The relationship between menopausal vasomotor symptoms and gonadotrophin excretion in urine after oophorectomy

The menopausal hot flash: a procrustean bed of research

There are several scientific researchers from a variety of academic disciplines investigating the menopausal hot flash (MHF). Synthesis of all MHF research findings results in contradictory and inconclusive information available to health care providers and perimenopausal women. This study used epistemological construction and hermenuetical understanding to explore this information problem. Specific MHF exemplars, the problem-solutions, were constructed from extant scientific literature; two models of health guiding MHF research were generated from these exemplars. These models, health as a shared and communicable experience and health as a medical-physiological concept, provided a focus for hermeneutical understanding of the MHF information problem. Cooperative-collaborative inquiry was proposed as an approach for future MHF research.

Climacteric flushing in a patient with carcinoid tumour

A 70-year-old man had frequent flushing attacks and a carcinoid tumour was verified histologically. The characteristics of his flushing reaction were typical of climacteric flushing and he had undergone orchiectomy for adenocarcinoma of the prostate 2 years ago. Laboratory studies indicated a normal production of serotonin and excretion of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid. A rapid and complete remission of the flushing attacks was obtained with oral diethylstilbesterol therapy. Thus, although the patient had a carcinoid tumour, he was having post-orchiectomy climateric flushing reactions.

Menopausal hot flushes: a double blind comparison of placebo, ethinyl oestradiol and norgestrel

A double blind crossover study was planned in order to compare the effects of oestrogen, progestogen and placebo on hot flushes. The 49 women studied had previously undergone hysterectomy and bilateral oophorectomy. The drug regimen consisted of three months each of ethinyl oestradiol 50 microgram/day, d norgestrel 250 microgram/day, a combination of these two substance ("Nordiol") and a placebo. The predominant reason for requesting a change of medication was intolerable hot flushes associated with placebo use. All hormonal preparations were found to be significantly more effective than placebo in reducing hot flush frequency and intensity. Oestrogen containing medications were more effective than the progestogen (norgestrel).

Clinical features and plasma hormone levels after surgical menopause

This study reports the plasma levels of follicle stimulating hormone, luteinising hormone, oestradiol and testosterone in 43 women who had undergone bilateral oöphorectomy. Age was the only variable of those investigated which appeared to influence a hormone level; testosterone levels were found to decrease with increasing age. Two significant associations were found between clinical features of the menopause and the plasma hormone levels measured. Low levels of oestradiol were associated with pruritus vulvae and high levels of testerone were associated with headaches.

Correlation between climacteric symptoms and serum levels of estradiol, progesterone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and luteinizing hormone

Correlation between the climacteric symptoms and serum levels of estradiol. progesterone, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH) was studied in 191 premenopausal and postmenopausal women. Significant correlation was obtained between the climacteric symptoms represented by the menopausal index of Kupperman and associates and serum levels of estradiol as well as LH in a subgroup of the premenopausal women, ages 35 to 39 years. The symptoms were shown to be significantly related in serum levels of LH and inversely related to estradiol. These results confirmed that climacteric symptoms, at least in premenopausal women 35 to 39 years of age, could result from a low output of ovarian estrogen and a high production of pituitary gonadotropin.