Short term oral estriol treatment restores normal premenopausal vaginal flora to elderly women.

OBJECTIVE Estriol is an estrogen with considerably weaker stimulatory effects on endometrial proliferation than estradiol. A study was conducted to determine the effects of oral estriol on vaginal flora and endometrial thickness. METHODS Fifty-nine postmenopausal women (50-75 years of age), complaining of pruritus or vaginal discharge, participated in the study. Vaginal flora and endometrial thickness were evaluated before treatment and after receiving oral estriol (2 mg/day) for 14 days. RESULTS Prior to treatment, lactobacilli were found in vaginal cultures from only six of the 59 study participants, whereas after treatment, the vaginal flora of 27 women showed a presence of lactobacilli (P<0.0001). Endometrial thickness exceeded 5 mm in only five cases. No side effects were reported. CONCLUSION Estriol, which has little effect on the endometrium, has the potential to be highly useful for the treatment of atrophic vaginitis.