Women, menopausal symptoms

Many women seek medical treatment for the relief of menopausal symptoms, primarily hot flashes however, the role of hormone-replacement therapy (HRT) has changed dramatically over the years. HRT has long been prescribed for relief of menopausal symptoms and, until recent years, has been purported to protect women from CHD. The original reason behind recommending HRT in postmenopausal women revolved around a simple theory If the hormones lost during menopause were replaced through drug therapy, women would be protected from both menopausal symptoms and chronic diseases that often follow after a woman experiences menopause. Recent studies have disproved this theory. 

Menopause was described clearly in 1899 in an article entitled Epochal Insanities, under the heading Climacteric Insanity. The article described symptoms of menopause and invited physicians to treat it as a syndrome in need of attention. Women in the late nineteenth century were often advised to rest as a way of combating menopausal symptoms. By the early twentieth century, menopause was seen as the death of the woman in the woman. Contemporary research has shown that menopause is not linked to mental illness or the death of the womb. The average woman of 51 can expect several more decades of life, making menopause more a transitional stage of life. 

A 47-year-old woman took an extract of C. racemosa for 1 week to treat menopausal symptoms she developed jaundice and raised liver enzymes (5). No other causes of liver damage were found. She required liver... 

The main indication for hormone therapy is the relief of menopausal symptoms, and hormone therapy should be used only as long as symptom control is necessary (typically for abont 2 to 3 years). When used under snch conditions, the absolnte risk of harm to an individual woman is very small. ... 

Liver failure was reported in a 51-year-old woman who had been taking 20 mg of black cohosh intermittently for 3 years, with titration according to her menopausal symptoms. The woman had a history of obesity, gastric bypass surgery, and alcoholism (Chow et al. 2008). 

For reasons that are not entirely clear, insomnia is also more common in women than men. There are particular times when a woman is especially vulnerable to insomnia, including pregnancy, the transition into menopause, and the premenstrual phase of the menstrual cycle. This, of course, suggests that it is changes in the female reproductive system that somehow alter sleep. Depression and anxiety are also more common in women at these times, and insomnia is a common symptom of these psychiatric illnesses. 

Joan Jenkins is a 56-year-old woman who comes to your office complaining of hot flashes, increased irritability, and inability to concentrate on day-to-day tasks. She indicates that she is undergoing menopause but that she does not want to take any hormones because her mother had breast cancer and she was afraid that this would increase her risk. She says the symptoms are almost unbearable. What do you advise ... 

An obese 57-year-old woman did not yet exhibit symptoms of menopause but was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and insulin resistance. Her plasma levels of testosterone were above normal. Which one of the following is most likely in this case ... 

In some instances the HCP will prescribe HRT for a woman experiencing menopause, but this is rarely done now because current research indicates that, although HRT protects against osteoporosis and treats the symptoms of menopause, it also increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, and breast cancer. 

That is not to say that any woman going through menopause— natural or otherwise—has an easy time of it. Hot flashes or flushes and night sweats are the most frequently reported physical symptoms... 

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