Assessing symptomatic vulvar, vaginal, and lower urinary tract atrophy

Area of Science:

• Gynecology
• Urology
• Diagnostic Medicine

Background:

• Vulvar, vaginal, and lower urinary tract atrophy (VVLUT) significantly impacts women's quality of life.
• Current diagnostic methods for VVLUT include subjective symptom assessment and objective measurements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review existing and emerging diagnostic methods for symptomatic VVLUT.
• To identify new possibilities for improved VVLUT diagnosis.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search on MEDLINE and Embase.
• Identification of diagnostic instruments and novel approaches for VVLUT.

Main Results:

• Symptom measurement (dyspareunia, vaginal dryness) is clinically useful but subjective.
• Objective measures include vaginal maturation index and vaginal pH.
• Clinical tools like vaginal health index and vulvar health index are valuable.
• Emerging research includes vaginal lamina propria analysis, distension measurement, and "vaginal tissue on a chip" technology.

Conclusions:

• Diagnosis of VVLUT can be made via symptoms and physical exam.
• Confirming diagnosis and evaluating treatments requires assessing symptoms, vaginal maturation index, and pH.
• There is a growing need for novel objective parameters in VVLUT assessment.