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Updated: Jul 7, 2026

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Published on: August 13, 2019
The effect of ultralow-dose transdermal estradiol on sexual function in postmenopausal women
Alison Huang1, Kristine Yaffe, Eric Vittinghoff
1Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, CA, USA. ahuang@ucsfmed.org
Objective:
This study was undertaken to examine the effect of ultralow-dose transdermal estradiol on sexual function in postmenopausal women.
Study Design:
Analysis of data from a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of a 0.014 mg/day transdermal estradiol patch in 417 women aged 60 to 80 years. Sexual function was assessed by self-administered questionnaires at baseline and 4, 12, and 24 months. A linear effects model was used to assess treatment effects using data from all on-study assessments.
Results:
Women randomly assigned to estradiol had a 4.3 point greater improvement in the vaginal pain/dryness domain relative to placebo (95% CI = 0.3-8.4, P = .04). No significant differences in frequency of sexual activity or other sexual function domains (desire, satisfaction, problems, or orgasm) were observed between treatment groups (P > or = .10 for all).
Conclusions:
Ultralow-dose estradiol resulted in modest improvement in sexual function related to vaginal pain and dryness, but not in other domains of sexual function.
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