Strategies for managing patients with genitourinary syndrome of menopause: Parallels in national and international guidelines

The modern world still faces a number of demographic challenges, one of which is the continued increase in number and percentage of older population. This phenomenon poses numerous challenges to the global healthcare system, which requires significant economic and organizational investments in the health care delivery. Genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM) is one of the most common and pressing age-associated disorders. Current epidemiological data point to the extremely high prevalence rates for this nosology, which increases progressively as female reproductive aging proceeds according to the STRAW+10 scale. The studies have shown that at least one in two women experiences urogenital atrophy during their lifetime. Generalized atrophic syndrome in the urogenital region triggers a combination of typical symptoms, including vulvovaginal, urological, and sexual ones. Regardless of the clinical phenotype, GSM is associated with a significant decrease in women’s QoL overall and social maladjustment. Furthermore, it has now been proven that GSM is a significant predictor of the development of various phenotypes of pelvic floor muscular incompetence up to pelvic organ prolapse. In this regard, timely diagnosis and targeted/proven therapy are crucial steps to improve quality of life and maintain female reproductive health over the long horizon. This article aims to review available research literature in the context of GSM mainstreaming (from epidemiology to clinical presentation), as well as to highlight current approaches to the management of GSM based on the national and international guidelines of the British Menopause Society (2025). A literature search was conducted in international databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, and Elsevier. The search for papers was performed using the following keywords: genitourinary syndrome of menopause, vulvovaginal atrophy, clinical symptoms, and treatment of GSM. A total of 56 papers were selected for the narrative review, the most relevant of which

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