Laser that eases the discomfort of the menopause

LASERS are being used to tackle some of the main symptoms of the menopause. These symptoms, known as the genitourinary syndrome of menopause ( GSM), include vaginal dryness, pain or burning sensations, lack of lubrication, incontinence and recurrent urinary tract infections.

They are linked to the natural decline of oestrogen levels as a woman ages. The hormone helps keep the tissue of the vaginal wall thick, elastic and lubricated.

GSM is estimated to affect half of women after the menopause, according to the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual health, but numbers may be higher because some are hesitant to discuss this problem.

Unlike menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes, which generally improve with time, GSM often persists and may worsen.

Current treatments include oestrogen-based gels or hormone replacement therapy to boost oestrogen levels. however, these aren’t suitable for women with a history of oestrogen- dependent cancer, such as endometrial cancer and breast cancer.

With the new treatment, laser heat stiffens the tissue in the uterus, vagina, bladder and urethra. Studies have shown that applying heat increases blood flow and stimulates cells to produce more collagen and elastin — proteins that are important for tissue health.

This firms up the smooth muscle that lines these organs, and other tissue and fibres, as well as enhancing elasticity — which can improve many of the symptoms women experience during the menopause.

In the procedure, a speculum (a device commonly used for a smear test) keeps the vagina open as the laser is guided in and applied to the tissue of the vagina, uterus, bladder and urethra.

The technique, vaginal erbium laser therapy, is being pioneered by researchers at Pisa University hospital in Italy. Research so far suggests it can be effective after a short time.

A recent study of 65 women found that just three 30-minute treatment sessions over three months were enough to lead to significant improvement of their symptoms.

This was based on visual assessment of the amount of improvement in dryness and vaginal health, and que stionnaires completed by the patients for other symptoms including incontinence.

The patients reported their symptoms had halved in severity at the end of the study, according to the journal Minerva Ginecologica.

Doctors are still looking into how often the therapy would be needed.

The research has suggested women tolerate the procedure well and do not have significant side-effects.

Commenting on the procedure, Dr Ahmed Ismail, a consultant gynaecologist & obstetrician, and director of the Queen’s Clinic in harley Street, said: ‘Preliminary results suggest vaginal erbium laser is effective and safe for the treatment of GSM in postmenopausal women.

‘But long-term and controlled studies are required to confirm the conclusion of the trials.’

MEANWHILE, Chinese researchers say oestrogen levels could explain the difference in brain sizes of men and women.

The team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences studied monkeys, as they have some of the same genes involved in determining brain size as humans, and tested the effect of exposing these to the female hormone oestrogen.

Writing in the journal BMC evolutionary Biology, they found most of these genes bound to the oestrogen, which has much higher levels in women, and were switched off. They say this could explain why men usually have bigger brains.