Novel methods for treating or reducing the likelihood of acquiring symptoms or diseases due to the menopause, in postmenopausal women, particularly osteoporosis, vaginal atrophy and dryness, hypogonadism, diminished libido, skin atrophy, connective tissue disease, urinary incontinence, breast, endometrial, ovarian and uterine cancers, hot flashes, loss of muscle mass, insulin resistance, fatigue, loss of energy, aging, physical symptoms of menopause, in susceptible warm-blooded animals including humans involving administration of a sex steroid precursor are disclosed. Said method comprising novel ways of administering and dosing dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in order to take advantage of positive androgenic effects in the vaginal layers lamina propia and/or the layer muscularis, without undesirably causing systemic estrogenic effects in order to avoid the risk of breast and uterine cancer. Pharmaceutical compositions for delivery of active ingredient(s) useful to the invention are also disclosed.本發明揭示用以在停經後女性中治療或減少因為停經期而得到症狀或疾病[特別地，在易感性溫血動物(包括人類)中是骨質疏鬆症、陰道萎縮與乾燥、性腺低能症、性慾減低、皮膚萎縮、結締組織疾病、尿失禁、乳癌、子宮內膜癌、卵巢癌與子宮癌、熱潮紅、肌肉質量的流失、胰島素抗性、疲勞、能量的流失、老化，以及停經期的身體症狀]的可能性的新穎方法，其涉及一性類固醇前驅物的投藥。該方法包含有投藥以及給藥以去氫表雄固酮(DHEA)的新穎方式，俾以在陰道的固有層和/或肌肉層中利用正向的雄激素效用，而不會非所欲地引起全身性雌激素效用，俾以避免乳癌以及子宮癌的風險。本發明亦揭示可應用於本發明之用以投遞活性成分(等)的藥學組成物。
