How common is vaginal atrophy (GSM)?

A desk with a printed chart page, a pencil, a tea mug, and two hands.

How often GSM occurs

Reading a prevalence figure

Look for a figure in a named source that says who was counted and how, then ask your clinician whether it matters for your own decision. The sources below are where to start, and the questions after them help you test any number you find.

What to look at

The Cleveland Clinic vaginal atrophy page covers causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment, so check it for any statement about how often the condition occurs. For a medical society's take on the same symptoms, read The Menopause Society's sexual health page. For wider context, the MedlinePlus menopause overview and the Office on Women's Health page on menopause symptoms and relief place these symptoms among the others that can come with menopause.

A skeptic's question: when a source says a condition is common, who was counted? Women of one age group, women who sought care, or women who reported symptoms can give very different numbers. Check this before you compare figures from two sources.

Testing any number you find

Look for the group and the year behind any number you find.
Notice whether a source separates having the tissue changes from having symptoms that bother you.
Ask your clinician whether how common something is matters for your decision, since your own symptoms are what you are treating.

A note on expertise

A prevalence figure describes a group, so your own clinician is the one to discuss options that fit your symptoms.