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Biomedical subjects

E Nedstrand

Publications and source records attributed to E Nedstrand.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

The relationship between stress-coping and vasomotor symptoms in postmenopausal women.

OBJECTIVE: The objective was to assess whether menopausal women with vasomotor symptoms had a lower stress-coping than menopausal women without symptoms and if stress-coping changed when vasomotor symptoms had been effectively treated with estrogens. The objective was also to assess whether menopausal women, effectively treated for vasomotor symptoms, had a higher neuroticism score than women without such symptoms. METHODS: Two groups of physically and mentally healthy postmenopausal women were recruited from the outpatient clinic at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Hospital of Linköping, Sweden. Sixteen women with vasomotor symptoms (target group) were treated with oral 17 beta-estradiol, 2 mg/day during 3 months. A comparison group was formed comprising 17 women without vasomotor symptoms. The Kupperman Index was used to cover menopausal characteristics in all women at baseline as well as at the second visit after 3 months. Stress-coping was measured by means of the Stress Coping Inventory, which is an instrument developed to measure of the individual's appraisal of having adaptive resources for handling stressful situations. At the second visit all women were also asked to complete the Eysenck Personality Inventory. RESULTS: Women in the target group had a significantly lower stress-coping than women in the comparison group at baseline as well as after 3 months. Stress-coping did not change after estrogen therapy, although the vasomotor symptoms had virtually disappeared. Women in the target group successfully treated for vasomotor symptoms, had a significantly higher neuroticism score compared to the comparison group. CONCLUSIONS: Differences in behaviour patterns and personality are probably two reasons why some women report or seek advice due to vasomotor symptoms and some women do not. Stress-coping in women with moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms is unaffected by estrogens.

Adaptation, Psychological

[Estrogen and natural products in the treatment of postmenopausal complaints. Oral contraceptives prepare the way for hormonal substitution].

To chart current and previous use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and alternative remedies in a postmenopausal population, in relation to previous oral contraceptive (OC) usage, all 1,323 55-56-year-old women living in Linköping in 1995 were sent a questionnaire concerning health status and climacteric symptoms, and previous and/or current use of HRT, OCs and alternative remedies. Current HRT was more common among previous OC users than among those who had never used OCs (41.4 vs. 23.1 percent). As compared with non-HRT users, HRT users were characterised by greater physical activity but less strenuous occupations, and a higher prevalence of hysterectomy. Of the series as a whole, 35 per cent were currently on HRT, half of them having been so for at least two years, and only 5 per cent had abandoned HRT after trying it for some time. Alternative remedies were used by 5 per cent of the women as therapy for climacteric complaints, but about four times as many women had tried such therapy and abandoned it. The sole characteristic feature of alternative remedy usage was that it was less common among hysterectomised women. Of women treated for breast cancer, none used HRT and few used alternative remedies. Thus, in this postmenopausal population, the prevalence of HRT was high, as was the level of compliance. Previous OC usage was probably a determinant of current attitudes toward HRT.

Aged

Treatment of menopausal symptoms with applied relaxation: a pilot study.

Applied relaxation (AR) was tested in a series of six women with postmenopausal hot flushes. The AR program consisted of group instructions 1 hour per week over a 12 week duration. The number of flushes were registered from 1 month before to 6 months after training AR. Menopausal symptoms (Kupperman Index), psychological well-being (Symptom Checklist), and mood (MOOD Scale) were measured at various moments during the study. For the six patients the number of flushes decreased from the baseline period to 6 months follow-up with 59, 61, 62, 67, 89 and 100% respectively, in mean 73%. While the scores on the Kupperman Index and the Symptom Checklist followed the pattern of the flushes, a similar trend was not seen for the scores on the MOOD Scale.

Affect

Climacteric symptoms in a postmenopausal Czech population.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence of climacteric symptoms and the use of hormone replacement therapy in a former eastern European country. All 55-, 57-, 59- and 61-year-old women in Kladno in the Czech Republic were asked to participate in the study. METHOD: In 1993, 1505 women in Kladno of the Czech Republic were sent a postal questionnaire concerning age at menopause and their climacteric symptoms. RESULTS: Answers were received from 799 women (53%); 98% were postmenopausal. The median age at spontaneous menopause was 50 years, 49.5 years among women smoking at least 5 cigarettes/day and 51.0 years among non-smokers (P < 0.05). About every fifth woman smoked. Totally 22% of the women had undergone hysterectomy and/or oophorectomy and 3% had been treated for a gynaecological malignancy. The majority of the women (58%) reported ongoing vasomotor symptoms; half of them had moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms. In all, 79% of the women reported ever having vasomotor symptoms. Only 3% of the women had ever tried hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and one woman had current treatment. Dysuria was reported by 22% and 4% had recurrent urinary tract infections; 70% of the women had a partner and 50% were sexually active. Reasons for not being sexually active were mostly lack of a partner, loss of sexual desire or partner's disease or impotence. CONCLUSION: Climacteric symptoms including vasomotor and urogenital symptoms had the same prevalence in the Czech Republic as previously reported in other Western Countries. Only a few women had tried HRT. Smokers had a slightly earlier menopause.

Aged

Hormone replacement therapy and previous use of oral contraceptives among Swedish women.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the current and previous use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and alternative remedies in a postmenopausal population and to relate HRT use to previous use of oral contraceptives. MATERIAL AND METHODS: All 1323 women living in Linköping of 55 or 56 years old during 1995 were sent a questionnaire asking for data with relation to health and climacteric symptoms as well as to previous and current use of HRT, oral contraceptives and alternative remedies. RESULTS: Current use of HRT was more common among women who previously used oral contraceptives (41.3%) than among women who had never used oral contraceptives (23.1%). HRT users were also more often physically active, had undergone hysterectomy and had lighter occupation than non-users. Of all women 35% were current users of HRT, half of them for at least 2 years, whereas only 5% had tried HRT and abandoned therapy. Alternative remedies were used by 5% of the women as therapy for climacteric complaints, and about four times as many women had tried such therapy but abandoned it. The only characteristic about use of alternative medicines was that they were used less often by women who had been hysterectomized. No women treated for breast cancer used HRT and only few of them used alternative remedies. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of HRT use, as well as compliance, was high. Previous use of oral contraceptives probably affected the attitude towards using HRT.

Climacteric

The climacteric among South-American women, who immigrated to Sweden and age-matched Swedish women.

Forty-nine immigrated South-American (SA) and 48 Swedish women, aged 42-67 years, were studied in a comparative semi-structured interview survey, concerning the climacteric and its treatment. The mean age at natural menopause was 47 for the South-American women and 50 for the Swedish women. The prevalence of moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms at the time of the survey did not differ significantly between the non-treated, non-operated, postmenopausal South-American and Swedish women (36% and 21%; N.S.). One reason for the trend towards a higher prevalence among South-American women could be that a greater number of Swedish women used hormone replacement treatment compared to South-American women (11 vs. 4). The general attitude to hormone replacement therapy was more positive among South-American women, although they did not use hormone therapy, as could be expected from their symptoms. These results are probably an illustration of the difficulties in getting access to treatment for the immigrated SA women.

Adult