Comparison of Sensitivity of FSH Levels and Vaginal pH in Diagnosis of Menopause, Estradiol Levels and Menopausal Signs

摘要

Introduction: As immunoassay and Eliza are used nowadays for checking levels of FSH and estradiol, the role of vaginal acidity as a sign of responding vaginal cells to estrogen has been forgotten, although its role in this field is known. The purpose of this study was to assess the sensitivity of vaginal pH in diagnosis of menopause, estradiol levels, hot flashes and vaginal dryness that are frequent problems. Methods: This descriptive – cross sectional study included 250 women aged 45- 60 years. Population sampling was nonrandom and inclusion factors included absence of hormonal therapy, absence of vaginal douche or coitus during the past three days. Vaginal pH, FSH and estradiol levels were determined. The analysis was carried out using SPSS. For comparing two variables, Spearman, Pearson and chi-square tests were used. Results: The mean age of the population sample was 50.4 years(SD ± 4.4) of which 45.7% were menopause and 54.3% were in menopausal transition. Mean vaginal pH was 5.57±0.66. The association between vaginal pH, FSH and estradiol was significant (P=0.047, P=0.000). In this study, the cut off point of FSH for diagnosing menopause was ≥20 mu/ml. The sensitivity of vaginal pH>5 with this level of FSH was determined to be 60%. Sensitivity of vaginal pH>5 in diagnosing estradiol ≤40pg/ml was determined to be 55%. The association between hot flashes and vaginal dryness with vaginal acidity was significant.Conclusion: Vaginal pH is an easy, noninvasive, alternative and cheap assay for diagnosing menopause, estradiol levels and menopausal signs.