Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Feb 12, 2026 1 hour, 41 minutes ago
Medical News: A small but promising clinical study from Spain is drawing attention to a new regenerative treatment for one of the most underdiagnosed conditions affecting menopausal women. Doctors at La Paz University Hospital in Madrid have found that intradermal collagen injections into the vulvovaginal area may dramatically reduce pain, dryness, and sexual discomfort in women suffering from Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause, commonly known as GSM.
Collagen injections significantly reduced pain and restored vaginal tissue health in menopausal women resistant to standard treatments
The research was conducted by specialists from the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at La Paz University Hospital, along with experts from the Bioestadística–Plataforma de Bioestadística y Bioinformática Instituto de Investigación Hospital La Paz, Madrid, Spain.
Understanding a Silent but Widespread Condition
GSM affects an estimated 50 to 70 percent of postmenopausal women. It develops due to declining estrogen levels and can cause vaginal dryness, burning, irritation, urinary symptoms, and painful intercourse. Many women suffer in silence, often believing these symptoms are simply part of aging.
In this
Medical News report, researchers highlighted that all 20 women in the study had persistent symptoms despite trying standard first-line treatments such as lubricants, moisturizers, and topical estrogen therapy. Many had even stopped hormonal treatments due to discomfort, fear of side effects, or inadequate results.
How the Study Was Conducted
The study involved 20 women with a median age of 54. All participants received five sessions of multipoint intradermal injections using type I collagen (MD-Tissue). The injections were administered in the vulvar area and posterior vaginal wall at four-week intervals. Researchers evaluated outcomes before treatment and three months after the final injection.
Pain levels were measured using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Vaginal and vulvar tissue health were assessed using the Vaginal Health Index (VHI) and Vulvar Health Index (vHI). Quality of life and sexual function were evaluated using the Vulvovaginal Symptoms Questionnaire (VSQ) and the Clinical Global Impression scale.
Striking Reductions in Pain and Symptoms
The results were remarkable. Baseline pain scores dropped from an average of 5.9 to just 0.8. Pain during sexual intercourse fell from 8.7 to 2.0. These changes were highly statistically significant.
Tissue health also improved dramatically. Vaginal Health Index scores increased from an average of 6.0, indicating severe GSM, to 14.9, well above the diagnostic threshold. Vulvar Health Index scores improved from 11.3, classified as severe, to 3.7, indicating only mild symptoms.
All patients reported improvement in itching, burning, irritation, and dryness. Ninety-five percent no longer experienced vagin
al dryness. Eighty percent reported no vulvar pain after treatment. Importantly, 100 percent said their symptoms no longer affected their social interactions, intimacy, or emotional wellbeing. Eighty percent described themselves as “much better,” while the remaining 20 percent felt “moderately better.”
No significant adverse effects were reported during the study.
Why Collagen May Work
Researchers believe injectable collagen may act as a structural scaffold within tissues, helping restore elasticity, hydration, and strength to areas damaged by hormonal decline. Unlike lubricants that provide temporary relief, collagen aims to regenerate tissue at a deeper level.
Although this was a small pilot study without a control group, the magnitude of improvement suggests that collagen injections could become an important non-hormonal option, especially for women who cannot or do not wish to use estrogen-based therapies.
Conclusions
The findings suggest that intradermal vulvovaginal collagen injections may offer a safe and highly effective regenerative approach for women suffering from GSM that does not respond to conventional treatments. The significant reductions in pain, combined with measurable improvements in tissue health and quality of life, indicate that this therapy may address both the structural and symptomatic aspects of the condition. Larger, controlled trials with long-term follow-up will be essential to confirm durability, safety, and broader clinical applicability.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed Journal of Clinical Medicine.
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/15/4/1408
For women seeking alternatives to hormone therapy, this innovative approach may represent a meaningful breakthrough in menopausal care.
For the latest on Women’s Health, keep on logging to Thailand
Medical News.
Read Also:
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/menopause
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