Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Hot Flashes”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 343 records · Page 19Linked to original sources
PubMed2005

Effects of symptomatic status and the menstrual cycle on hot flash-related thermoregulatory parameters.

OBJECTIVE: To compare core body temperature variation, sweating thresholds, and sweat rate in symptomatic and asymptomatic postmenopausal women and in eumenorrheic women in the follicular and luteal phases. DESIGN: Twelve symptomatic and 10 asymptomatic postmenopausal women and 12 eumenorrheic women were recorded in a temperature- and humidity-controlled laboratory during thermoneutral and warm conditions. Core body temperature variation was measured with an ingested radiotelemetry pill, basal body temperature with a rectal thermistor, skin temperature with four skin surface thermistors, and sweat rate with a capacitance hygrometer. RESULTS: Symptomatic women had significantly lower sweating thresholds and higher maximum sweat rates compared with all other women. These results could not be explained by differences in estrogen, progesterone, or body mass index. CONCLUSIONS: Postmenopausal women with hot flashes are uniquely characterized by low sweating thresholds and high sweat rates, relative to asymptomatic and eumenorrheic women.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Influence of previous bilateral partial tubal resection on symptoms, hormones, lipids, and bone density in postmenopausal women.

The late effect of bilateral partial tubal resection (BPTR) on symptoms, hormone and lipid levels, and bone density in postmenopausal women was analyzed. Thirty-six postmenopausal women in whom BPTR was accomplished were studied; they were matched by age with a group without BPTR. They were subdivided according to time since BPTR into two groups: < or = 15 years > 15 years since the procedure. In both groups, the patients' general data were analyzed as well as the frequency of climacteric symptoms; serum levels of follicule-stimulating hormone (FSH), estradiol, total cholesterol, HDL-C, LDL-C, and triglycerides; and bone density in lumbar spine, femoral neck, Ward's triangle, and trochanter. The statistical analysis was done for the symptoms with chi-squared and for the rest of variables with Student's t-test. When comparing the groups, no differences were found in analyzed parameters; only hot flashes and sweating associated with hot flashes were frequently found in the BPTR group when the analysis was done in the group without any division. With the groups subdivided, hot flashes were found more frequently in the group for whom it had been more than 15 years since the BPTR procedure. The BPTR did not influence hormone and lipid levels or bone density.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

A review of non-hormonal options for the relief of menopausal symptoms.

The climacteric syndrome involves a variety of symptoms such as profuse sweating, insomnia, memory loss, decreased sexual drives, joint aches, and anxiety. However, amongst these symptoms, hot flashes and sweats are generally considered the hallmark and result in the majority of the medical consultations for this condition. Hot flashes are known to respond readily to placebo, which alone decreases their frequency by 20-40%. In the ideal setting of clinical trials, with optimal patient selection and compliance, estrogen therapy reduces hot flashes by about 70-80%; this is twice as effective as placebo. However, estrogen is unable to be universally used, either because of contraindications or because of an unwillingness of women to take it. Furthermore, hot flashes may persist in spite of adequate estrogen replacement, and physicians are often faced with the dilemma of finding something to administer in place of, or in addition to, estrogen to improve symptoms. The most commonly used non-hormonal alternatives for climacteric symptoms are neurotransmitter modulators such as serotonin reuptake inhibitors and gabapentin. These are, at best, approximately half as effective as estrogen for the relief of menopausal symptoms, and are only marginally better than placebo.Complementary treatment, particularly over-the-counter phytotherapeutic extracts, are very popular and women often try a variety of such products before resorting to conventional medicine. Preparations containing isoflavones, such as soy extract and red clover or extracts from evening primrose or cimicifuga (black cohosh, Actaea racemosa, syn. Cimicifuga racemosa), in variable doses are very popular for the treatment of hot flashes. The scientific support for their efficacy certainly does not equal their popularity.Non-hormonal treatments for menopause are not as effective as estrogens in relieving hot flashes, but may have a role in therapy for women who have contraindications to gonadal steroid use.

Cimicifuga↗
PubMed2006

A Canadian observational study of the optimal method of transition from postmenopausal hormone therapy to raloxifene.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the optimal method of transition from postmenopausal hormone therapy (HT) to raloxifene (RLX) therapy in order to minimize hot flashes and night sweats. METHODS: Postmenopausal women in Canada who had discontinued HT (estrogen with or without progestogen) in the preceding nine months and who were starting RLX were followed for approximately nine months in this observational study. The method of transition from HT to RLX therapy (method and duration of tapering HT, duration of washout) and the frequency and severity of hot flashes during the transition and RLX treatment periods were recorded. RESULTS: There were 373 women who participated in this study. Most women (86.3%) had a washout period between HT and RLX, and 55.2% had tapered their HT in some fashion. After beginning RLX, women who had had a washout duration of more than one week were found to be more likely to have an improvement in the severity of hot flashes (odds ratio [OR] = 6.3), and in the frequency of hot flashes (OR = 4.6), than women with a shorter washout or no washout period at all. The method of tapering of HT did not seem to affect either the severity or the frequency of hot flashes once on RLX. Women who had undergone a tapering period of more than one week's duration were more likely (OR = 2.6) to experience an improvement in the frequency (but not the severity) of hot flashes on RLX. CONCLUSION: Women who had a washout period following HT had better amelioration of hot flashes on RLX therapy.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Treatment of menopause-associated vasomotor symptoms: position statement of The North American Menopause Society.

OBJECTIVE: To create an evidence-based position statement regarding the treatment of vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause. DESIGN: The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) enlisted clinicians and researchers acknowledged to be experts in the field of menopause-associated vasomotor symptoms to review the evidence obtained from the medical literature and develop a document for final approval by the NAMS Board of Trustees. RESULTS: For mild hot flashes, lifestyle-related strategies such as keeping the core body temperature cool, participating in regular exercise, and using paced respiration have shown some efficacy without adverse effects. Among nonprescription remedies, clinical trial results are insufficient to either support or refute efficacy for soy foods and isoflavone supplements (from either soy or red clover), black cohosh, or vitamin E; however, no serious side effects have been associated with short-term use of these therapies. Single clinical trials have found no benefit for dong quai, evening primrose oil, ginseng, a Chinese herbal mixture, acupuncture, or magnet therapy. Few data support the efficacy of topical progesterone cream; safety concerns should be the same as for other progestogen preparations. No clinical trials have been conducted on the use of licorice for hot flashes. Among nonhormonal prescription options, the antidepressants venlafaxine, paroxetine, and fluoxetine and the anticonvulsant gabapentin have demonstrated some efficacy for treating hot flashes and were well tolerated. Two antihypertensive agents, clonidine and methyldopa, have shown modest efficacy but with a relatively high rate of adverse effects. For moderate to severe hot flashes, systemic estrogen therapy, either alone (ET) or combined with progestogen (EPT) or in the form of estrogen-progestin oral contraceptives, has been shown to significantly reduce hot flash frequency and severity. Clinical trials have associated ET/EPT with adverse effects, including breast cancer, stroke, and thromboembolism. Several progestogens (both oral and intramuscular formulations) have shown efficacy in treating hot flashes, including women with a history of breast cancer, although no definitive data are available on long-term safety in these women. CONCLUSIONS: In women who need relief for mild vasomotor symptoms, NAMS recommends first considering lifestyle changes, either alone or combined with a nonprescription remedy, such as dietary isoflavones, black cohosh, or vitamin E. Prescription systemic estrogen-containing products remain the therapeutic standard for moderate to severe menopause-related hot flashes. Recommended options for women with concerns or contraindications relating to estrogen-containing treatments include prescription progestogens, venlafaxine, paroxetine, fluoxetine, or gabapentin. Clinicians are advised to enlist women's participation in decision making when weighing the benefits, harms, and scientific uncertainties of therapeutic options. Regardless of the management strategy adopted, treatment should be periodically reassessed as menopause-related vasomotor symptoms will abate over time without any intervention in most women.

Body Temperature Regulation↗
PubMed2003

Morning/evening menopausal formula relieves menopausal symptoms: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to determine the efficacy of a morning/evening menopause formula (morning capsule contains panax ginseng, black cohosh, soy, and green tea extracts; evening capsule contains black cohosh, soy, kava, hops, and valerian extracts) for relieving menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and sleep disturbance. METHODS: Healthy postmenopausal women, between 45 and 65 years of age, were asked to take the menopause formula orally, one capsule of the morning formula every morning and one capsule of the evening formula every evening for 2 months. The Greene Climacteric Scale (GCS) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were used to determine the efficacy. RESULTS: Morning/evening menopause formula significantly reduced the number of hot flashes. The reduction in the number of hot flashes was observed as early as at the end of the second week. At the end of the second week, the number of hot flashes was reduced by 47%. The morning/evening menopause formula also significantly reduced the GCS total and subscale scores. At the end of the eighth week, the vasomotor, anxiety, and depression scores of GCS were reduced by 50%, 56%, and 32%, respectively. Furthermore, the morning/evening menopause formula significantly reduced global PSQI score and scores in five components (sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, sleep disturbance, and daytime dysfunction) by 18%-46%. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that the morning/evening menopausal formula is safe and effective for relieving menopausal symptoms including hot flashes and sleep disturbance.

Cimicifuga↗
PubMed1990

Women's use of information regarding hormone replacement therapy.

For perimenopausal women, an important decision is whether or not to use hormone replacement therapy (HRT). The decision is complex because HRT involves judgment in weighing gains and losses related to physiological risk. Gains involve relief of hot flashes and prevention of osteoporosis; losses include cancer mortality and side effects of medication. A policy-capturing study of 283 perimenopausal women showed that the factor of most frequent concern was relief of hot flashes. Cluster analyses identified four major groups. Group 4 had an n of 9 and the lowest R2, making interpretation of data questionable. The largest group responded to hot flashes alone; the second to hot flashes and osteoporosis; and the third to hot flashes, somewhat to osteoporosis, but also to side effects of estrogen/progestin therapy. Results indicate nursing interventions should anticipate differences in women's concerns and tailor counseling appropriately.

Climacteric↗
PubMed1996

The effects of relaxation response training on menopausal symptoms.

The specific aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of elicitation of the relaxation response for the treatment of menopausal hot flashes and concurrent psychological symptoms. The volunteer sample consisted of 33 women, between the ages of 44 and 66 years, who were in general good health, with a minimum of 6 months without a menstrual period, experiencing at least five hot flashes per 24-h, and not using hormone replacement therapy. The setting was an outpatient clinic in a tertiary care teaching hospital. The interventions used were relaxation response training and an attention-control group and a daily symptom diary measuring both the frequency and intensity of hot flashes, the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and the Profile of Mood Scale (POMS) were the measures used. This was a randomized, controlled, prospective study. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of three groups (relaxation response, reading, or control) for the 10-week study. The first 3 weeks of baseline measurement of frequency and intensity of hot flash symptoms, and the preintervention psychological scores were compared with the final 3 weeks measurement of frequency and intensity and the postintervention psychological scores for symptomatic improvement. The relaxation response group demonstrated significant reductions in hot flash intensity (p < 0.05), tension-anxiety (p < 0.05) and depression (p < 0.05). The reading group demonstrated significant reductions in trait-anxiety (p < 0.05) and confusion-bewilderment (p < 0.05). There were no significant changes for the control group. Daily elicitation of the relaxation response leads to significant reductions in hot flash intensity and the concurrent psychological symptoms of tension-anxiety and depression.

Affect↗
PubMed2005

Other complementary and alternative medicine modalities: acupuncture, magnets, reflexology, and homeopathy.

We sought to evaluate evidence for the benefits and risks of acupuncture, magnets, reflexology, and homeopathy for menopause-related symptoms. Search strategies included electronic searches of online databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, Medline), direct searches of target journals, and citation-index searches. A total of 12 intervention studies were identified for review. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments resulted in few side effects. The design, study populations, and findings across acupuncture studies varied. In uncontrolled studies, acupuncture improved subjective measures of hot flash frequency and vasomotor, somatic, physical, and psychological symptoms; however, improvements were not consistent. Controlled studies of acupuncture yielded even less consistent findings. Overall, controlled studies of acupuncture did not reliably improve hot flashes, sleep disturbances, or mood when compared with nonspecific acupuncture, estrogen therapy, or superficial needling. Homeopathy significantly improved subjective measures of hot flash frequency and severity, mood, fatigue, and anxiety in uncontrolled, open-label studies. Controlled studies of magnets and reflexology failed to demonstrate any increased benefit of treatment over placebo. There is a need for additional investigations of acupuncture and homeopathy for the treatment of hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms. However, existing evidence does not indicate a beneficial effect of magnets or reflexology in the treatment of hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms. Understanding whether, for whom, and how these interventions work is crucial to building the evidence base needed to evaluate any potential for these CAM therapies in the management of menopause-related symptoms.

Acupuncture Therapy↗
PubMed2002

Complementary and alternative medicine for menopausal symptoms: a review of randomized, controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Women commonly use soy products, herbs, and other complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies for menopausal symptoms. Randomized, controlled trials have evaluated the efficacy and short-term safety of these therapies. PURPOSE: To review randomized, controlled trials of CAM therapies for menopausal symptoms in order to better inform practice and guide future research. DATA SOURCES: Searches of MEDLINE for articles published from January 1966 through March 2002, of the Alternative and Complementary Database (AMED) of the British Library for articles published from January 1985 through December 2000, and of the authors' own extensive files. Search terms were hot flash/flush, menopause, and climacteric, combined with phytoestrogens, alternative medicine, herbal medicine, traditional medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM ), Ayurveda, naturopathy, chiropractic, osteopathy, massage, yoga, relaxation therapy, homeopathy, aromatherapy, and therapeutic touch. STUDY SELECTION: 29 randomized, controlled clinical trials of CAM therapies for hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms were identified; of these, 12 dealt with soy or soy extracts, 10 with herbs, and 7 with other CAM therapies. DATA EXTRACTION: Each author extracted information from half of the studies on the number of patients, study design, outcome measures, and results; the other author then checked these results. DATA SYNTHESIS: Soy seems to have modest benefit for hot flashes, but studies are not conclusive. Isoflavone preparations seem to be less effective than soy foods. Black cohosh may be effective for menopausal symptoms, especially hot flashes, but the lack of adequate long-term safety data (mainly on estrogenic stimulation of the breast or endometrium) precludes recommending long-term use. Single clinical trials have found that dong quai, evening primrose oil, a Chinese herb mixture, vitamin E, and acupuncture do not affect hot flashes; two trials have shown that red clover has no benefit for treating hot flashes. CONCLUSIONS: Black cohosh and foods that contain phytoestrogens show promise for the treatment of menopausal symptoms. Clinical trials do not support the use of other herbs or CAM therapies. Long-term safety data on individual isoflavones or isoflavone concentrates are not available.

Acupuncture Therapy↗
PubMed2005

Finished herbal product as an alternative treatment for menopausal symptoms in climacteric women.

BACKGROUND: There is a paucity of scientific evidence supporting the efficacy of herbal medicines in treating menopausal symptoms. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate safety and efficacy of the finished herbal product TMN-1 in the treatment of menopausal symptoms in climacteric women. DESIGN AND SETTING: A multicenter, prospective, observational follow-up study was conducted from July 2003 to December 2004 in four hospitals in Taiwan. PARTICIPANTS: Initially, 126 women were included who were between 45 and 55 years of age, were experiencing hot flashes, and were without hormone replacement therapy. Women were excluded if they had any signs of active cancer. Of the participants, 82% completed the study. The reasons for withdrawal included adverse effects (n = 7), failed to return (n = 7), lack of efficacy (n = 6), and from protocol deviation (n = 3). INTERVENTION: Every participant received TMN-1 treatment 4 g, 3 times per day, for 12 weeks. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Primary measures were change in frequency of hot flashes and severity of menopausal symptoms measured by Kupperman Index (KI). Secondary outcomes included changes in quality of life and adverse events. RESULTS: Significant improvement in scores of hot flashes and KI were found at weeks 4 and 12 in the 50 peri- and 53 postmenopausal women who completed this study (p < 0.001). Logistic regression analyses showed that perimenopausal women with hot flashes had sevenfold (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.8-28.0) odds of improvement in favor of treatment, whereas that of the postmenopausal group was 1.5 (95% CI, 0.5 to 4.2). Further analyses showed that TMN-1 produced superior benefit in women with moderate and severe menopausal symptoms (KI > or = 21), compared to those with mild symptoms. It also improved symptoms of insomnia, nervousness, melancholia, and palpitation in perimenopausal women. Five (5) adverse drug reactions were detected: three single events of nausea, abdominal pain, and abdominal fullness; and two events of diarrhea. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence that 12 weeks of TMN-1 therapy is a viable alternative treatment to consider in perimenopausal women with hot flashes, particularly in those with palpitations, emotional disturbance, and insomnia.

Drug Administration Schedule↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Vasomotor symptoms among Japanese-American and European-American women living in Hilo, Hawaii.

OBJECTIVE: The Hilo Women's Health Survey was designed and administered to gather baseline data on women's health in Hilo, HI. This randomized, cross-sectional study allowed for a focus on ethnic differences in symptom reporting. The results presented here focus on hot flash and night sweat experience among Japanese-American and European-American women. DESIGN: Survey packets were mailed to street addresses associated with parcel numbers pulled randomly from Hilo tax maps. Of the 6,401 survey packets delivered to households, 1,824 questionnaires were completed and returned. The results reported here are based on 869 women aged 40 to 60, of whom 249 described themselves to be 100% Japanese and 203 described themselves to be 100% European-American. Logistic regression analyses were used to examine whether the relationship between ethnicity and vasomotor symptoms persisted after controlling for other variables. RESULTS: European-American participants were more likely to have ever experienced a hot flash as compared with Japanese-American participants (72% vs 53%, P<0.01). During the 2 weeks before the survey, European-American participants were more likely to have experienced hot flashes (P<0.05) and night sweats (P<0.01). In logistic regression analyses, after controlling for age, body mass index, menopause status, level of education, financial comfort, smoking habits, alcohol intake, exercise, use of hormone therapy, and soy intake, European-American women were still significantly more likely to have experienced hot flashes (odds ratio=1.858) and night sweats (odds ratio=2.672). CONCLUSIONS: The results, based on self-reporting of menopausal symptoms, indicate that Japanese-American women report fewer hot flashes and night sweats than European-American women. Japanese-American women reported a higher intake of soy, but soy intake was not associated with fewer vasomotor symptoms.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Association of breast cancer and its therapy with menopause-related symptoms.

OBJECTIVE: To study the relationship between current menopause status, occurrence of menopause transition during cancer treatment, and prevalence and severity of possible menopause-related symptoms. DESIGN: Data from the Cancer and Menopause Study (CAMS), a tumor-registry-based cohort of breast cancer survivors (BCS) diagnosed before age 50, were used. Using a standardized symptom checklist, women reported whether they were not at all, slightly, moderately, quite, or extremely bothered in the past 4 weeks by hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, pain with intercourse, breast sensitivity, joint pains, frequent mood changes, restless sleep, weight gain, forgetfulness, and difficulty concentrating. Current menopause status (by standard categories based on menstruation) and whether a persistent menopause transition occurred during cancer treatment were the main exposures. Linear (symptom severity as continuous outcome) and logistic (symptom present vs absent) regression models were adjusted for age, ethnicity, current smoking, alcohol use, chemotherapy, tamoxifen, body mass index, and depression scores. RESULTS: Mean age of the participants was 50 years. The prevalence of symptoms was high. Hot flashes occurred in 17%, 51%, and 71% of pre-, peri-, and postmenopausal BCS, respectively. Hot flashes, vaginal dryness, and pain with intercourse were more severe in postmenopausal compared with perimenopausal BCS. Having had a transition during breast cancer treatment was associated with worse hot flash severity, independent of current menopause status. CONCLUSIONS: Menopause-related symptoms are common in BCS. Effective treatment options are needed. Having a treatment-related transition confers a persistent effect on hot flash severity. Clinicians should include this information when counseling women on potential outcomes of their cancer therapy.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

Hormone replacement and menopausal symptoms following hysterectomy.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is recommended for most women who experience surgical menopause following hysterectomy/oophorectomy for noncancerous conditions; it is also commonly prescribed for postmenopausal women. Beginning in 1992, 1,299 women undergoing hysterectomy in 28 hospitals throughout Maryland were interviewed prior to hysterectomy and were subsequently followed over a 2-year period. Interviews included questions about HRT use and symptoms associated with menopause. The majority of the women (66 percent) were white, 55 percent had a high school education or better, 49 percent were obese (body mass index > or =27.3), and 11 percent were postmenopausal. Over 40 percent of premenopausal women underwent bilateral oophorectomy. At 3 months posthysterectomy, 89 percent of these women were on HRT; this figure dropped to 85 percent at 24 months. Among postmenopausal women, 50 percent were on HRT both at 3 months and at 24 months posthysterectomy. Among premenopausal women who had unilateral oophorectomy, 21 percent were on HRT at 3 months, increasing to 35 percent at 24 months. Among premenopausal women who had no ovaries removed, 5 percent were on HRT at 3 months, increasing to 13 percent at 24 months. There were few within-group differences between HRT users and nonusers, except that among postmenopausal women, HRT users were younger and more likely to be white and had higher income and educational levels. Women who were postmenopausal or who underwent bilateral oophorectomy were less likely to have hot flashes if they were on HRT, but women with 0-1 ovary removed who were on HRT were more likely to have hot flashes than those not on HRT. Black women were significantly more likely to experience hot flashes than were white women, independent of HRT status and weight. Obese women were on HRT at approximately the same rates as nonobese women but were significantly more likely to have hot flashes, even when analyses controlled for HRT and race.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Tibolone for the treatment of moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms and genital atrophy in postmenopausal women: a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate the safety and efficacy of tibolone (1.25 and 2.5 mg) in the treatment of moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms and symptoms associated with vaginal atrophy. DESIGN: A placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized, multicenter study was conducted on 396 healthy postmenopausal women experiencing a minimum of 7 moderate to severe hot flashes per day (60 per week). Participants were randomized to receive tibolone 1.25 or 2.5 mg or placebo once daily for 12 weeks. Assessments were done at weeks 4, 8, and 12. The severity and frequency of hot flashes were recorded in patient diaries on a daily basis. RESULTS: Tibolone 2.5 mg significantly (P < 0.001) reduced the average number of hot flashes compared with placebo at week 4 (-7.82 vs -5.27), week 8 (-9.71 vs -5.86), and week 12 (-10.14 vs -5.85). The difference between tibolone 1.25 mg and placebo was significant (P < 0.001) at week 8 (-7.96) and week 12 (-8.32). Findings for the average daily severity of hot flashes were similar, with significantly greater reductions at week 4 (P < 0.05) and weeks 8 and 12 (P < 0.001) for tibolone 2.5 mg versus placebo and at weeks 8 and 12 for tibolone 1.25 mg versus placebo (P < 0.001). A menopausal atrophic symptom questionnaire revealed that tibolone 2.5 mg significantly (P < 0.05) reduced nocturia compared with placebo at weeks 4, 8, and 12 and urinary urgency at week 4. Compared with placebo, both doses of tibolone also significantly (P < 0.001) increased the vaginal maturation value from baseline. The overall incidence of adverse events was similar in all treatment groups. CONCLUSIONS: Tibolone is effective and well tolerated for the treatment of moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms and the effects of vaginal atrophy associated with menopause.

Atrophy↗
PubMed1997

Coping style and climacteric symptoms in a clinical sample of postmenopausal women.

Hormonal changes as well as sociocultural and personal factors account for climacteric symptoms. The aim of this study is to investigate in a clinical population the correlation between the severity of hot flashes and vaginal dryness and the 'coping-ineffectiveness of coping' construct. Out of 120 women consecutively referring to the University Menopause Clinic, 85 subjects were evaluated for their climacteric complaints including anxiety and depression and for their coping style assessed with the Italian version of the Utrechtse Coping Lijst. Daily hot flashes and severe vaginal dryness were reported by almost half of the studied population, regression analyses were performed in order to investigate how much of the variance in such symptoms was explained by the psychosocial variables and by the coping mechanisms. A more recent menopause, a lower educational level and an active coping predict a higher severity of hot flashes; a longer time since last menstrual period and a coping of avoidance predict a higher severity of vaginal dryness. The present study suggests that the severity of hot flashes and vaginal dryness among a clinical sample of postmenopausal women is not only determined by biological and social variables, but personal resources also explain part of the variance of such climacteric complaints.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2004

The relationship of estrogen receptor-alpha polymorphism with symptoms and other characteristics in post-menopausal women.

OBJECTIVES: To study the influence of the estrogen receptor-alpha (ER-alpha) genotypes (PvuII and XbaI polymorphisms) on symptoms and bone density. METHODS: We recruited 177 post-menopausal women to register hot flashes, vaginal dryness, depression, anxiety, sleep alterations, and serum hormones (FSH, LH, estrone, and estradiol). Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured with a radiographic method, correcting with an external reference. ER-alpha genotyping was carried out by PCR. RESULTS: Scores for vaginal dryness were lower for the xx (P = 0.003), and pp genotypes (P = 0.006). Hot flashes were lower for the Pp (P = 0.006) genotype. FSH circulating levels were lower for Xx genotype (P = 0.036). The factors associated with BMD were estrone (P > 0.000001), estradiol (P = 0.0035) and XbaI (P = 0.035). Vaginal dryness, was associated with PvuII and XbaI polymorphisms (P = 0.037 and P = 0.039). Depression was associated with log(estrone) (P = 0.011), schooling (negatively, P = 0.012), and marginally with BMI (P = 0.066). Sleep alterations correlated with log(estrone) (P = 0.014) and marginally with years since menopause (P = 0.046). Anxiety correlated with schooling (negatively, P = 0.006) and age (p = 0.015), and hot flashes with schooling (negatively, P = 0.014). BMD was associated with log(estrone) (p < 0.000001), estradiol (negatively, P = 0.0036), and marginally with XbaI (P = 0.036). CONCLUSIONS: In post-menopausal women, the ER-alpha polymorphism was associated with vaginal dryness, and hot flashes but not with other physical or emotional symptoms. Extraglandular estrogen production, and diverse molecular factors related to estrogen action may play an important role in this process.

Anxiety↗
PubMed2002

Menopausal symptoms in older women and the effects of treatment with hormone therapy.

OBJECTIVE: In some women, hot flashes and other symptoms attributed to menopause persist for many years after the cessation of menses. The frequency and severity of such symptoms and response to hormone therapy in older women have not been well documented. METHODS: We used data from the Heart and Estrogen/Progestin Replacement Study, a blinded, clinical trial among 2763 women with documented coronary disease and a uterus who were randomized to receive either conjugated estrogens 0.625 mg plus medroxyprogesterone acetate 2.5 mg in one tablet or placebo. Participants were queried at baseline and annually regarding menopausal symptoms. Breast symptoms were self-reported, and uterine bleeding was recorded on a daily diary. RESULTS: Symptoms associated with menopause were relatively common among Heart and Estrogen/Progestin Replacement Study participants, whose average age was 67 years and who averaged 18 years since menopause. At baseline, 16% of women reported frequent hot flashes, 26% vaginal dryness, 10% genital irritation, 55% trouble sleeping, and 53% early awakening. Women assigned to hormone therapy reported less frequent hot flashes, vaginal dryness, and trouble sleeping compared with women assigned to placebo, but more frequent vaginal discharge, genital irritation, uterine bleeding, and breast symptoms. The reporting of breast symptoms among women in the hormone group decreased from 40% at 1 year to 13% by the 4th year. Uterine bleeding was reported by 31% and spotting by an additional 33% of women in the hormone group during the 1st year of treatment; by the 4th year, these proportions had fallen to 11% and 20%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Symptoms typically attributed to menopause are common in elderly women. Postmenopausal hormone therapy reduces hot flashes, trouble sleeping, and vaginal dryness, but at standard doses in elderly women is associated with vaginal discharge, genital irritation, uterine bleeding, and breast symptoms.

Age Factors↗