title: Medical and patient attitude towards vaginal atrophy: the AGATA study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To provide data on current management of vaginal atrophy (VA) in a nationwide setting.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional, multicenter study was made in 913 postmenopausal women consulting 22 gynecological outpatient services. VA was diagnosed with a combination of subjective symptoms and objective evaluations. Women with a previous diagnosis and those with a new diagnosis of VA filled additional questionnaires regarding modalities of VA management and reasons for missing diagnosis, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  730/913 (80%) women had ever had a diagnosis of VA. In 274 (37.5%), the diagnosis was made prior to, and in 456 (62.5%) during the investigation. Of women with a new VA diagnosis, 81.1% had never discussed their symptoms with the health-care practitioner (HCP), and 78.7% (n = 359) had never been questioned by an HCP. Of women with a previous VA diagnosis, 90.2% had been treated with systemic (10.1%), local hormonal (49.4%) or local non-hormonal (30.5%) therapy. At the time of investigation, 61.9% of these women had stopped treatment, with only 3.3% having been successfully cured.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  VA is highly prevalent in postmenopausal women. Its current management and treatment seem to be highly unsatisfactory and can be improved by medical sensitization and patient education.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Pediatrics , University of Modena and Reggio Emilia , Modena , Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Palma
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Pediatrics , University of Modena and Reggio Emilia , Modena , Italy.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Della Vecchia
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Pediatrics , University of Modena and Reggio Emilia , Modena , Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cagnacci
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Pediatrics , University of Modena and Reggio Emilia , Modena , Italy.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001284:Atrophy; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004414:Dyspareunia; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014621:Vagina / Q000473:pathology*; D014623:Vaginal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy
keywords: Genitourinary syndrome of menopause; postmenopausal women; vaginal atrophy; vaginal health; vaginal treatments