HT treatment with estrogens alone or in combination with progestogens was associated with a small to moderate improvement in sexual function , particularly in pain , when used in women with menopausal symptoms or in early postmenopause ( within five years of amenorrhoea ) , but not in unselected postmenopausal women .
The current evidence does not suggest an important effect of tibolone or of SERMs alone or combined with estrogens on sexual function .
BACKGROUND The perimenopausal and postmenopausal periods are associated with many symptoms , including sexual complaints .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effect of hormone therapy ( HT ) on  sexual function in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women .
Low-dose 17 beta-estradiol vaginal tablets in the treatment of atrophic vaginitis: a double-blind placebo controlled study.
The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of 25 micrograms 17 beta-estradiol administered as a small vaginal tablet ( Vagifem , Novo Nordisk A/S ) on the symptoms of the vagina related to atrophy . The study was design ed as a double-blind r and omized placebo controlled study running for 12 weeks . The women were treated once daily for 2 weeks with the active or the placebo tablet . During the subsequent 10 weeks the women were treated twice a week . One hundred and sixty-four women were included . Ten dropped out for minor reasons , most of these due to lack of effect in the placebo group . In the Vagifem group 78.8 % were suffering from moderate to severe atrophy of the vagina , compared with 81.9 % in the placebo group . After 2 weeks the percentages were 14.3 and 35.3 , respectively . After 12 weeks of treatment , 10.7 % in the Vagifem group compared with 29.9 % in the placebo group had moderate to severe atrophy ( P less than 0.0001 ) . A substantial part of the women complained about subjective symptoms such as vaginal dryness and dyspareunia . After 12 weeks of treatment , a significant improvement was found in the Vagifem group ( P less than 0.002 ) . Before treatment 53.1 % in the treatment group and 41.0 % in the placebo group were suffering from urological symptoms . After 2 weeks , 60.5 % of the women in the Vagifem group underwent a change for the better compared to 35.3 % in the placebo group . After 12 weeks of treatment the percentages in the two groups feeling an improvement were 62.8 % and 32.4 % . In this study local low-dose treatment with 25 micrograms 17 beta-estradiol was found to have a significant effect on the  postmenopausal urogenital symptoms related to atrophy
HT treatment with estrogens alone or in combination with progestogens was associated with a small to moderate improvement in sexual function , particularly in pain , when used in women with menopausal symptoms or in early postmenopause ( within five years of amenorrhoea ) , but not in unselected postmenopausal women .
The current evidence does not suggest an important effect of tibolone or of SERMs alone or combined with estrogens on sexual function .
BACKGROUND The perimenopausal and postmenopausal periods are associated with many symptoms , including sexual complaints .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effect of hormone therapy ( HT ) on  sexual function in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women .