Effects of resistance training on quality of life in postmenopausal women with vasomotor symptoms.

Objective: Most women experience vasomotor symptoms (VMS) around menopause that may affect quality of life negatively. Effective pharmacological treatment exists but is not recommended for all women, and there is a demand for alternatives to reduce symptoms and improve quality of life. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of a resistance training intervention on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in postmenopausal women with VMS.

Resistance training decreases plasma levels of adipokines in postmenopausal women.

Physical inactivity and the onset of menopause increase the risk of cardiovascular disease amongst postmenopausal women. We aim to investigate the effect of resistance training (RT) on plasma levels of selected cytokines, adipokines, myokines, and sex hormones in postmenopausal women with vasomotor symptoms. This was a sub-study of a randomised controlled trial investigating the effects of RT on vasomotor symptoms in postmenopausal women.

Does resistance training have an effect on levels of ferritin and atherogenic lipids in postmenopausal women? - A pilot trial.

The objective of this study was to determine if 15 weeks of resistance training (RT) can alter the levels of blood lipids, body iron status, and oxidative stress in postmenopausal women with vasomotor symptoms. Postmenopausal women enrolled in a randomised controlled trial were allocated to either a sedentary control group (n = 29) or a RT group (n = 26). Blood samples were taken at week-0 and week-15 for all participants.

Resistance training for hot flushes in postmenopausal women: A randomised controlled trial.

Objectives: To investigate the effect of 15 weeks of resistance training on the frequency of moderate to severe hot flushes in postmenopausal women.

Study Design: Postmenopausal women with at least 4 moderate or severe hot flushes or night sweats per day day were randomized to a 15-week resistance training intervention or unchanged physical activity. Participants did not exercise regularly at baseline and had not used any therapy for hot flushes two months prior to study entry.

Use of hormone therapy (HT) among Swedish women with contraindications - A pharmacoepidemiological cohort study.

Objectives: To assess how women in Sweden with breast cancer (BC), endometrial cancer (EC), and/or pulmonary embolism (PE) were dispensed menopausal hormone therapy (HT).

Study Design: A retrospective study of Swedish women aged 40 years or more on 31 December 2005 (n = 2,863,643), followed through to December 2011. The study analysed three mandatory national healthcare registries: the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register, the National Inpatient Register and the Cancer Register.

Women's perceptions of medication use during pregnancy and breastfeeding-A Swedish cross-sectional questionnaire study.

Introduction: Use of medication for different kinds of symptoms and diseases during pregnancy is common. When counseling the pregnant woman, an understanding of her perceptions concerning the use of medication as well as possible associated anxiety and obstacles is important to ensure high adherence to the treatment regimen.

Material And Methods: A questionnaire was developed regarding the use of medication, perceptions on use of medication, as well as perceptions about pregnancy outcomes in association with medication use during pregnancy.

Resistance training for hot flushes in postmenopausal women: Randomized controlled trial protocol.

Objectives: Hot flushes and night sweats affect 75% of all women after menopause and is a common reason for decreased quality of life in mid-aged women. Hormone therapy is effective in ameliorating symptoms but cannot be used by all women due to contraindications and side effects. Engagement in regular exercise is associated with fewer hot flushes in observational studies, but aerobic exercise has not proven effective in randomized controlled trials.

Internet-delivered applied relaxation for vasomotor symptoms in postmenopausal women: lessons from a failed trial.

Internet-delivered therapies have a short history and promising results have been shown for several health problems, particularly for psychiatric conditions. This study was a first attempt to evaluate whether Internet-delivered applied relaxation for hot flushes in postmenopausal women may be useful. Due to a high drop-out rate the study was prematurely terminated after inclusion of approximately two thirds of calculated women.

Hormone therapy might be underutilized in women with early menopause.

Study Question: Are Swedish women age 40-44 years with assumed early menopause 'undertreated' by hormone therapy (HT)?

Summary Answer: Many women with probable early menopause discontinue their HT after a short period of time. Thus, they fail to complete the recommended replacement up to age 51-52 years, the average age of menopause.

What Is Known Already: Spontaneous early menopause occurs in ∼5% of women age 40-45 years.

Use of hormone therapy in Swedish women aged 80 years or older.

Objective: Menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats may persist for 10 to 20 years or even longer. Information about the extent to which older women use hormone therapy is limited. The aim of this study was to determine the use of hormone therapy in Swedish women aged 80 years or older.

Hot flushes, hormone therapy and alternative treatments: 30 years of experience from Sweden.

Objectives: The use of hormone therapy (HT) for hot flushes has changed dramatically over the past five decades. In this cross-sectional questionnaire study, the aim was to describe the use of HT and alternative treatments and to study the frequency of hot flushes. A further aim was to compare data from the present questionnaire with data from previous studies made in the same geographic area.

Effects of applied relaxation on vasomotor symptoms in postmenopausal women: a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: This work aimed to study the efficacy of group therapy with applied relaxation on vasomotor symptoms and health-related quality of life in postmenopausal women.

Methods: In this open, randomized controlled trial, 60 healthy postmenopausal women with at least seven moderate to severe hot flashes per 24 hours were randomized to either group therapy with applied relaxation (n = 33) or untreated control group (n = 27) for 12 weeks. A follow-up visit was scheduled 3 months after the end of therapy or participation in the control group.

Prevention of menstrual migraine with perimenstrual transdermal 17-β-estradiol: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind crossover study.

The effect of treatment with percutaneous E(2) (100 μg/24 h) during 2 weeks perimenstrually on the number and severity of menstrual migraine attacks was studied in 27 women in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover trial. We were not able to demonstrate any difference between E(2) supplementation and placebo on the number or severity of migraine attacks, but both regimens showed significant effects compared with before treatment. CLINICAL TRIAL IDENTIFICATION NUMBER: NCT00204074.

Hormonal replacement therapy does not affect self-estimated pain or experimental pain responses in post-menopausal women suffering from fibromyalgia: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

Objectives: FM is a condition that preferentially affects women. Sex hormones, and in particular oestrogens, have been shown to affect pain processing and pain sensitivity, and oestrogen deficit has been considered a potentially promoting factor for FM. However, the effects of oestrogen treatment in patients suffering from FM have not been studied.

A randomized controlled study of taper-down or abrupt discontinuation of hormone therapy in women treated for vasomotor symptoms.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether tapering down of combined estrogen plus progestogen therapy (EPT) reduced the recurrence of hot flashes and resumption of therapy compared with abrupt discontinuation. A secondary aim was to evaluate whether health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was affected after discontinuation of EPT and to investigate the possible factors predicting resumption of EPT.

Methods: Eighty-one postmenopausal women undergoing EPT because of hot flashes were randomized to tapering down or abrupt discontinuation of EPT.

Vasomotor symptoms usually reappear after cessation of postmenopausal hormone therapy: a Swedish population-based study.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent of reappearance of vasomotor symptoms after cessation of postmenopausal hormone therapy (HT) in women who started HT because of hot flashes.

Methods: A cross-sectional postal survey was conducted. A validated questionnaire was sent to all women 53 to 54 years old living in Linköping, Sweden (n = 1,733), including questions about menopause, HT, and vasomotor symptoms.

Long-term follow-up of acupuncture and hormone therapy on hot flushes in women with breast cancer: a prospective, randomized, controlled multicenter trial.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of electro-acupuncture (EA) and hormone therapy (HT) on vasomotor symptoms in women with a history of breast cancer.

Methods: Forty-five women were randomized to EA (n = 27) for 12 weeks or HT (n = 18) for 24 months. The number of and distress caused by hot flushes were registered daily before, during and up to 24 months after start of treatment.

Knowledge of reproductive physiology and hormone therapy in 53- to 54-year-old Swedish women: a population-based study.

Objective: To investigate knowledge of hormone therapy (HT), reproductive physiology, and menopause in a population of 53- to 54-year-old women. Further aims were to determine whether the knowledge differed between users and nonusers of HT and between groups with different levels of education.

Design: In 2003, all 53- and 54-year-old women (N = 1,733) in Linköping, Sweden, were sent a questionnaire containing questions about reproductive physiology related to menopause and HT.

Effects of acupuncture, applied relaxation, estrogens and placebo on hot flushes in postmenopausal women: an analysis of two prospective, parallel, randomized studies.

Objective: To assess if transdermal or oral estrogens, acupuncture and applied relaxation decrease the number of menopausal hot flushes/24 h and improve climacteric symptoms, as assessed by the Kupperman index, more than transdermal placebo treatment.

Setting: An outpatient clinic at a Swedish university hospital.

Methods: A total of 102 postmenopausal women were recruited to two studies performed in parallel.

Women's conception of the menopausal transition--a qualitative study.

Aim: To explore, with a qualitative approach, whether the conception of menopause varies between women seeking medical advice because of climacteric symptoms and, if so, to describe these different conceptions.

Background: For many women, the menopausal transition is a troublesome period of life, often associated with decreased well-being and a number of symptoms. Besides the hormonal changes, many other factors such as psychological, sociological and lifestyle factors affect how women perceive their menopause.

Risk communication in consultations about hormone therapy in the menopause: concordance in risk assessment and framing due to the context.

Background: It is important for the physician and the patient to have a mutual understanding of the possible consequences of different treatment alternatives in order to achieve a partnership in decision-making.

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore to which degree first-time consultations for discussion of climacteric discomfort achieved shared understanding of the risks and benefits associated with hormone therapy in the menopausal transition.

Methods: Analysis of structure and content of transcribed consultations (n = 20), and follow-up interviews of the women (n = 19 pairs of consultations and interviews), from first-time visits for discussion of climacteric discomfort and/or HT with five physicians at three different outpatient clinics of gynecology in Sweden.

Attitudes towards the menopause and hormone therapy over the turn of the century.

Objective: To assess attitudes and beliefs about the menopausal transition in a population of peri- and postmenopausal women, and if these attitudes differed before and after publication of studies on risks and benefits with hormone therapy (HT).

Materials And Methods: In 1999 and 2003 all women aged 53 and 54 years in the community of Linköping, Sweden, were sent a questionnaire about use of HT, menopausal status and attitudes regarding menopause and HT.

Results: Most women regarded menopause as a natural process characterized by both hormonal deficiency and aging and these views did not differ between 1999 and 2003.

Subcutaneous adipocytes from obese hyperinsulinemic women with polycystic ovary syndrome exhibit normal insulin sensitivity but reduced maximal insulin responsiveness.

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) has a high prevalence in women and is often associated with insulin resistance and hence with aspects of the so-called metabolic syndrome.

Methods: Ten women diagnosed with PCOS were consecutively included (aged 21-39 years, average 30.2 +/- 1.

Changes in women's attitudes towards and use of hormone therapy after HERS and WHI.

Objectives: To assess changes in women's attitudes towards risk and benefits of, and use of hormone treatment in the menopausal transition (HT) before and after Heart and Estrogen/Progestin Replacement Study (HERS) and the oestrogen and progestin trial of Women's Health Initiative (WHI).

Methods: Postal questionnaires to all women 53 and 54 years of age in a Swedish community in 1999 (n=1.760) and 2003 (n=1.