Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause and Our Solutions
Brad M. Cherson, Compounding RPh
A new term being used in the women’s health community is Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause. GSM terminology can be used while discussing the symptoms of a decrease in estrogen and other sex steroids, such as estriol, DHEA, progesterone, and testosterone. These can provide changes in the labia majora/minora, clitoris, vagina, bladder and urethra. Menopausal problems can be identified in many ways, but GSM describes the symptoms best in our opinion.
We at Pavilion Compounding are intent on listening to our patients needs and working with your provider to custom formulate a possible solution to your struggle with menopausal, and peri-menopausal problems. While hormone therapy can take months to regulate, other tricks in our compounding arsenal, may be able to alleviate symptoms faster.
Options vary, depending on many issues, but finding methods to allow the supporting active ingredient to adhere to the vaginal tissue, increasing contact time, is key to having a successful formulation.
Our newest base Mucolox™, is the perfect delivery vehicle to support many formulations. Some examples that can be compounded with Mucolox™for vaginal dryness and atrophy, include estriol combined with testosterone. Another non-hormonal option is using hyaluronic acid and vitamin E in a mixture of Mucolox™ and Versabase™, another useful base for vaginal use.
Many times a yeast or fungal infection requires treatment and our formulation with miconazole, acidophilus, and lidocaine formulated with Mucolox™ can be a very viable treatment option. Vaginosis can also be treated with chlorhexidine gluconate in a vaginal gel and our versatile boric acid vaginal suppositories by itself or combined with acidophilus.
Addressing vulvodynia, and chronic pain, can be helped by several formulations including diazepam or commonly known as Valium™, either in a cream or mucoadhesive suppositories, amitriptyline or Elavil™ combined with baclofen or for a more painful situation using ketamine, lidocaine and diazepam in a cream formulation.
As you can see, our selection of formulations can depend on several factors, and each patient has unique needs, only addressed by customized compounded formulations.
Pavilion Compounding Pharmacists are specially trained to understand the materials we have available to meet your specialized needs. We invite you to contact one of our Consulting Pharmacists to review how we can help you. Additionally, we can provide fragrance free, preservative and dye free formulations, as these can become very irritating in some women.