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David W Sturdee

Publications and source records attributed to David W Sturdee.

4 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

The use of food supplements among women attending menopause clinics in the West Midlands.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the extent of use of over the counter food supplements in women attending menopause clinics in the West Midlands. STUDY DESIGN: Questionnaire survey of women attending menopause clinics in Solihull Hospital, Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, Rugby and Walsgrave Hospitals and Birmingham Women's Hospital. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Type and rate of use of food supplements in hormone replacement therapy (HRT) users and nonusers and perceived benefits. RESULTS: Three hundred and forty women completed the questionnaire. 95% (n = 326) belonged to the white European ethnic group. The median age was 53 years, with 50% (n = 170) in the 50-59 years age group, and 30 % (n = 95) in the age range 40-49 years. Overall use of over the counter supplements in the clinic was 43% (n = 147), with Oil of Evening Primrose (53%) and vitamins (44%) being the most commonly used preparations. 71% (n = 242) women were users of conventional HRT. Of these, 46% were also using food supplements. The use of food supplements was higher amongst HRT users (46%) as compared to non-HRT users (32%). The use was similar between smokers and non-smokers. The most commonly perceived benefit was a feeling of well-being, 39% (n = 58/147). The proportionate use was highest in social class I and class II (51% and 54% respectively), in keeping with amount of disposable income. Friends (27%), the internet (26%) and magazines (20%) were the most commonly quoted sources of information. 79% (n = 116/147) were spending up to 10 each month on alternative remedies. 10% (n = 14/147) of women were visiting practitioners of alternative remedies. CONCLUSIONS: The use of food supplements is widespread and particularly in those already taking conventional HRT. This study was not designed to test confidence in orthodox medicine, but the prevalence of use of supplements amongst menopausal women attending menopause clinics. The most commonly perceived benefit is a feeling of well-being, but users of food supplements are unsure of any additional benefit when supplements are taken in conjunction with conventional therapy. There is a misapprehension that "herbal" or "natural" equals safe. In addition, the correlation between supplement use and side effects is very seldom made, as these compounds are mistakenly considered almost universally safe, and physicians often fail to enquire about their use in routine history taking.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Effect on endometrium of long term treatment with continuous combined oestrogen-progestogen replacement therapy: follow up study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine effects of five years of treatment with an oral continuous combined regimen of 2 mg 17beta-oestradiol and 1 mg norethisterone acetate on endometrial histology in postmenopausal women. DESIGN: Follow up study in postmenopausal women. SETTING: 31 menopause clinics in the United Kingdom. PARTICIPANTS: 534 postmenopausal women, all with an intact uterus, who had completed nine months of treatment with oral continuous combined 2 mg 17beta-oestradiol and 1 mg norethisterone acetate agreed to take part in a long term follow up study. Women were assigned to different groups on the basis of the treatment status immediately before entering the original study: 360 women had taken sequential oestrogen-progestogen hormone replacement therapy, 164 had taken no hormone replacement therapy, and 10 had taken unopposed oestrogen therapy. METHODS: Endometrial aspiration specimens were taken before the women started the continuous combined regimen, after 9 and 24-36 months, and at the end of the five year treatment period or on withdrawal from the study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Results of endometrial histology. RESULTS: The duration of treatment with continuous combined hormone replacement therapy was 4.4 (range 1.1-5.9) years. Data on endometrial specimens were available for 526 women after nine months of treatment, 465 women after 24-36 months of treatment, and 398 women who completed the five years treatment (345 women) or were withdrawn between the two latter visits for biopsies (53 women). No cases of endometrial hyperplasia or malignancy were detected at biopsy; 69% of women had an endometrium classified as atrophic or unassessable on completion of the study or withdrawal from it. Before the continuous combined therapy was started, complex hyperplasia was detected in 21 women who had taken sequential hormone replacement therapy before the study and in one who had taken unopposed oestrogen. All of these women had normal results on histological examination of endometrial tissue after nine months of treatment with continuous combined hormone replacement therapy, and hyperplasia did not recur after up to five years of treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Long term treatment (for up to five years) with continuous combined hormone replacement therapy containing oestradiol 2 mg and norethisterone 1 mg daily was associated with neither endometrial hyperplasia nor malignancy. In women who had complex hyperplasia during previous sequential or unopposed regimens, the endometrium returned to normal during treatment with continuous combined hormone replacement therapy. These findings provide reassurance about the long term safety of this continuous combined regimen in terms of the endometrium.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed2002

The bleeding problem.

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Estrogen Replacement Therapy↗