Vaginal Oestriol
Status
No approved product. No FDA-approved labeling exists for oestriol in the United States, where it is available only as a compounded preparation and is not FDA-reviewed. Vaginal estriol products are authorised in some other countries; this entry has not verified which products are currently marketed.
What it is
A weak local estrogen used for genitourinary symptoms after menopause.
What published research measured
Oestriol applied vaginally, a weak oestrogen with lower receptor potency and a shorter duration of action than oestradiol, used for genitourinary symptoms of menopause. European trial evidence supports improvement in vaginal atrophy, dryness and recurrent urinary tract infections, and a randomized, placebo-controlled trial of intravaginal estriol cream in 93 postmenopausal women with recurrent urinary tract infections reported fewer infections over eight months (Raz and Stamm, New England Journal of Medicine 1993). The mechanistic argument for local oestriol is that minimal systemic absorption occurs at low-dose vaginal application, so endometrial stimulation is limited, and European guidance has generally not required added progestogen for low-dose vaginal oestrogen. It is authorised in some countries; no estriol-containing drug is FDA-approved in the United States.
Source
Randomized trial of vaginal oestrogen for recurrent urinary tract infection prevention, New England Journal of Medicine
Sources
No linked primary source is on file for this entry yet.
Educational use only, never medical advice. No doses.