Background: Auricular pressure method is a non-medication method which has been applied for a long time. This method significantly improved the clinical symptoms in premenopausal women. Objectives: to evaluate the effects of auricular pressure method on some hemological and endocrinal indices of the patients with pre-menopausal syndrome. Subjects and methods: 30 patients with menopausal syndrome aged 40- 55 were treated by applying continuously auricular method on Shen men, endocrine, sympathetic nerve points for 30 days. An open-clinical trial was conducted with a comparison of the results before and after treatment. Results: After 30 days of treatment there were no change in hemological indices while serum Estradiol concentration increased to 199,33 \xb1 299,83pnol/l and FSH decreased to 16,33 \xb1 108,70 UL/I compared with those before treatment.The increased levels of estrogen explained partly the improvement of clinical symptoms after treatment. Number of erythrocyte, leukocyte, platelet, haemoglobin, hematocrit did not change. Conclusions: Auricular pressure method produced an influence on the levels of serum Estradiol and FSH. However, it caused no effects on hemological indices in the patients with menopausal syndrome. \r\n', u'\r\n', u'\r\n', u'
Premenopause

Background: Menopause syndrome can occur between the ages of 44 and 55 when menstrual periods have completely stopped for more than 12 months. Objectives: To evaluate the effects of auricular pressure method in the symptoms of menopausal syndrome. Subjects and method: 30 patients at the age of 40 \ufffd?55 years old, suffering from menopausal syndrome, treated by auricular at National Hospital of Traditional Medicine. Pressure method applied on women, sympathetic nerve, endocrine points for 30 days continuously. The method was open-clinical trial with before and after treatment comparison. Results: After 30 days of treatment, the severity of all symptoms had reduced, the difference was to be statistically significant p<0.05. Symptom of hot point had reduced after 30 days of treatment. Mean point reduced from 2.7 \xb1 0.6 to 0.7 \xb1 0.6 point, the difference was to be statistically significant p<0.001. Blatt \ufffd?Kupperman also had reduced after 30 days of treatment. Blatt \ufffd?Kupperman point reduced from 36 \xb1 8.4 to 10.9 \xb1 7.3, the difference was to be statistically significant p<0.001. Stimulation on the auricular points is non-medication method which has been applied for a long time. Clinical syndrome were improved after each therapy course. Good results was 36,7%, moderate were 60% and noresponse 3,3%. Conclusion: Auricular pressure method improved significant the symptom of menopausal syndrome. \r\n', u'\r\n', u'
Premenopause/ physiology

The study was carried out in Hoan Kiem and Soc Son District in Hanoi city. In each area, 160 women were selected and divided into 4 groups: The menopause of 5 years, > 5-10 years, >10 years and group of 25- 39 years. Vein blood were taken for measurement of alkaline phosphatase activity and osteocalcin concentration. Hungry urine was collected was to determine urinary calcium and creatinin levels, calcium/creatinin ratio. The results showed that: - Serum osteocalcin and alkaline phosphatase which were biological markers of bone formation significantly increased in menopausal women and then decreased. Urinary calcium level and calcium/creatinin ratio of the Hoan Kiem women were higher than Soc Son ones.
Premenopause ; Women ; Biological Factors ; Bone and bones

OBJECTIVES: Menopause is a life period that involves various somatic and psychological symptoms. Attitudes toward menopause have been influenced by both time and culture, and play a crucial role in experiencing this period. The purpose of this study was to investigate Korean middle-aged women's attitudes toward menopause and to investigate correlations between attitudes toward menopause and menopausal symptoms. METHODS: Thirty-one gynecological patients, 35 psychiatric patients, and 42 normal controls who were middle aged women(40-59 years old) were selected. The attitudes toward menopause was examined. According to menstrual status, premenopause, perimenopause and postmenopause groups were separated and examined. Then, correlations between sociode-mographic factors and attitudes toward menopause, correlations between attitudes toward menopause and 34 menopausal symptoms, and correlations between sociodemographic factors and menopausal symptoms were examined. RESULTS: 1) Overall attitudes toward menopause was neutral. According to treatment group, normal controls showed more positive attitude than gynecological group and showed no significant differences in negative and neutral attitudes. According to menstrual status, there were no significant differences across premenopause, perimenopause, and postmenopause groups. 2) There was positive correlation between pregnancy number and negative attitude. 3) Both gynecological and psychiatric groups showed more menopausal symptoms than normal controls. Psychiatric group showed significantly more symptoms than normal control in all menopausal symptoms. Psychiatric group showed significantly higher score than gynecological group in anxiety, depressive, sleep, and sexual symptoms. Gynecological group revealed significantly more vasomotor symptoms than normal controls. According to menstrual status, postmenopausal group showed significantly more sexual symptom than premenopause group. 4) Education level had negative correlations with somatic symptoms, anxiety, and sleep problems, and showed positive correlations with depression, vasomotor, and psychological symptoms. There was a positive correlation between self-assessment of health status and all of menopausal symptoms. 5) Negative attitudes toward menopause had positive correlations with somatic, anxiety, depressive, and vasomotor symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the method to correct women's negative attitudes toward menopause will be helpful to overcome menopause and to improve menopausal symptoms.
Anxiety ; Depression ; Education ; Female ; Humans ; Menopause ; Middle Aged ; Perimenopause ; Postmenopause ; Pregnancy ; Premenopause ; Self-Assessment

The influence of age and menopausal status at diagnosis on the prognosis of patients with primary breast cancer remains controversial. Some studies have found that younger patients have worse clinical outcomes than older patients, others have reported that younger patients have a more favorable outcome, and others have found no relation with age. We analyzed the effects of menopausal status in the survival of patients with operable breast cancer and estimated the correlations between the menopausal status and other established prognostic factors. We reviewed the records of the patients who had been operated on at the Department of Surgery, Hangang Sacred Heart Hospital, College of Medicine, Hallym University during the past 10 years (1985~1996). The results were as follows: 1) The peak age group was the fifth decade (27%), and all of patients, except one, were females. 2) The most common symptom was a palpable breast mass with or without pain (88%). 3) Most patients (72.8%) visited within 6 months of the first appearance of a symptom, and the most frequent tumor size was 2~5 cm in diameter (58.9%). 4) Most of the primary tumors were located in the upper outer quadrant (61%); tumors located in the lower outer quadrant were rare (3%). 5) The most common TNM stage group was stage II (54.1%), and there was no difference of distribution between the premenopause and the postmenopause groups. 6) The common pathologic cancer types were infiltrating ductal cancer (73.8%), medullary cancer (9.3%), mucinous cancer (8.3%). 7) Axillary lymph-node metastasis was present in 58 cases (62.4%). 8) The overall five-year survival rate for all patients was 43.9%. 9) The five-year survival rates of the 38 premenopausal patients and the 38 postmenopausal patients were 42.4% and 35.8%, respectively, but there was no statically significant difference between the two groups. 10) Menopausal status did not significantly correlated with tumor size, tumor location, lymph-node metastasis or TNM stage. In conclusion, the menopausal status may be not correlated with the prognosis in breast cancer However, the effect of menopausal status on the prognosis of patients with breast cancer needs to be investigated for a large papulation of breast cancer patients.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Heart ; Humans ; Mucins ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Postmenopause ; Premenopause ; Prognosis ; Survival Rate

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to determine the relationship between peak bone density and polymorphism of estrogen receptor gene in Korean premenopausal women. METHOD: We amplified Estrogen receptor by polymerase chain reaction and its digestion pattern of Pvu II and Xba I was examined from the 172 women who were in premenopause. The genetic subtype was classified by its digestion pattern and its combination genotype, e.g. PP, Pp, pp, XX, Xx, xx, PPXX, PPXx, PPxx, PpXx, Ppxx, xxpp. Bone mineral density of each genetic subtype were compared. RESULTS: The genotype distribution was as follows: PP; 16.3%, Pp; 45.9%, pp; 37.8%, XX; 1.2%, Xx; 25.0%, xx; 73.8%, PPXX; 1.1%, PPXx; 8.7%, PPxx; 6.4%, PpXx; 16.3%, Ppxx; 29.7%, ppxx; 37.8%. ER gene polymorphism was associated with bone mineral density at forearm bone mineral density (P<0.05) with the xx genotype having the less BMD than Xx genotype. CONCLUSION: Xba I estrogen receptor gene polymorphism is associated with bone mineral density in premenopausal women. Estrogen receptor gene polymorphism may have a modulatory role in bone metabolism in premenopausal women. And it can be used as predictor of forearm peak bone density.
Bone Density* ; Digestion ; Estrogens* ; Female ; Forearm ; Genotype ; Humans ; Metabolism ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Premenopause

Acupressure ; Acupuncture, Ear ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Phytotherapy ; Postmenopause ; Premenopause ; Syndrome

Adult ; Anemia, Iron-Deficiency ; diagnosis ; Female ; Hemoglobins ; analysis ; Humans ; Iron ; deficiency ; Premenopause ; ROC Curve ; Reticulocytes ; chemistry

OBJECTIVE: To investigate frequency and associated factors of generalized bone loss in patients with premeonpausal early rheumatoid arthritis (RA)who had not been treated with corticosteroid. METHODS: We measured bone mineral density (BMD)of lumbar spine and hip by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA,Hologic QDR 4500)and investigated clinical;age,disease duration,numbers of tender and swollen joint,and laboratory;erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR),C-reactive protein (CRP)and rheumatoid factor (RF),variables in patients with premenopausal early RA who had not been treated with corticosteroid,consecutively.Generalized bone loss was defined as T score less than -1,and clinical and laboratory variables were analyzed for generalized bone loss. RESULTS: In 41 patients with premenopausal early RA (age;38 +/-8 years, duration of disease 8 +/-6 months),the frequency of generalized bone loss in lumbar spine and hip were 35%and 46%.In multivariate logistic regression analysis,elevated CRP level was significantly associated with generalized bone loss in lumbar spine and femur neck. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with premenopausal early RA,elevated CRP level was associated with generalized bone loss of lumbar spine and femur neck.
Absorptiometry, Photon ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Bone Density ; Femur Neck ; Hip ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Premenopause ; Rheumatoid Factor ; Spine

PURPOSE: Female gonadal hormones are implicated in the psychopathology of the depression. Menopausal state may affect the response to antidepressant medication but treatment options for menopause have not been investigated extensively. Thus, the authors explored the differences in therapeutic response between pre- and post-menopause female patients with depression by evaluating the efficacy and tolerability of mirtazapine treatment during 4 weeks. METHODS: Seventy-five female patients with depression were included. 46 patients were assigned to postmenopause group or 29 patients to pre-menopause group. Efficacy was assessed with twelve's 7-point scales modified from subscales in HAM-D-17 and with Clinical Global Severity Scale, and tolerability was assessed from adverse events. Mirtazapine was administered at the flexible dose from 7.5 to 30 mg during 4 weeks. RESULTS: The post-menopause group showed significantly more reduction in scores on somatization scale (p=0.029) and shows a decreasing tendency in scores on anxiety/agitation scale (p=0.071). Significant differences between two groups were shown in the proportion of patients classified as responders (50% decreased from baseline) in anxiety/agitation (p=0.031) scale. Even though it is not statistically significant, the post-menopause group showed to be more the proportion of responders compared with the pre-menopause group in and somatization symptoms (p=0.084) scales. The proportion of responders (score <1 or 2) in CGI-S was not significantly different between two groups. CONCLUSION: Somatic symptoms and anxiety/agitation in postmenopause female patients with depression would be more likely susceptible to treatment with mirtazapine. Some symptoms of depressive disorder could differently respond to antidepressant medication between pre- and post-menopause patients, which implicated that optional treatment is required in female patients with depression.
Depression* ; Depressive Disorder ; Female ; Gonadal Hormones ; Humans ; Menopause ; Postmenopause ; Premenopause ; Psychopathology ; Weights and Measures