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TITLE:
A community-based study of menopause symptoms and
estrogen replacement in older women.
AUTHOR:
von Muhlen DG; Kritz-Silverstein D;
Barrett-Connor E
AUTHOR AFFILIATION:
Department of Family and Preventive Medicine,
University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093-0607, USA.
SOURCE:
Maturitas 1995 Sep;22(2):71-8
NLM CIT. ID:
96104061
ABSTRACT:
This study examines the symptoms after a natural
menopause recalled by women aged 50-89 years. We determined the frequency and clustering
of symptoms, the effect of age on symptoms, and the relation of symptoms to the use of
estrogen therapy in a cross-sectional, community-based study of 589 Caucasian, middle- to
upper-middle-class women from Rancho Bernardo, California. At the time of menopause, 55%
of the women reported that they felt life was getting better and 57% were more cheerful.
The most frequently recalled symptoms were hot flushes (74%), propensity to weight gain
(45%), night sweats (35%), tiredness (32%), and insomnia (28%). Irritability was reported
by one-fourth, depression by one-fifth. Nearly 11% reported anxiety about looking older.
The recalled prevalence of hot flushes, irritability, weepiness and tiredness did not vary
by current age, but younger women were significantly more likely than older women to have
experienced night sweats, visible flushes, depression, anxiety about looking older and
insomnia. Principal components factor analysis yielded four main independent factors:
psychological symptoms (21% of the variance), vasomotor symptoms (14%), positive feelings
(11%), and negative self-image (8%). The four symptom groupings suggest different causal
mechanisms. Forty-two percent reported past, and 27% reported current use of estrogen
therapy. Both past and current hormone users were significantly more likely to report
menopause symptoms than non-users. Estrogen use was not associated with positive feelings
or self-image at the time of menopause. Although three-quarters experienced symptoms, the
majority of women reported positive feelings about menopause.
MAIN MESH SUBJECTS:
*Attitude to Health
Climacteric/*DRUG EFFECTS/PSYCHOLOGY
*Estrogen Replacement Therapy/PSYCHOLOGY
ADDITIONAL MESH SUBJECTS:
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Body Image
California
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Human
Middle Age
Self Concept
Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
PUBLICATION TYPES:
JOURNAL ARTICLE
LANGUAGE:
Eng
On Sabbatical!
When my office
lease expired at the end of 2004, I decided to turn it into a
"sabbatical" from my private practice. Many years ago, in my
grandfather's 89th year of life, he told me, "John, it is important
to smell the roses while you can still smell them." His life
gave living a very good reputation. It is also true that the
pursuit of that philosophy required my grandfather to to re-open his
assay office/ore market in Wickenburg, Arizona as a 75-year-old because
he had run a little short of retirement money. Thus, if blessed with his
luck and health, I'll be back.. --jjh
