Evaluation of the efficacy of injectable platelet-rich fibrin in genitourinary syndrome of menopause.

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of injectable, platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) for the treatment of vaginal atrophy, also known as genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM), which may affect a third of a woman's lifespan.

Material and methods: This study included postmenopausal patients who had symptoms of genitourinary syndrome, such as vaginal burning, dryness, itching, and sexual dysfunction. Injectable platelet-rich fibrin (i-PRF) was applied to three areas on the posterior vaginal wall twice, one month apart. The genitourinary symptoms of the patients were evaluated using the female sexual function index (FSFI) and sexual life quality questionnaire before and one and six months after the procedure.

Results: Thirty-five patients were recruited with a mean age of 54.1±5.5 years. The analysis of the desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, pain, and total scores of the pre-procedural and post-procedural FSFI and sexual life quality questionnaire scores revealed significant improvements (p<0.001).

Conclusion: i-PRF treatment provided advantages such as safe and easy application, autologous material nature, absence of procedure-related complications or side effects, short procedure time, absence of the need for hospitalization, low cost, and a non-hormonal nature. These results suggest that injectable, PRF may be a promising treatment option in patients with symptoms of GSM. However, larger randomized controlled studies are needed to confirm and validate our findings.