Richard Lindgren

Effects of acupuncture on climacteric vasomotor symptoms, quality of life, and urinary excretion of neuropeptides among postmenopausal women

Most perimenopausal women suffer from vasomotor symptoms. Changes in central opioid activity have been proposed to be involved in the mechanisms of hot flushes after menopause. Because acupuncture increases central opioid activity, it may affect postmenopausal hot flushes. The aim was to study if and to what extent two different kinds of acupuncture affected postmenopausal hot flushes, urinary excretion of certain neuropeptides, and quality of life in a group of postmenopausal women. Twenty-four women with natural menopause and hot flushes were included. Twenty-one women completed the study. One group was randomized to electroacupuncture at 2 Hz, whereas the other group was treated with another form of acupuncture (i.e., superficial needle insertion) for a total of 8 weeks. All women daily registered the number and severity of flushes from 1 month before to 3 months after treatment. They completed Quality of Life questionnaires before, during, and after treatment. Twenty-four-hour urine was sampled before, during, and after treatment and analyzed for neuropeptides using radioimmunoassay methods. The number of flushes decreased significantly by >50% in both groups and remained decreased in the group receiving electroacupuncture, whereas in the superficial-needle-insertion group, the number of flushes increased again during the 3 months after treatment. The Kupperman Index decreased significantly in both groups during and after treatment. The excretion of the potent vasodilating neuropeptide calcitonin gene-related peptide-like immunoreactivity decreased significantly during treatment. Acupuncture significantly affects hot flushes and sweating episodes after menopause, with effects persisting at least 3 months after the end of treatment. Changes in calcitonin gene-related peptide, which is a very potent vasodilator, could be involved in the mechanisms behind hot flushes.

Climacteric symptoms among women aged 60–62 in Linköping, Sweden, in 1986

By means of a simple postal questionnaire, all women aged 60, 61 and 62 (n = 2015) living in the community of Linköping, Sweden, were screened for vasomotor symptoms and local vaginal complaints. After one reminder, answers were received from 73% of the women. At the time of the survey (April 1986) all the women were post-menopausal, the median period since menopause being 11 yr. Slightly over one in four of the women (27%) were suffering from sweating and hot flushes. Ten percent (10%) of the women who were more than 15 yr post-menopausal still had moderate to severe climacteric symptoms. Vasomotor symptoms were significantly more common among oophorectomized women than among those whose ovaries were intact. Local vaginal symptoms were positively correlated with urinary problems, repeated urinary tract infections and a high risk of disturbance of sexual activity. It was concluded that climacteric symptoms often persist for more than 15 yr after the menopause.

DOES PHYSICAL EXERCISE INFLUENCE THE FREQUENCY OF POSTMENOPAUSAL HOT FLUSHES

The frequency of moderate and severe hot flushes was investigated in a group of women (n=142) who took part in organized physical exercise on a regular basis, and a control group of all women 52 and 54 years old in the city of Linkoping, Sweden (n = 1,246). Only women with natural menopause and without a history of hormonal replacement treatment were statistically compared in the study. It appeared that moderate and severe vegetative symptoms with hot flushes and sweatings were only half as common among the physically active postmenopausal women (21.5%) as in the control group (43.8%). Although this could be due to a positive selection of these physically active women, it might also be due to the fact that exercise may affect the mechanisms that elicit hot flushes in peri‐ and postmenopausal women.

Hormonal replacement therapy and sexuality in a population of Swedish postmenopausal women

All women (n = 2465) living in the community of Linköping, Sweden, aged 55, 57, 59 and 65 years were studied in a cross‐sectional trial concerning the prevalence of vasomotor symptoms, hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) and sexual activities. After one reminder, answers were received from 1867 (76%) women. In all, 51% of the women reported vasomotor symptoms. Ten percent of the women used HRT at the time of the survey. Another 10% of the women had previously used oral HRT but had abandoned treatment. One third of these women reported no vasomotor symptoms when they abandoned treatment. One fifth ceased treatment after recommendation from their physician and another fifth because of ‘fear’ of hormonal treatment.

Adverse endometrial effects during long cycle hormone replacement therapy

OBJECTIVES Treatment with unopposed estrogen is known to increase the risk of endometrial hyperplasia, atypia, and carcinoma, and therefore the administration of a progestin during hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is recommended. The addition of a progestin may cause unwanted side effects. Progestin administration of various durations are therefore used in HRT. STUDY DESIGN Data were obtained about endometrial histopathology, bleeding interval and compliance in 240 early postmenopausal women receiving HRT with a progestin administered for 10 days during 12 week or 4 week cycles of estrogen administration. These regimens were studied for as long as 4 years. The daily estrogen given was 17beta-estradiol 2 mg per day which was reduced to 1 mg day during the last 6 days of each cycle. The progestin used was norethindrone acetate, given at a dose of 1 mg per day. RESULTS The incidence of endometrial hyperplastic changes, i.e. simple or complex hyperplasia, atypia or cancer, was significantly higher in the 12 weeks cycle than in the monthly cycle group (P = 0.003), with an overall annual incidence of 5.6% in the 12 weeks cycle group and 1% in the monthly cycle group. One case of atypical hyperplasia and one case of endometrial adenocarcinoma was observed in the long cycle group. Long cycle treatment produced more irregular bleeding pattern. Accordingly, the rate of drop-out due to bleeding was significantly higher in the long cycle group (P<0.01). CONCLUSION We conclude that the long cycle HRT modality investigated did not improve compliance and may increase the risk of endometrial hyperplasia and eventually cancer compared to conventional HRT with a monthly cycle. Caution using long cycle HRT regimens is advisable, and careful monitoring of the endometrium during treatment is recommended.

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.

Cytokine changes in postmenopausal women treated with estrogens: a placebo-controlled study.

PROBLEM: Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is being increasingly used in postmenopausal women. Sex steroids are known to affect the immune system in several ways, although this is mainly based on clinical observations and experimental studies.

Endometrial effects of transdermal estradiol/norethisterone acetate

The efficacy of transdermal norethisterone acetate in sequence with transdermal estradiol has been investigated in a multicenter study of 136 post-menopausal women to determine the incidence of endometrial hyperplasia, the effects on the vaginal cytology and the control of bleeding. Treatment consisted of 12 cycles of 4 weeks each (2 weeks estradiol 50 micrograms/day followed by 2 weeks of a new combined patch delivering norethisterone acetate 0.25 mg/day and estradiol 50 micrograms/day). Endometrial histology was assessed by two pathologists. Of the 136 pre-treatment biopsies 89% provided no material, an inadequate sample or an inactive (atrophic or non-secretory) endometrium. Of the post-treatment biopsies from 110 women who completed the study: 65% showed secretory, 3% proliferative and 24% inadequate material or inactive endometrium. Hyperplasia was found in two biopsies (2%); in one of these focal atypical hyperplasia was agreed by both pathologists, in another a hyperplastic endometrial polyp was diagnosed by one pathologist. The bleeding was regular in 80% of the 1195 cycles and irregular in 11%. No bleeding occurred in 9% of the cycles. Vaginal cytology showed a significant shift towards increased maturation during treatment.

Antibodies to Chlamydia trachomatis in women with infertility, pelvic inflammatory disease and ectopic pregnancy

Sixty-three women admitted to the gynecological ward at the University Hospital, Linköping, were studied for the presence of antibodies to Chlamydia trachomatis. 48% of infertile women, 78% of women with ectopic pregnancy and 44% of women with pelvic inflammatory disease had higher titer (greater than or equal to 1:128) IgG/IgA/IgM antibodies to C. trachomatis. Among 55 healthy pregnant women, used as controls, 13% had this high antibody titer. Among 30 women with a titer of greater than or equal to 1:128, 33% of previous conceptions resulted in ectopic pregnancy and 31% resulted in child birth. The corresponding figures among women with no antibodies to C. trachomatis were 12% and 60%, respectively. The prevalence of IgA antibodies varied from 22% to 38% in women with pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy or infertility. The results indicate the importance for C. trachomatis in development of sequelae to lower genital tract infections in women.

Postmenopausal women without previous or current vasomotor symptoms do not flush after abruptly abandoning estrogen replacement therapy

BACKGROUND Most but not all women suffer from vasomotor symptoms around menopause. The exact mechanisms behind these symptoms are unknown, but the rate of decline in estrogen concentrations has been suggested to affect the risk of hot flushes. OBJECTIVE The objective was to assess whether vasomotor symptoms were induced in women without previous such symptoms, when the women were given combined estradiol and progestagen therapy for 3 months, whereafter therapy was abruptly withdrawn. MATERIALS AND METHOD After randomization, 40 postmenopausal women without previous or current vasomotor symptoms were treated transdermally with either 50 micrograms/day 17 beta-estradiol or placebo during 14 weeks. During the 13th and 14th weeks, treatment was combined with oral medroxyprogesterone acetate 10 mg/day. Serum estradiol and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) concentrations were analysed before and after 12 weeks of therapy. Climacteric symptoms were assessed at the same intervals as well as 8 weeks after the end of therapy. RESULTS All women had low pretreatment levels of estradiol and high FSH concentrations. During estradiol therapy estradiol levels increased significantly, whereas FSH only decreased slightly. No woman developed vasomotor symptoms after withdrawal of therapy. CONCLUSION Postmenopausal women without previous or current vasomotor symptoms did not develop such symptoms when estrogen replacement therapy was first instituted and then abruptly stopped. Probably other factors than the rate with which estrogen concentrations decrease determine whether or not a woman will develop vasomotor symptoms. Evidently, estrogens can be prescribed to a woman who has no vasomotor symptoms, without much risk of inducing such symptoms if she decides to abandon therapy, even after 3 months of treatment.