Botanical and dietary supplements for mood and anxiety in menopausal women.

Objective: This paper reviews the commonly used botanicals for treatment of mood and anxiety disorders in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women and presents information on their safety and efficacy.

Design: The MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were searched for clinical trials related to the use of botanicals for depression, anxiety, and mood disturbances. Papers were excluded if they were in a language other than English, did not include midlife women as study participants, or did not report on changes in mood, depression, or anxiety.

Contemporary alternatives to plant estrogens for menopause.

Objectives: Every year, millions of women begin the peri-menopause and may experience a number of symptoms related to this transition. Many women are reluctant to use exogenous hormone therapy for treatment of menopausal symptoms and are turning to botanical and dietary supplements (BDS) for relief. This paper reviews the literature on alternatives to plant estrogens for relief of menopausal symptoms.

Risk factors for previable premature rupture of membranes or advanced cervical dilation: a case control study.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors for second trimester premature preterm rupture of membranes or advanced cervical dilation in a high-risk population.

Study Design: A retrospective case control study was performed that compared women with premature preterm rupture of membranes or advanced cervical dilation to term control subjects. The cases included all singleton pregnancies between 14 and 24 weeks of gestation with premature preterm rupture of membranes or advanced cervical dilation between 1996 and 2000.

Botanical and dietary supplements for menopausal symptoms: what works, what does not.

Background: Approximately two thirds of women who reach menopause develop menopausal symptoms, primarily hot flashes. Hormone therapy long was considered the first-line treatment for vasomotor symptoms. However, given the results of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI), many women are reluctant to use exogenous hormones for symptomatic treatment and are turning to botanicals and dietary supplement (BDS) products for relief.

Disparities in mortality among high risk pregnant women in Illinois: a population based study.

Purpose: Researchers are increasingly studying maternal mortality in the context of maternal morbidity in order to identify risk and protective factors operating at each point along the morbidity-mortality continuum. This study examined factors associated with mortality in pregnant women with severe morbidity. In particular, the Black-White disparity was examined.

Knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of healthcare providers for botanical and dietary supplement use for postmenopausal health.

Objective: To identify the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of health care providers (physicians and nurses) regarding the use of botanical dietary supplements (BDS) for peri- and postmenopausal women.

Design: Health care providers (physicians and nurse practitioners/nurse midwives) completed a questionnaire to assess knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding botanical dietary supplement use for peri- and postmenopausal women. A total of 62 providers were included in the final analysis.