Hormone replacement therapy: attitude and acceptance of Bangkokian women.

OBJECTIVE: To conduct a hospital-based survey to assess women's attitude and acceptance towards menopause and hormone replacement therapy (HRT). METHOD: The authors conducted a survey in women who visited the menopause clinic in 5 university and public hospitals in Bangkok. A group of 615 women who lived in those catchment areas and voluntarily cooperated in responding to a set of standardized questionnaires was randomly selected. RESULTS: Of the total respondents, 97.0 per cent were in the age range between 40-70 years, 51.7 per cent were in the peri- and postmenopausal period, 65.7 per cent believed that menopause is a natural change but some may need medical treatment, 53.9 per cent were current users of which the average duration of HRT use was 4.70 +/- 3.36 years. The most common reasons for HRT initiation were osteoporosis, hot flashes, and vaginal dryness. The most common side effects found in the current users were breast pain, headache, and vaginal bleeding. Of all the current users, 43.2 per cent wanted to switch from HRT. Most of the respondents (95.4%) based their decision on the choices of treatment on medical advice. Of the total respondents, 62.0-74.7 per cent reported not having enough clear information on menopause and HRT. CONCLUSION: According to the present study, most of the women regarded menopause as a natural change of life although some need treatment. The most common indications for HRT were osteoporosis, hot flashes and vaginal dryness. Nearly half of the current users wanted to switch from HRT. Most of the respondents based their treatment decision on medical advice.

Climacteric: concept, consequence and care.

Climacteric is the period of life starting from the decline in ovarian activity until after the end of ovarian function. According to the definition, the period includes peri-menopause, menopause and post-menopause. Climacteric is considered to be a natural change of life which may be accompanied by various health consequences i.e., menopausal symptoms, osteoporosis, coronary heart disease, or Alzheimer's disease. The key concept is that women enter menopause with different menopausal status for instances, natural menopause, surgical menopause, early menopause or even premature ovarian failure. Women may experience various health consequences due to the difference in genetic and environmental interaction. The prevalence and incidence of menopausal problems vary according to ethnic groups. For instance, Asian women seem to have less problems after menopause than their occidental counterparts. Nevertheless, the problems do exist and seem to be increasing due to the longer life expectancy and lifestyle changes of people in the region. Clinical decision in menopausal therapy can be determined according to health risk stratification. Appropriated menopausal therapeutic strategies include medical and non-medical modalities. The non-medical modalities are mainly focussed on lifestyle modification, while the medical modalities are classified as hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and non-HRT. Those in the high risk group will probably benefit most from medication besides lifestyle modification. There are various types, doses, routes and regimens of medication which need to be appropriately matched with the proper women's characteristics. Those who have contraindications to HRT or can not tolerate its side effects may choose other alternatives eg, selective estrogen receptor modulators, bisphosphonates, calcitonin or calcium and vitamin D. The success of menopausal therapy is to give an appropriate therapeutic option to the right woman. The future direction of research will remain focussing on the development in diagnosis and menopausal therapy particularly the main three areas of health promotion, disease prevention and treatment. The trend of research and development will probably be concentrated on new pharmaceutical agents with more specific action and high selectivity in an attempt to maximize its efficacy and safety. Attention may be paid more on the convenience of drug administration to increase its compliance. Alternative medicine and appropriated technologies are also the fields of special interest of which research is underway.

Serum estradiol and follicle-stimulating hormone levels in Thai women post total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral oophorectomy using oral 17 beta-estradiol.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the difference of serum estradiol (E2) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) levels in Thai women post total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral oophorectomy, before and after using a daily dose of 2 mg oral 17 beta-estradiol. STUDY DESIGN: Experimental study (before and after treatment). SETTING: Menopause Clinic, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University. SUBJECTS: Thirty-five women who had undergone total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral oophorectomy at Chulalongkorn Hospital 1 week previously due to benign gynecologic conditions were recruited in the study. Body mass index was 20-25 kg/m2. These women had no contraindication for using hormonal replacement therapy and no history of any hormonal intake in the past. INTERVENTION: All subjects were assigned to receive a daily dose of 2 mg oral 17 beta-estradiol applied at bedtime (8.00 p.m.). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Serum E2 and FSH were measured before and after the study at weeks 4, 8 and 12, 12-14 hours after oral application. The hormonal measurement was performed using the time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay (FIA) method. RESULTS: Five cases were excluded, three cases due to poor compliance which was less than 85 per cent and two cases due to loss to follow-up. Of the remaining 30 cases, the mean age and body mass index were 43.03 +/- 4.58 years and 22.72 + 1.86 kg/m2, respectively. Serum E2 level significantly increased from baseline value at 4, 8 and 12 weeks (median of E2 value at 0, 4, 8 and 12 weeks: 20.00, 22.50, 324.65 and 355.35 pmol/L, p<0.001). On the other hand, there was no significant difference in the FSH serum level (median of FSH value at 0, 4, 8 and 12 weeks: 18.65, 18.40, 18.60 and 20.35 IU/L, p=0.517). CONCLUSION: A daily dose of 2 mg oral 17 beta-estradiol taken at bedtime (8.00 p.m.) for 12 weeks increased the serum E2 to the follicular phase level of the normal menstrual cycle. On the other hand, there was no significant difference in the FSH serum level.