TITLE:
Physiotherapy as a Way to Maintain Vaginal Health during Menopause
AUTHORS:
Mercedes Blanquet Rochera, Cristina Salar Andreu, Yolanda Castellano Madrid, Karima Bouallalene, Enrique Montero Pau
KEYWORDS:
Menopause, Vaginal Health, Physiotherapy, Pelvic Floor
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Sexual Medicine,
Vol.7 No.2,
April
18,
2017
ABSTRACT: The majority of women will experience some or most of the menopause symptoms in their life. Thais time in women’s life is associated with a reduction in estrogen levels which leads to physiological changes that affect different organ systems. In the urogenital tract, these changes usually cause vulvar and vaginal atrophy, affecting a vaginal health of women and decreasing their quality of life. Also, there is a reduction in vaginal moisture and loss of tissue elasticity. Besides, other organ systems are involved and they can also negatively impact normal vaginal physiology. These evolutional changes frequently lead to bothersome symptoms that can negatively impact a woman’s vaginal health and the quality of life. The role of pelvic floor physiotherapy is to improve the tone and strength of the muscle fibres in order to achieve the increase of motor units, improve muscle elasticity and to increase the muscle mass which will help to alleviate menopause symptoms.