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PubMed2004

Expression of estrogen receptors alpha and beta in human osteoblasts: identification of exon-2 deletion variant of estrogen receptor beta in postmenopausal women.

BACKGROUND: Postmenopausal osteoporosis is associated with estrogen deficiency. Estrogens have effects on bone metabolism, which are mediated by estrogen receptors (ERs). If estrogen responsiveness is related to the ER expression level, ER expression in postmenopausal women should be different from previous studies using osteoblast lineage. We investigated the expression of variant isoforms of ER messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) in osteoblasts (OB) from postmenopausal women and a human osteosarcoma cell line, MG 63. METHODS: Osteoblast cultures were prepared from the upper femur of postmenopausal patients or MG 63. For OB cultures at 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 days, the expressions of ERalpha and beta mRNA were examined using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: In MG 63, ERbeta mRNA was constantly and highly expressed during the 25-day culture, whereas ERalpha mRNA was barely detected. In the primary OB cells, both ERalpha and beta mRNA were transcribed during the 25-day culture, but expression of ERalpha mRNA was much stronger than that of ERbeta mRNA. A splice variant form of ERbeta mRNA that was missing the entire exon 2 (ERbeta delta 2) was detected and heterogeneously expressed in OB cultures from 16 postmenopausal women. CONCLUSION: Differential expressions of these ER isoforms suggest that they may have different functions or that they interact with each other during bone metabolism. The different ratio of ERbeta to ERbeta delta 2 mRNA or ERalpha to ERbeta mRNA expressions in osteoblast cultures may be related to different bone conditions. Whether the presence of ERbeta delta 2 in postmenopausal women influences the biological properties of bone needs to be determined.

Bone Neoplasms↗

PubMed2004

Prevalence of osteoporosis among postmenopausal females with diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis among Saudi postmenopausal women with non-insulin dependent type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: The study was carried out at King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from February 2000 to September 2002. Bone mineral density (BMD) of the lumbar spine and femoral neck using dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA; Lunar Wisconsin), were performed in 104 postmenopausal Saudi women with T2DM, and 101 postmenopausal non-diabetic women (control). Bone mineral density was measured in gm/cm2 and both T-score and Z-score were measured but only T-score was used for analysis based on World Health Organization criteria. Bone profile, 25(OH) Vitamin D, 1,25(OH)2 Vitamin D, parathyroid hormone and urine deoxypyridinoline (DPD) were measured in most patients and controls. Body fat measurement around the biceps muscles using Futrex (body composition analyzer) were performed in patients and controls. Years postmenopausal, duration of diabetes mellitus, parity, exercise, sun exposure and milk consumption were also recorded. RESULTS: In the diabetic group, the mean spine BMD was 0.928 gm/cm2 (T-score = -2.28 SD) and for femoral neck the mean BMD was 0.817 gm/cm2 (T-score = -1.21 SD). In control group, the mean spine BMD was 1.036 gm/cm2 (T-score = -1.2) and mean femoral neck BMD was 0.914 gm/cm2 (T-score = -0.608). In the diabetic group, there was 16 (16.64%) patients with normal BMD of the spine, 42 patients (43.68%) with osteopenia (mean T-score = -1.8 SD) and 45 (46.8%) with osteoporosis (mean T-score = -3.3 SD). CONCLUSION: Osteoporosis is more common among Type 2 postmenopausal females in this ethnic group. Since both groups are postmenopausal, having equal percentage of Vitamin D deficiency, multi-parity, non exposure to sun, lack of exercise and negligible milk intake, one can conclude that the low BMD can be attributed to DM in the absence of other causes of osteoporosis.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗

PubMed2004

[The relationship between serum calcitonin gene-related peptide, sex hormone, homocysteine and coronary artery disease in postmenopausal women].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between serum calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), homocysteine (Hcy), sex hormone, and coronary heart disease (CHD) in postmenopausal women. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, serum CGRP, estradiol (E(2)), progesterone (P) and Hcy levels of 144 postmenopausal women undergoing diagnostic CHD (75 with CHD and 69 without CHD) and 66 healthy young women were measured. RESULTS: The occurrence of CHD was correlated with high Hcy level and low CGRP level. The mean serum CGRP level was significantly lower in CHD postmenopausal women than in without CHD ones [(103.6 +/- 59.8) ng/L vs (164.6 +/- 50.7) ng/L, P < 0.01]. The mean serum E(2) level was significantly lower in CHD postmenopausal women than in without CHD ones [(67.9 +/- 24.4) pmol/L vs (91.7 +/- 23.0) pmol/L, P < 0.01]. The mean serum P level was significantly lower in CHD than in without CHD postmenopausal women [(0.89 +/- 0.46) nmol/L vs (1.11 +/- 0.45) nmol/L, P < 0.01]. The mean serum Hcy level was significantly higher in CHD than in without CHD postmenopausal women [(15.3 +/- 6.5) micromol/L vs (10.2 +/- 2.8) micromol/L, P < 0.01]. By multivariate logistic regression, the OR of high Hcy level > or = 1, P < 0.01, that means Hcy is an independent risk factor of CHD. The OR of CGRP, E(2) and P were all < or = 1, indicating that they were independent protective factor. CONCLUSIONS: Hcy is an independent risk factor of CHD. CGRP, E(2) and P are independent protective factors of CHD. There was no relationship between Hcy, CGRP and E(2) and P.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Postmenopausal osteoporosis and hormone replacement therapy.

Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disease characterized by low bone mass and microarchitectural deterioration of bone tissue, with a consequent increase in bone fragility and susceptibility to fracture. Postmenopausal osteoporosis is a major public health problem. Estrogen deficiency is a key factor in the pathogenesis of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Among the several types therapeutic intervention in osteoporosis, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has traditionally been seen as the gold standard method of preventing osteoporotic fractures among postmenopausal women.The estrogenic effect on bone is dose-dependent. For oral therapy, studies have demonstrated that doses of 0.625 mg of conjugated equine estrogen and 2 mg of micronized estradiol prevent postmenopausal bone loss. Percutaneous 17 beta-estradiol prevents skeletal bone loss as effectively as oral HRT. Although the greatest benefits from HRT in terms of bone sparing effects can be obtained shortly after the menopause, the literature contains clear evidence that HRT prevents bone loss in all stages of postmenopausal life. However, estrogen therapy must be long-term, possibly lifelong, to have any lasting impact on bone health. One strategy to improve long term continuation of HRT is to reduce the dosage of estrogen and the consequent side-effects of the higher dose HRT. Various studies have assessed the efficacy of low-dose HRT (LD-HRT) as well as the standard dose HRT in the prevention of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. LD-HRT may enhance patient acceptability and continuation, ensuring adequate bone protection and menopausal symptoms control, and given physicians the possibility to personalize the doses on the basis of each individual patient's needs.

Estrogen Replacement Therapy↗

PubMed2004

Validation of the OSTA index for discriminating between high and low probability of femoral neck and lumbar spine osteoporosis among Thai postmenopausal women.

RATIONALE: Bone mineral density (BMD) measurement of postmenopausal women is needed to diagnose osteoporosis. This is an expensive procedure and available in only a few hospitals in Thailand. The Osteoporosis Self-Assessment Tool for Asians (OSTA) index, based on age and weight, has been developed for screening of postmenopausal Asian women to identify women for whom there is little advantage in undergoing bone densitometry. This index was developed for prediction of neck of the femur osteoporosis and did not include spinal osteoporosis, which is also common. Furthermore, the index was based on data from a sample of mainly ethnic Chinese. There is evidence that the BMD of Thai women is significantly higher for the same age and weight than that of women of several other Asian ethnics, thus there is a need to validate the appropriateness of the OSTA index for both femur and spinal osteoporosis among the Thai population. OBJECTIVE: To determine the properties of the OSTA index as a screening tool among postmenopausal women in southern Thailand. PATIENTS: Three-hundred-and-eighty-eight postmenopausal women, with no history of disease or use of drugs associated with secondary osteoporosis and no history of treatment for osteoporosis, attending the postmenopausal clinic or internal medicine out-patient department of Songklanagarind Hospital, a teaching hospital in southern Thailand, between November 2000 and April 2002. METHOD: BMD t-scores of the neck of the femur and lumbar spine were collected retrospectively and a diagnosis of osteoporosis made according to WHO criteria. Sensitivity and specificity and their 95% confidence limits were calculatedfor the dichotomized OSTA index. RESULTS: Thirty-one percent of the women were detected as having osteoporosis, comprising neck of the femur (12 percent) and lumbar spine (31 percent). Twenty nine women (7.5 percent) had evidence of spinal fracture. The OSTA index at the standard cut-point of < or = -1 had a sensitivity and specificity of 0.93 (95% CI: 0.82 - 0.99) and 0.61 (95% CI: 0.56-0.66) respectively for neck of the femur but only 0.80 (95% CI: 0.72-0.87) and 0.70 (95% CI: 0.64-0.75) respectively for lumbar spine. Raising the cut-point to < or = 0 reduced the high false negative rate (0.20) in prediction of lumbar spine osteoporosis to 0.07 (95% CI: 0.03-0.13) and identified 27 percent (95% CI: 23-32 percent) of all women at low risk of osteoporosis at either site. These women may not need to undergo BMD measurement. CONCLUSION: The standard cut-point of the OSTA index could identify most Thai postmenopausal women with osteoporosis of the neck of the femur. However, to improve the sensitivity of detection of osteoporosis of the lumbar spine, the cut-point of < or = 0 may be more appropriate.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

[Study of the impact of candidate genes on bone mineral density in postmenopausal women].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of multiple candidate genes on bone mineral density in postmenopausal women. METHODS: Bone mineral density (BMD) at lumbar spine and femoral neck were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) in 205 postmenopausal women. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and direct sequencing technique were used to identify osteoprotegerin gene polymorphism. Parathyroid hormone, calcitonin receptor, osteocalcin and leptin receptor genes were evaluated through PCR and restriction fragment length polymorphism. Leptin gene was genotyped by PCR and agarose electrophoresis. RESULTS: One G-1181C single nucleotide polymorphism was found in the first exon of the osteoprotegerin gene. After adjustment for age and body mass index, women who were with the CC genotype of osteoprotegerin gene or the bb genotype of parathyroid hormone gene had the highest BMD value at the lumbar spine, which was (1.042 +/- 0.142) g/cm(2) and (1.196 +/- 0.133) g/cm(2), respectively. No association was found among calcitonin receptor, osteocalcin, leptin and leptin receptor genes with BMD in postmenopausal women. Multivariate regression analysis found that the osteoprotegerin, parathyroid hormone and osteocalcin genes associated with the variance of BMD at the lumbar spine, and the parathyroid gene associated with the variance of BMD at the femoral neck. CONCLUSIONS: There is some association between osteoprotegerin, parathyroid hormone genes and BMD in postmenopausal women. However, no relationship has been found among calcitonin receptor, osteocalcin, leptin and leptin receptor genes with BMD in postmenopausal women. The osteoprotegerin gene may be the useful genetic marker for osteopenia in postmenopausal women.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗

PubMed2006

Relation of parity and homocysteine to bone mineral density of postmenopausal women.

Osteoporosis is a major problem in contemporary society. However, there is not enough data on multiparity and osteoporosis from developing and/or undeveloped countries on a large scale. Selection of participants in this study was aimed at the detection of bone status in healthy (normal bone mineral density) postmenopausal (n = 46, 55.3 +/- 6.7 years) and osteoporotic postmenopausal women (n: 33) of similar age. Bone mineral density (BMD) was evaluated using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. At the DEXA evaluation, 33 women had osteoporotic (T score below -2.5) and 46 had normal BMD values. The number of pregnancies was found to range from 3 to 12 (with an overall mean of 6.7 +/- 2.5), while 2.6 +/- 1.9 (range, 1-7) were miscarriages in all of the 33 postmenopausal osteoporotic women. Serum homocysteine (t-Hcy) and urinary deoxypyridinoline (DPD) levels were significantly higher in osteoporotic postmenopausal women (11.96 +/- 3.84 micromol/L, 15.4 +/- 7.0 nM/mM cr) than in non-osteoporotic postmenopausal women (10.93 +/- 3.6 micromol/L, 10.6 +/- 9.1 nM/mM cr), p < 0.05, p < 0.01, respectively. Surprisingly, in postmenopausal osteoporotic women the homocysteine (t-Hcy) levels were positively associated with the number of deliveries (multiparity; 6.7 +/- 2.5), and positively associated with the number of curettages (2.6 +/- 1.9), r = 0.401, p < 0.038 and r = 0.520, p < 0.029, respectively. The mechanism linking serum t-Hcy to the number of pregnancies is unclear, and the relationship may only be by chance. In conclusion, the present study firstly suggests that the number of pregnancies has an effect on the t-Hcy levels. In addition, our study indicates that there is a significant negative correlation between the number of pregnancies and the lumbar spine BMD.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗

PubMed1994

[The postmenopausal ovary--should it be preserved?].

Oophorectomia per occasionem is often performed in connection with hysterectomy in peri- and postmenopausal women as prophylaxis against ovarian cancer. Reviewing published articles has shed little light on whether the postmenopausal ovaries have an endocrine function, and whether such a function may have physiological importance. Population studies of healthy women, comparisons of oophorectomized and non-oophorectomized postmenopausal women and measurements of ovarian venous gradients have shown that the postmenopausal ovaries contribute substantially to the production of androgens, and produce about half the body's circulating testosterone. In a number of women there is a continued significant oestrogen production in the ovaries during the first five to ten years following menopause. After this period the ovarian contribution to the total oestrogen production is very small. To what extent the continued androgen production could have physiological importance cannot be decided by reviewing the literature. Androgens seem to have importance for sexual function, but could possibly also have negative effects in the form of an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. We lack both epidemiological investigations and in-vitro perfusion studies of human ovaries in order to illuminate the physiological function of the postmenopausal ovary. In deciding on oophorectomia per occasionem in the postmenopausal woman the possible advantages of continued ovarian hormonal production must be weighed against the risk of later development of ovarian cancer, which is 2%, identical to that of the risk in the background population.

Aged↗

PubMed2000

Biopsy confirmed benign breast disease, postmenopausal use of exogenous female hormones, and breast carcinoma risk.

BACKGROUND: A history of proliferative benign breast disease has been shown to increase the risk of developing breast carcinoma, but, to the authors' knowledge, how postmenopausal exogenous female hormone use, in general, has affected breast carcinoma risk among women with a history of proliferative breast disease with or without atypia has not been well established. METHODS: In the current case-control study, nested within the Nurses' Health Study, benign breast biopsy slides of 133 postmenopausal breast carcinoma cases and 610 controls with a history of benign breast disease, were reviewed. Reviewers had no knowledge of case status. RESULTS: Women with proliferative disease without atypia had a relative risk for postmenopausal breast carcinoma of 1.8 (95%, confidence interval [CI]: 1.1 to 2.8), and women with atypical hyperplasia had a relative risk of 3.6 (95%, CI: 2.0 to 6.4) compared with women who had nonproliferative benign histology. Neither current postmenopausal use of exogenous female hormones nor long term use for 5 or more years further increased the risk of breast carcinoma in the study population beyond that already associated with their benign histology. CONCLUSIONS: Women who had proliferative benign breast disease, with or without atypia, were at moderately to substantially increased risk of developing postmenopausal breast carcinoma compared with women who had nonproliferative benign conditions. In the current study, postmenopausal exogenous female hormone use in general did not further increase the breast carcinoma risk for women with proliferative benign breast disease. However, the analysis did not exclude the possibility of increased risk with a particular hormone combination or dosage.

Biopsy↗

PubMed1988

Effects of moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages on endocrine function in postmenopausal women. Bases for hypotheses.

That alcoholic beverage consumption has not yet received attention as a variable that might influence the estrogenization of postmenopausal women is discussed within the context of the growing proportion of postmenopausal women in the population, their disease risk vis-à-vis estrogenization, and survey findings that report that the majority of postmenopausal women use alcoholic beverages to at least some degree. The available literature is reviewed concerning the effects of acute or chronic ethanol administration, alcoholic beverage consumption, or the administration of phytoestrogen-containing congeners of bourbon on the endocrine status of postmenopausal women or relevant animal models. The basic components of postmenopausal endocrine function and the factors known to affect endocrine status are presented. The importance of incorporating known endocrine-modulating factors into the design of future studies so as to maximize the detection of alcohol effects in postmenopausal women is emphasized.

Alcohol Drinking↗

PubMed1990

Calcitonin and postmenopausal bone loss.

In order to establish the role of calcitonin (CT) in postmenopausal bone loss, we studied CT metabolism in 25 pre- and postmenopausal women. Postmenopausal women presented a highly significant reduction of CT basal levels compared to premenopausal females (p less than 0.01). Also, production rates of CT in osteoporotics were significantly lower than in either young premenopausal (18-25 years old), older premenopausal (35-40 years old), or postmenopausal healthy subjects. In a study in rabbits, we found that injection of CT, along with equimolar amounts of anti-SCT antibodies extracted from serum of pagetic patients, did not inhibit the hypocalcemic response to the hormone, thus demonstrating that resistance to CT treatment cannot be accounted for by antibody production. In a subsequent clinical study in patients with Paget's disease of bone, we found that 200 IU/day of salmon CT (SCT), given by nasal spray, improved both clinically and biochemically the activity of the disease, as demonstrated by 37 +/- 4% decrease of serum alkaline phosphatase and 35 +/- 5% fall of urinary excretion of hydroxyproline after six months of therapy. The effectiveness of CT as nasal spray was further tested in healthy women at an early stage of menopause. A 12-month course of intranasal SCT counteracted early postmenopausal bone loss, presumably by inhibiting bone resorption. In conclusion, intranasal CT seems to be a very attractive alternative to be considered for the prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Administration, Intranasal↗

PubMed1981

Calcitonin and the calcium-regulating hormones in postmenopausal women: effect of oestrogens.

In man, the major function of calcitonin appears to be prevention of excessive or unwanted bone resorption. There is a striking sex difference in circulating levels, with a relative deficiency in women. Calcitonin secretion in young adults is increased by oestrogens and therefore long periods of oestrogen lack, such as after the menopause, may be associated with a more pronounced calcitonin deficiency. This exaggerated deficiency could be an important factor in the pathogenesis of postmenopausal bone loss, especially since the latter may be due to excessive bone resorption. In a study of the effects of oestrogen treatment on circulating levels of calcitonin, parathyroid hormone, and vitamin-D metabolites in postmenopausal women, the most striking change was a sharp rise in plasma-calcitonin. Oestrogens prevent postmenopausal bone loss, and it is suggested that this effect could be mediated, at least in part, through control of calcitonin secretion. Calcitonin may prove effective in the prevention of postmenopausal bone loss, and it is suggested that this effect could be mediated, at least in part, through control of calcitonin secretion. Calcitonin may prove effective in the prevention of postmenopausal bone loss. Its place in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis warrants further evaluation.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Gonadotropin, ACTH, prolactin, sexual steroid and cortisol levels in postmenopausal women's cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

In CSF and serum of 24 fertile (34.9 +/- 12.2 years) and 15 postmenopausal (58.9 +/- 6.9 years) female patients with non-inflammatory neurologic diseases, LH, FSH, ACTH, prolactin (Prol), estradiol (E), progesterone (P), testosterone (T), and cortisol (C) levels were determined by RIA. In postmenopause, serum levels of FSH and LH had 8- and 6-fold increases in comparison to those in reproductive age. In postmenopause, serum levels of E, P, ACTH and Prol had 8-, 5-, 3- and 2-fold decreases. Serum levels of T and C remained statistically unchanged during the whole life span. In postmenopause, CSF levels of FSH and LH had 3- and 2-fold increases, while E, P, Prol, ACTH CSF levels remained statistically unchanged compared to those in reproductive age (CSF-C levels were under the test sensitivities). CSF/serum ratio of FSH had a 4-fold decrease while that of E had a 4-fold increase in the postmenopause. CSF and serum levels of estradiol and ACTH as well as the logarithmic values of FSH, Prol and P concentrations correlated significantly regarding the whole reproductive postmenopausal life span, however, the CSF-blood barrier seemed to protect the brain from the effects of peripheral estradiol-progesterone deficiencies.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2000

Hormone replacement therapy in postmenopausal asthmatic women.

OBJECTIVES: Assessment of mean 24 h oestradiol (E2) and oestrone (E1) concentration and basic FSH secretion in postmenopausal asthmatic women, before and after HRT use, and to identify any connections between changes in hormone concentrations and patients' clinical state. SUBJECTS: Postmenopausal women (55 asthmatic and 20 healthy, aged 48-60 years). METHOD: Serum hormone concentration was assessed by radioimmunoassay before HRT and after 6 months of transdermal 17beta-E2 and medroxyprogesterone acetate treatment (cyclical method). Intensification of menopausal symptoms was assessed by Kupperman's index. RESULTS: Secretion of oestrogens was lower in postmenopausal women asthmatic women than in postmenopausal healthy women. HRT caused an increase in oestrogen concentration. The 24-h fluctuations of E1 and E2 in all studied groups before and after HRT did not differ significantly. A statistically significant decrease in the number of menopausal symptoms was found during the course of HRT. During the period of HRT, there was a reduction in the number of patients in whom it was necessary to use oral glucocorticoid therapy during exacerbation of asthma. CONCLUSION: A greater reduction in oestrogen secretion was found in postmenopausal asthmatic women than in postmenopausal healthy women. HRT resulted in normalization of serum oestrogen concentration in asthmatic women and diminishing psychosomatic symptoms of the menopause and symptoms of asthma.

Aged↗

PubMed2005

Effect of hormone replacement therapy on the production of bone-resorbing cytokines by peripheral blood cells in postmenopausal women.

We studied the effects of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) with estrogen on postmenopausal changes in the production of bone-resorbing cytokines interleukin 1 beta (IL-1beta) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha). Both cytokines were measured in the supernatants of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated whole-blood cells from 72 untreated and 44 HRT-treated women by ELISA. The levels of IL-1beta were significantly higher in women in their 40s and 50s and in postmenopausal women than in women in their teens, 20s and 30s, while the levels of TNFalpha did not show any changes related to age. Both levels in HRT-treated women were significantly lower than those in untreated women at almost every postmenopausal stage. In a prospective study, HRT induced significant declines in both levels. These results show that estrogen decreases the accelerated production of IL-1beta and reduces the production of TNFalpha in postmenopausal women at each postmenopausal stage, even in late-postmenopausal women.

Adult↗

PubMed1993

Correlates of postmenopausal estrogen use and trends through the 1980s in two southeastern New England communities.

Correlates and prevalence of current postmenopausal estrogen use were examined in two southeastern New England communities for the period 1981 through 1990. Data were obtained from five biennial cross-sectional household health surveys, with current use of postmenopausal estrogen determined by inspection of medication bottles. Analysis included 3,279 women aged 40-64 years, of whom 2,215 (67.6%) were postmenopausal. The prevalence of estrogen use among all postmenopausal women increased from 5.3% (95% confidence interval (CI) 3.2-7.4) in 1981-1982 to 10.9% (95% CI 7.5-14.4) in 1989-1990. Among women with surgical menopause, prevalence increased from 11.4% (95% CI 6.6-16.2) to 20.3% (95% CI 13.6-27.0), while use among women with natural menopause increased from 1.5% (95% CI 0.04-2.9) to 3.5% (95% CI 0.74-6.2). Logistic regression was used to compute age-adjusted prevalence of estrogen use according to demographic characteristics and cardiovascular risk factors. Postmenopausal estrogen use was positively associated with income, and a positive trend with education was suggested. Estrogen use was positively associated with high density lipoprotein cholesterol and was inversely associated with body mass index. Nonsmokers, women who exercised at least once per week, and women who reported having their cholesterol checked in the past year were more likely to use estrogen. These findings suggest that estrogen users have a more healthy profile than do nonusers. In addition, the prevalence of postmenopausal estrogen use appears to be substantially lower in women with natural versus surgical menopause throughout the period studied.

Adult↗

PubMed1990

Early natural menopause and the duration of postmenopausal life. Findings from a mathematical model of life expectancy.

Menopause marks the beginning of a stage of life characterized by an increased susceptibility to diseases such as coronary heart disease and osteoporosis. It was therefore hypothesized that early age at natural menopause would lengthen the duration of the postmenopausal stage of life and thereby result in an earlier age at death. This study investigated the relations between age at natural menopause, duration of postmenopausal life (ie, life expectancy at menopause), and age at death (ie, age at menopause plus life expectancy at menopause). Data were derived from a study of 5,287 naturally postmenopausal Seventh-day Adventists observed during 1976-1982. Life expectancy was estimated by a mathematical model that used mortality ratios from the study and mortality rates from the US general population. For natural menopause before the age of 47 years, each one-year decrease in age at menopause was associated with a 0.53-year increase in postmenopausal life (P = .04) and a 0.47-year decrease in the age at death (P = .04). For natural menopause at the age of 47 years and older, however, each one-year decrease in age at menopause was associated with a 0.99-year increase in postmenopausal life (P = .03) and only a 0.01-year decrease in the age at death (P = .85). Overall, these findings argue against the possibility that the association between age at menopause and age at death in this study was due to the relation of age at menopause to the duration of postmenopausal life.

Aged↗

PubMed1989

Estrogen feedback in normal and sulpiride-induced hyperprolactinemic postmenopausal women.

Feedback effect of estrogen on gonadotropin secretion was studied in normal and sulpiride-induced hyperprolactinemic postmenopausal women. Twelve normoprolactinemic postmenopausal women were administered 40 micrograms/day of ethinyl estradiol (EE2) orally throughout the study. On the 4th week of the study, daily doses of 200 micrograms EE2 were also given to each subject for 4 days. Twelve postmenopausal women were given sulpiride orally in a daily dose of 150 mg throughout the study. Serum levels of prolactin were raised in all 12 subjects given sulpiride. In the 12 sulpiride-induced hyperprolactinemic postmenopausal women, EE2 was given in the same manner as in normal postmenopausal women. The negative feedback effect of estrogen with low doses of EE2 (40 micrograms/day for 4 weeks) and the positive feedback effect of estrogen after the subsequent administration of EE2 (200 micrograms/day for 4 days) were demonstrated in both normoprolactinemic and hyperprolactinemic groups. The result of the present study suggests that sulpiride-induced hyperprolactinemia does not affect the negative and positive feedback effect of estrogen in postmenopausal women.

Aged↗