Abstract
This study is aimed at quantifying anecdotal reports that Totally Derma® has helped women who take it with their GSM symptoms, as well as assess the improvements in skin, nail, hair, and joint health of these women. While it is a small study, a 70% improvement in GSM symptoms has been reported, and almost 90% of participants have seen a boost in their skin, nail, hair, and joint health.
Methodology
Eight women with an age range of 48-61 were instructed to take Totally Derma®, a hydrolysed bovine collagen supplement*, at night for 12 weeks.
Seven of the eight women had not taken this or other collagen supplement regularly before or within the last 12 months. None had any diagnosis of vaginal or other significant health conditions that would interfere with results or render them ineligible due to contraindications from taking the supplement. Seven of the eight were post-menopause, one was perimenopausal, and the average age was 51. Five were using transdermal or oral HRT, in addition, one was using ovestin, one was using vagirux and one was using a DHEA supplement.
The women were asked to rate their GSM symptoms (vaginal dryness, pain during or after sex, bleeding after sex, stress urinary and urge incontinence, genital irritation) every fortnight for three months with a rating scale of 0-5.
The first report was considered the baseline and was compared to the results after 12 weeks for all symptoms measured.
Results
The first report was considered the baseline and the cumulative score of symptoms severity was 90. This dropped steadily during the course of the study to reach 27 by the end – a 70% improvement in symptoms. Individually there has been an improvement in all symptoms.
Across the board, 88.8% of the participants saw improvements in all areas measured. Skin and nail strength performed the best with a 65% improvement in skin hydration, 71% in skin texture and a 95% improvement in nail strength and appearance reported. Skin itchiness improved by 70%.
A total 70% improvement in all GSM symptoms.
- All women said the bleeding after sex had stopped.
- 80% said the stress urinary incontinence had improved.
- 60% said their urge incontinence had improved.
- 77% said the labial symptoms were no longer as severe, with one experiencing no symptoms at all.
- 64% said their vaginal dryness improved.
- 50% said pain during sex had reduced.
- Two who had not been able to have sex for years were able to.
- One was pain-free.
All women saw improvement in skin hydration, skin texture, and nail strength.
- 62.5% of women saw improvement in hair growth, with 37.5% of women reporting good and moderate improvements.
- 62% reported an improvement in skin itchiness.
- 37.5% of women also saw a good to moderate relief in their joint pain.
While participants were quick to see results with skin hydration and texture with improvements starting within two weeks, nail, hair and joints took longer to advance, as expected. More participants started reporting improvements in those areas after about 6 weeks. One woman reported a month after the trial that she could now see new good hair growth in an area of previous temporal hair loss consistent with hormonal changes and female pattern baldness.
Conclusion
Totally Derma® collagen supplement shows promising results for perimenopausal and postmenopausal women with moderate to severe genitourinary symptoms associated with menopause. Its formulation of enzymatically processed hydrolysed bovine collagen was well tolerated by most and no significant issues were reported. While this is a small, self-reporting study the results are promising with the supplement offering relief for 90% of the participants across the full range of GSM symptoms. The study also indicated that Totally Derma® can be beneficial for skin, hair, nails and joints.