|
 The findings may be applicable to other countries, too, according to
senior author Dr. Susan R. Davis from Monash University in
Melbourne.
"From my interactions with colleagues from across the globe, I do
not believe that what we have observed is Australian-specific," she
told Reuters Health by email. "The management of menopause has been
relatively similar in the UK, the USA and in Australia."
Up to half of women in menopause experience so-called vasomotor
symptoms, such as hot flashes and night sweats. Hormone replacement
therapy (HRT), which generally combines estrogen plus progestin, is
very effective. But after the initial findings of the Women’s Health
Initiative study showed that HRT can increase the risk of breast
cancer, stroke and other serious problems, many women stopped using
it.
As reported in the journal Menopause, in 2013 and 2014 Davis and her
team analyzed survey responses from nearly 1,500 women ages 40 to
65.
Seventeen percent were having moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms,
and 18 percent reported moderate to severe sexual symptoms.
But most were not receiving any kind of treatment. Only 11 percent
reported use of HRT, and less than 1 percent were using any type of
therapy that didn't involve hormones.
The women who did use hormones were mostly taking pills containing
estrogen, rather than preparations that are absorbed into the skin
and that are potentially safer, the researchers found.
"Extrapolating our findings to 3.7 million Australian women aged 40
to 64 years, we found that 455,000 women are likely to have moderate
to severe vasomotor symptoms, with most women (385,000) remaining
untreated," they write.
In addition, very few women were receiving vaginal estrogen therapy
for sexual symptoms. Vaginal dryness is common with menopause and
affects sexual functioning. Vaginal estrogen preparations are very
safe and effective for this problem but were prescribed to less than
5 percent of the women, the authors say.
Why are so few women being treated?
[to top of second column] |
"Overall, there is the uncertainty of women and of doctors as to
what the options are, what is and is not safe, and of the safe
options - what and how to prescribe them," Davis said.
There is also, she said, a complete lack of understanding that for
most women, these symptoms are not fleeting.
"It isn't 'grin and bear it for a few months' and it will all pass,
as many women suffer severe symptoms for five-plus years," she said.
"Women and doctors simply are not aware that symptoms can last this
long."
Finally, many women don’t realize that non hormonal options can be
safe and effective, she added.
Dr. Wulf H. Utian, medical director of the North American Menopause
Society, agrees that many reasons may underlie the lack of
treatment. "It is partly 'fall out' from the controversy over
hormone therapy," he told Reuters Health in an email.
But overall, he said, it is a combination of patients not wanting
therapy or not having information about it, and also the provider
not prescribing it.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/1hOWOoq Menopause, online July 31, 2015.
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
