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 estriol pessaries for the treatment of vaginal atrophy: a double-blind placebo-controlled trial investigating the efficacy of pessaries containing 0.2mg and 0.03mg estriol.
OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to confirm the superior efficacy of estriol containing pessaries compared to placebo in the treatment of vaginal atrophy . STUDY DESIGN In a prospect i ve , multicenter , r and omized , placebo-controlled , double-blind study , 436 postmenopausal women with vaginal atrophy ( vaginal maturation index , VMI<40 % ; vaginal pH>5 ; most bothersome symptom , MBS≥65 on visual analogue scale , VAS ) were treated with pessaries containing either 0.2 mg estriol ( N=142 ) or 0.03 mg estriol ( N=147 ) or with a matching placebo ( N=147 ) for 12 weeks . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Primary efficacy endpoints included increase in VMI , decrease of the vaginal pH value and decrease in intensity of MBS after 12 weeks of treatment . RESULTS The increase in VMI was significantly greater under 0.2 mg estriol and 0.03 mg estriol ( 46.3±17.0 and 38.4±19.4 , respectively ) compared to placebo ( 23.9±21.5 ; p values<0.001 ) , vaginal pH decreased significantly more ( -1.6±0.8 and -1.4±0.9 , respectively ) compared to placebo ( -0.6±0.8 ; p values<0.001 ) and MBS intensity ( VAS ) declined significantly more ( -52.2±23.7 and -47.1±23.4 , respectively ) compared to placebo ( -31.8±26.3 ; p values<0.001 ) . Adverse events were rare and occurred at similar rates in all three groups . CONCLUSIONS Superiority of estriol containing pessaries over placebo was shown in the local treatment of vaginal atrophy . Even a very low dose of 0.03 mg estriol proved sufficient for local treatment of vaginal atrophy with excellent tolerability
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 .