REVEAL Surveys Overview
If you are a postmenopausal woman, you may be wondering what changes are occurring in your body, or you may have questions you want to ask your health care professional (doctor, nurse practitioner, physician’s assistant or nurse) about your vaginal and sexual health. To gain insights and a more thorough understanding of the vaginal and sexual health of postmenopausal Boomer women, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals commissioned the REVEAL (REvealing Vaginal Effects At mid-Life) market research surveys. In conducting the surveys, Wyeth collaborated with leading academic and clinical experts, and commissioned the market research agency StrategyOne to aid in the development, fielding, and reporting of the surveys.
REVEAL is comprised of two surveys – one of postmenopausal Boomer women aged 45 to 65 and another of health care professionals who treat postmenopausal women. The results of the REVEAL Surveys unveiled key insights, primarily that postmenopausal Boomer women may be hesitant to discuss their vulvar/vaginal and sexual health issues, and that a disconnect exists between the symptoms menopausal women are experiencing and the issues health care professionals report they are addressing with their postmenopausal patients.
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...What did the surveys REVEAL?
We need to talk:
While most of the women surveyed recognized the importance of their sexual health, about half agreed* that they refrain from talking about their sexual health and intimacy with others.
- Many health care professionals surveyed also agreed* that discussing the sexual health and intimacy of postmenopausal women is a sensitive topic.
Roughly half of the women surveyed agreed* it is still taboo to acknowledge that they are experiencing symptoms of menopause such as vulvar and vaginal dryness, or painful sex.
Although most postmenopausal women surveyed have heard of women experiencing the traditional symptoms related to menopause – hot flashes, night sweats, and mood swings – fewer have heard of women experiencing the vulvar and vaginal symptoms associated with menopause.
Half of the postmenopausal women surveyed agreed* that they have learned to live with vulvar and vaginal symptoms of menopause, such as dryness, as a normal part of getting older.
One out of four postmenopausal women surveyed experience painful sex (dyspareunia) at least sometimes.
- Even though it is painful, approximately three out of four of these women engage in sex at least once a month, and one out of three engage in sex at least once weekly.
Talking With Your Health Care Professional:
As less than half of surveyed postmenopausal women experiencing dyspareunia have initiated a conversation with their health care professionals about dyspareunia, greater openness and discussion about dyspareunia and the vulvar and vaginal symptoms of menopause are suggested.
- Nearly all health care professionals surveyed agreed* with the importance of treating a woman’s vulvar and vaginal health.
*Agreed = Strongly Agree + Somewhat Agree
Click here to view the full REVEAL Surveys report
Click here to view the REVEAL Surveys Methodology
