Treating Where it Hurts: A Randomized Blinded Clinical Trial of Local Estrogen to the Vulvar Vestibule for Dyspareunia in Postmenopausal Women

Study start date: June 20, 2017

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Postmenopausal women aged 40 to 70 years old. 2. Postmenopausal, demonstrated by at least one of the following: i. Cessation of menses for ≥1 years if age is \>50 ii. Bilateral oophorectomy iii. A history of climacteric symptoms if below age 50, having an ovary and scarred or absent uterus. 3. Onset of dyspareunia after menopause.\* 4. Stable heterosexual partnership ≥2 years (or by investigator discretion if less than 2 years) and both partners want to have more satisfying penetrative intimacy. 5. No estrogen product use, local or systemic, for 6 months.\* 6. More than 6 months of consistent insertional pain with intercourse (may have stopped having intercourse due to this consistent experience of pain).\* 7. Willingness to enter a study where she will receive low-dose local estrogen.\* 8. Willingness to enter a study that requires application of cream on a frequent schedule for 3 months. \* 9. Willingness to evaluate the progress of therapies by use of the Tampon Test as many as 2 times per week, and willingness to attempt intercourse if the Tampon Test indicates tolerable penetrative pain.\* * n/a for reference group Exclusion Criteria: 1. Consistently has pain in the pelvis or low abdomen during or after intercourse (deep dyspareunia). 2. Negative cotton-swab touch test in the vulvar vestibule or vestibular tenderness that is not extinguishable by application of lidocaine 4% topical solution applied for 3 minutes. 3. Partner with sexual dysfunction limiting his performance or making it inconsistent. (The use of male therapy for erectile dysfunction is acceptable.) 4. Diagnosis by a physical therapist or clinician of significant pelvic floor muscle tension causing pain (pelvic floor myalgia) or has been found on screening examination to have pelvic floor tenderness or bladder tenderness. 5. Constant burning pain localized to the vulva. 6. Allergy to local estrogen products or lidocaine numbing agents. 7. Previous estrogen receptor positive breast cancer or endometrial cancer. 8. Endometrial thickness ≥5mm on screening via transvaginal ultrasound.