CEU:Managing menopausal symptoms after the women's health initiative

The History of Estrogen Therapy

INTRODUCTION

Menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) has proven an effective treatment for the amelioration of symptoms of menopause. The idea that a substance was the missing factor in a woman's body after menopause dates to the 1800s, when cow ovarian tissue was injected into German women in a successful attempt to reverse the sexual symptoms of menopause. The early 1900s saw the rise of commercialized menopause "treatments" that ranged in substance and even theoretical efficacy. The role of estrogen was first accurately described in Guinea pigs in 1917 by Dr. Papanicolaou.

AIM

To tell the detailed history of how estrogen was discovered and the controversy surrounding MHT.

METHODS

A literature search was conducted using PubMed to identify relevant studies and historical documents regarding the history of estrogen therapy.

RESULTS

The history of estrogen supplementation and its controversies are interesting stories and relevant to today's ongoing investigation into hormone replacement.

CONCLUSION

The controversy of MHT remained until the first randomized trials examining MHT in the early 1990s that suggested MHT is cardioprotective in postmenopausal women, although this conclusion was contradicted in subsequent trials. In the present day, MHT is approved only for short-term use for the symptomatic treatment of menopause. Kohn GE, Rodriguez KM, Hotaling J, et al. The History of Estrogen Therapy. Sex Med Rev 2019;7:416-421.

Appraisal of Core Therapy, Supportive Therapy, and Alternative Therapy in a Tertiary Care Rural Hospital of Vidarbha Region in Correlation to Plethora of Menopausal Problems

Context:

Menopause is a crucial phase of the women fraternity which marks the end of reproductive age. Mostly it is physiological; however, certain conditions may lead to premature menopause. Menopause has an extensive spectrum of symptoms which are extremely bothersome. An effective, empathetic, and rational treatment strategy is necessary.

Aim:

The present study was carried out to appraise the treatment strategies to tackle menopausal problems in Acharya Vinoba Bhave Rural Hospital, Sawangi (Meghe), Wardha – a tertiary care hospital in rural Vidarbha.

Materials and Methods:

This monocentric hospital-based qualitative study was carried out on 330 menopausal women. Data were collected from in-depth interview of the health-care professionals of obstetrics and gynecology department and patients.

Results:

Of 330 participants, the incidence of natural menopause was 90.96% (2016) and 85.36% (2017); surgical menopause was 09.03% (2016) and 14.63% (2017). There was no incidence of chemotherapy-induced and pelvic radiation-induced menopause during the study. Pharmacotherapy (85.45%) and surgery (19.09%) were the mainstay treatments. The most common route of drug administration was oral (92.20%), followed by intravaginal (15.60%), topical (09.57%), and injectables (0.35%). Pharmacotherapy was categorized into core therapy (84.75%), supportive therapy (47.52%), and alternative therapy (03.19%).

Conclusion:

The present study concludes that there is a decline in the use of hormone replacement therapy for the management of menopausal complaints. There is lack of awareness of the complexity of menopausal symptoms and available treatment strategies in this rural population, and therefore, it is recommended to organize various awareness camps, so that a prompt and most suitable treatment can be provided.

The history of hormone therapy use and recent controversy related to heart disease and breast cancer arising from prevention trial outcomes

The reasons for hormone therapy use have changed dramatically over time from being very popular for the purpose of preserving youth in women to menopause-related symptom management, disease prevention, and now back to menopause-related symptom management. Over time, several important risks associated with the use of hormone therapy have become evident, causing dramatic reductions in the use of hormone therapy for periods of time following identification of these risks. Most recently, randomized controlled prevention trials that evaluated hormone therapy for the purpose of reducing or preventing coronary heart disease among women have found that hormone therapy is associated with increased rather than decreased risks for coronary heart disease. The most recent of these trials again identified increased risks for breast cancer associated with estrogen plus progestogen therapy. The evolving evidence base from these randomized controlled prevention trials is complicated and in some cases contradictory. Specifically, the data suggest that the timing of when hormone therapy is initiated once a woman is postmenopausal may influence her risk for developing heart disease and breast cancer. In this article, contradictory evidence is carefully sifted so risks and benefits can be weighed by clinicians when partnering with women to individualize decisions about using hormone therapy.