Healthcare professionals who see menopausal women with vulvo-vaginal atrophy (VVA), as part of genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM), are invited to take part in a new University of Melbourne survey exploring how this condition is diagnosed, discussed and treated in practice.
The survey is part of a qualitative research project documenting the perspectives of women, their partners and healthcare professionals on vaginal and vulval changes associated with the menopause. It asks five questions and is designed to capture real-world clinical experience of discussing, diagnosing and managing VVA.
Responses are anonymous and will be thematically analysed as part of a Graduate Research project at the University of Melbourne.
If you see menopausal women in your practice, your input is welcome regardless of specialty or years of experience. The survey takes around 5–10 minutes and can be accessed at redcap.link/DryVaginaSurvey.
VVA remains under-recognised and under-treated, despite affecting a large proportion of postmenopausal women. Many patients do not raise it proactively, and clinicians report variation in how confidently and consistently it is discussed, assessed and managed. This study aims to better understand these gaps from the clinician’s perspective, alongside the experiences of patients and partners.
The findings will inform a consumer guide, Dry Vaginas, intended to support clearer communication about VVA between women, partners and healthcare professionals.
The primary researcher is Dr Sue Downie, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne: Sue.Downie@UniMelb.edu.au.
This survey has ethics approval from the University of Melbourne Human Research Ethics Committee (approval #32758)