New York, Feb 22 (IANS): Are you finding sex painful after menopause? A vaginal softgel which has been found to boost satisfaction level of older women may soon bring back happier days once again.

In the 14-day study involving women between the ages of 40-75, the compound called TX-004HR (VagiCap), a softgel given vaginally, improved sexual satisfaction of 63 percent of women, compared to 48 percent on the placebo.

The easy to use estrogen therapy may improve quality of life and satisfaction for postmenopausal women who experience pain during sex and other symptoms associated with vulvar and vaginal atrophy (VVA), the researchers said.

"Menopause is typically associated with hot flashes, but there are other common and distressing symptoms such as pain and discomfort during sex due to lack of estrogen," said Sheryl Kingsberg from University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center in Cleveland, US.

"It is important that women have options when it comes to their sexual health, and TX-004HR VagiCap may, if approved by the FDA, represent a novel treatment for VVA that women may find to be convenient and easy to use," Kingsberg added.

Between 25 and 45 percent of postmenopausal women find sex painful, a condition called dyspareunia. While there are many causes, the most common in women over 50 is VVA, the researchers said.

"For many women, symptoms such as these have a major impact on frequency and spontaneity of their sexual activity," said Kingsberg, who is also a professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

"It is essential that health care attendants routinely engage in open and sensitive discussions with postmenopausal women to ensure that symptomatic atrophy is detected early and appropriately managed," Kingsberg added.

The findings of the study were presented at the International Society of Women's Sexual Health (ISSWSH) 2015 annual meeting in Austin, Texas.