Hyaluronic acid and erbium laser for the treatment of genitourinary syndrome of menopause

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the vaginal erbium laser (VEL) in association with vaginal hyaluronic acid (HA) in postmenopausal women suffering from genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM). Methods: One hundred sexually active postmenopausal women were selected and divided into three groups using a block randomization method; 10 women declined to participate. The remaining women received three laser applications at 30-day intervals; 22 women dropped out for personal reasons or protocol violations. Group 1 (n=25) received VEL treatment (XS Fotona Smooth((R)); Fotona, Slovenia) alone; Group 2 (n=22) received daily vaginal HA tablets for 10days after VEL treatment, followed by a twice a week administration during the follow-up period; and Group 3 (n=21) received daily HA tablets for 10days before the first VEL treatment and for 10days after each laser application, followed by a twice a week administration for the follow-up period. Vaginal dryness and dyspareunia were assessed at the screening visit, before VEL treatment, after 1 and 3months from the last laser treatment, using the visual analog scale. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance and a linear mixed model for repeated measures. The post-hoc test for the interaction between time and treatment was performed using Bonferroni correction. Results: A significant (p<0.001) improvement in both vaginal dryness and superficial dyspareunia was evident, with greater (p<0.001) improvement in Group 2 and Group 3. Conclusions: The results suggest that vaginal HA administration can improve the VEL effects on GSM in postmenopausal women.