Menopausal symptoms got you down — even after menopause? Blame the HRT scare industry.
Researchers report in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology that women can still have hot flushes and night sweats years after menopause.
As explained in the media release:
Hot flushes and night sweats (HF/NS) are the main physical signs of the menopause, however their prevalence, frequency, severity and duration vary considerably.
The average age of the menopause in US and European women is 50-51 years and it is generally assumed that HF/NS last between 2 to 5 years.
This study looked at 10,418 postmenopausal women (defined as more than 12 months amenorrhea or hormone replacement therapy commenced for menopausal symptoms) aged between 54 and 65.
The average age of the participating women was 59 and the majority were white, living in urban localities and of slightly above average socioeconomic status.
The study looked at the impact of age, BMI, hysterectomy, hormone therapy use, lifestyle and mood on women’s experience of HF/NS.
The participating women completed a questionnaire, which included sociodemographics, weight and height, and medical history. Three and a half years later, they were sent a follow up questionnaire asking them about lifestyle factors, skirt size at age 20, current skirt size, hot flushes and night sweats and current hormone therapy (HT) use.
The majority (89.6%) of women had experienced HF/NS at some time, more women having had hot flushes (86%) than night sweats (78%). However, over half (54%) of the women were currently having HF/NS and the prevalence was fairly even across the age range. The frequency of HF/NS was 33.5 per week and this remained broadly at this level across the age range.
The release also reported:
Women who were currently taking [hormone replacement therapy or HRT] (12%) were less likely to report current HF/NS, while past users who had discontinued HT were more likely to have HF/NS across the age range.
As Steve Milloy commented more than nine years ago at the height of the junk science-based HRT hysteria:
No one disputes the short-term benefits of HRT for menopausal symptoms. Moreover, there is no substitute for it.
Read Milloy’s FoxNews.com column “Hormone Hysteria or Hype“.