Ethnic differences in the clusters of menopausal symptoms

Assessment of menopausal symptoms with changing hormone milieus in different menopausal transitional stages

The present cross-sectional study is an attempt to evaluate menopausal symptoms with changing hormone milieus among women of different menopausal transitional stages. Out of all the symptoms, sexual dysfunction was the most commonly occurring symptom. Results of the correspondence analysis exhibited a significant association of symptoms like 'feeling unhappy', 'feeling dizzy', 'parts of body feeling numb' and 'muscle & joint pain' with late postmenopausal stage. Therefore, the assessment of menopausal health of women in rural settings of developing countries like India is of considerable significance for promoting their post reproductive health as well as for enhancing their quality of life.

The Prevalence and Patterns of Menopausal Symptoms in Women Living with HIV

Increasing numbers of women with HIV are experiencing menopause. We use data from a large, representative sample of women with HIV to describe the prevalence and clustering of menopausal symptoms amongst pre-, peri- and post-menopausal women using hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis. Of the 709 women included, 21.6%, 44.9% and 33.6% were pre-, peri- and post-menopausal, respectively. Joint pain (66.4%) was the most commonly reported symptom, followed by hot flashes (63.0%), exhaustion (61.6%) and sleep problems (61.4%). All symptoms were reported more commonly by peri- and post-menopausal women compared to pre-menopausal women. Psychological symptoms and sleep problems clustered together at all menopausal stages. Somatic and urogenital symptom clusters emerged more distinctly at peri- and post-menopause. We recommend regular and proactive assessment of menopausal symptoms in midlife women with HIV, with an awareness of how particular patterns of symptoms may evolve over the menopausal transition.

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza spp.) and jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) formula for menopausal symptoms: Classical records, clinical evidence and experimental data

OBJECTIVES

This study sought to determine the most common oral herbal formula for menopausal symptoms in classical Chinese medicine textbooks and investigate its clinical effectiveness and potential mechanisms of action.

METHODS

The most common formula used for menopause-like symptoms in past eras was identified from the Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicine. A systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was undertaken and findings from relevant experimental studies were summarized.

RESULTS

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza spp.) and jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) formula (LJF) was used in 63 of the 175 citations (36%) in the classical literature. Evidence from four RCTs showed that while LJF may improve sleep symptoms, there is insufficient evidence to provide recommendations for clinical practice. Experimental studies showed sedative, antidepressant-like, estrogenic and antiprogestogenic actions.

CONCLUSIONS

LJF has a long history of use for menopause-like symptoms, but further research is needed to confirm its clinical effects and guide clinical decision-making.

Is menopause still evolving? Evidence from a longitudinal study of multiethnic populations and its relevance to women's health

Background

To reflect on the impact of changing patterns of delayed marriage and reproduction and to seek evidence as to whether menopause is still evolving, characteristics of the menopause transition were investigated within and between ethnic populations in this study.

Methods

A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data on 747 middle-aged women obtained from the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN) from 1996 to 2008. The ethnic groups included: Afro-American, Chinese, Japanese, Caucasian, and Hispanic. Perimenopause age and duration, menopause age, and hormonal indicators of menopause were examined across five ethnicities.

Results

We found a similar window of menopause age within populations, but no significant difference in perimenopause and menopause age between populations. The rate of increase of follicle-stimulating hormone and testosterone differed significantly in Hispanics and African-Americans during the menopause transition period.

Conclusions

The broad window of variation in age at menopause within the population and the absence of significant differences between populations, in combination with population variation in menopause symptoms, suggest that menopause is a relatively recently evolved and still evolving trait. Under the mate choice theory of menopause, menopause is the result of the accumulation of infertility mutations in older women due to men’s preference for younger mates. We propose a shifting mate choice-shifting menopause model which posits that, as the age of mate choice/marriage shifts to older ages, so will the age at menopause, and that menopause is a transient phase of female fertility; it can de-evolve, be delayed, if not disappear completely. Integrated longitudinal menopausal studies linked with genomics and hormonal studies on diverse ethnic populations can provide valuable information bearing on women’s health and personalized medicine.

Gender differences in climacteric symptoms and associated factors in Korean men and women

Both men and women may experience multifaceted symptoms that are part of natural aging throughout the climacteric period. This study compared the prevalence and severity of climacteric symptoms between genders and identified the underlying clusters of climacteric symptoms and associated factors in midlife men and women. A cross-sectional study was done with 254 middle-aged Korean men (n = 129, M = 50.4) and women (n = 125, M = 49.5). Data were collected by self-administered surveys and analyzed using t-tests, chi-square tests, exploratory factor analysis, and regression analysis. Significant gender differences in overall climacteric symptoms were not detected except for muscle weakness, weight gain, and hot flashes. Climacteric symptoms were clustered as physical, vasomotor-genital, psychological, and metabolic dimensions, with the physical dimension being the most explanatory cluster. A significant gender effect was found only in the metabolic dimension after adjusting for the relevant covariates, and regular eating was significantly associated with all symptom clusters. This study offers evidence that most climacteric symptoms are shared by both men and women and emphasizes the importance of healthier lifestyles in the climacteric transition period. The findings highlight the critical need for integrated assessments of the multifactorial symptoms and of modifying poor lifestyles in both genders throughout the climacteric transition period.

Use of Alternative Medications for Menopause-Related Symptoms in Three Major Ethnic Groups of Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia

This cross-sectional study investigated the use of alternative medications to alleviate menopause-related symptoms among Malay, Chinese, and Indian women of Ipoh city. The prevalence, types, effectiveness, and associated factors were determined. The prevalence of alternative medication use was 41.4%. Evening primrose oil (EPO) was the most popular medication used (18.1%), followed by soy-based products (12.3%), green tea (6.8%), and gingko (5.8%). The medication was reported to be highly effective by 58.3% of soya bean diet users and 41.1% of EPO users. Significant variables associated with the use were Chinese or Indian ethnicity (P < .001), age between 50 and 54 years (P < .01), lower self-health rating (P < .05), education level of diploma or professional degree (P < .05), employment as professionals or entrepreneurs (P < .05), and the use of hormone replacement therapy (P < .05). Regression analysis showed that Chinese and Indians had significantly higher odds for the use than Malays (Chinese: odds ratio [OR] = 4.33, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.392-7.837; Indians: OR = 3.248, 95% CI = 1.586-6.654).

The Psychometric Properties of the Midlife Women's Symptom Index

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Midlife Women's Symptom Index (MSI) among four racial/ethnic groups of midlife women in the United States.

DESIGN

A secondary data analysis.

SETTING

Internet communities/groups.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 494 midlife women with symptoms of menopause who self-reported using an Internet survey and completed all sections of the MSI questionnaire.

METHODS

Data were collected from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2010. The psychometric properties of the MSI were evaluated using measures of internal consistency, item-total correlation coefficients, and discriminant validity.

RESULTS

There were statistically significant differences in marital status, employment, income, religion, country of birth, level of education, diagnosed disease, and self-reported health status across the four racial/ethnic groups. The Kuder-Richardson Formula 20 (KR-20) coefficients for the three subscales of the MSI prevalence section (i.e., physical, psychological, and psychosomatic) ranged from 0.58 (psychosomatic symptoms in Whites) to 0.91 (psychological symptoms in Asian Americans). The Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the three subscale scores ranged from 0.60 (psychosomatic symptoms in Whites) to 0.93 (psychological symptoms in Asian Americans). The mean scores of the MSI differed significantly by race/ethnicity among midlife women of each menopausal status, except for the prevalence section of the psychosocial symptoms.

CONCLUSION

The MSI has demonstrated an acceptable reliability and appropriate discriminant validity across the four racial/ethnic groups, except in the domain of psychosomatic symptoms. Health care providers as well as researchers could use the MSI to assess the symptoms of menopause of midlife women from diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds.