual scale and vaginal humidity by measuring the moistening, in millimeters, of a pH test strip. Both were evaluated at baseline and 3 months after the beginning of treatment. The comparison among groups and between baseline and final results was done with Student's t test for paired and independent samples, respectively.

No differences were found in age and in anthropometric variables among the groups. In both groups, vaginal dryness intensity significantly decreased and the pH test strip moistening significantly increased, but the magnitude of the moistening was greater in the group with medroxyprogesterone.

When medroxyprogesterone was added to estrogen therapy, a greater vaginal moistening of pH test strip was observed than when estrogen was used alone.