Eighty percent (80%) of women aged 40-65 years reported having vasomotor menopausal symptoms (VMS) according to a survey of 4,754 women published in Menopause, The Journal of The North American Menopause Society. Vasomotor menopausal symptoms include hot flashes and night sweats or cold sweats. Insomnia, irritability, and trouble concentrating are additional symptoms often cited by patients.
Fifty-five percent (55%) of the surveyed women reported their vasomotor symptoms as moderate to severe, and more than half of these women were untreated. VMS has a substantial negative impact on women’s personal and professional lives, which increases with the severity of symptoms.
While hormone therapy is still widely used to treat VMS, there continue to be concerns about risks of venous thromboembolism, stroke, and breast cancer. According to the women surveyed, ~35% were hormone therapy-contraindicated and ~50% were hormone-therapy cautious or averse.
Have you seen similar statistics in your practice? What have you found to be successful in treating VMS with patients who are HRT-contraindicated or averse?
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Esteban Carrillo, PROJECT VIDA HEALTH CENTER, INC.3yrSince I am a Psych NP, I mainly use SSRI's and SNRI's which are somewhat effective for some. The numbers do seem similar to what I see.
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Shanhong Lu3yrNumerous studies have shown the strong correlation between VMS and endothelial dysfunction and increase rate of heart disease. I strongly disagree with treating symptoms.
