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Risk factors

By Mayo Clinic staff

Certain factors may contribute to vaginal atrophy. Among these are:

  • Smoking. Cigarette smoking impairs blood circulation, depriving the vagina and other tissues of oxygen. Decreased blood flow to your vagina contributes to atrophic changes. Smoking also reduces the effects of naturally occurring estrogens in the body. In addition, women who smoke have an earlier menopause and are less responsive to estrogen therapy in pill form.
  • Never giving birth vaginally. Researchers have observed that women who have never given birth vaginally are more prone to vaginal atrophy than are women who have had vaginal deliveries.
Complications Causes
References
  1. Bachmann G, et al. Diagnosis and treatment of vaginal atrophy. http://www.uptodate.com/patients/index.html. Accessed Aug. 6, 2010.
  2. The North American Menopause Society. The role of local vaginal estrogen for treatment of vaginal atrophy in postmenopausal women: 2007 position statement of The North American Menopause Society. 2007;14:357.
  3. MacBride MB, et al. Vulvovaginal atrophy. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2010;85:87.
  4. Palacios S. Managing urogenital atrophy. Maturitas. 2009;63:315.
  5. Suckling JA, et al. Local oestrogen for vaginal atrophy in postmenopausal women. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2006:CD001500.
  6. Archer DF. Efficacy and tolerability of local estrogen therapy for urogenital atrophy. Menopause. 2010;17:194.
  7. Reed SD, et al. Vaginal, endometrial, and reproductive hormone findings: Randomized, placebo-controlled trial of black cohosh, multibotanical herbs and dietary soy for vasomotor symptoms: The Herbal Alternatives for Menopause (HALT) study. Menopause. 2008;15:51.
  8. Mehta A, et al. Vulvovaginal complaints. Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2008;51:549.
  9. Labrie F, et al. Intravaginal dehydroepiandrosterone (Prasterone), a physiological and highly efficient treatment of vaginal atrophy. Menopause. 2009;16:907.
  10. Panjari M, et al. DHEA for postmenopausal women: A review of the evidence. Maturitas. 2010;66:172.
DS00770 Sept. 17, 2010

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