Menopause Perspectives and Treatment of Asian Women

Abstract

This review summarizes the published literature on menopausal symptoms and concerns from the perspective of Asian menopausal women, compares and contrasts common menopausal symptoms between the Asian and the Western postmenopausal populations, and highlights considerations from the perspective of clinical practice. In contrast to menopausal symptomatology described in the Western populations, musculoskeletal symptoms and sleeplessness, rather than vasomotor symptoms, dominate the clinical presentation in menopausal Asian women; decreased sexual function, although an important issue, is not commonly brought up for discussion in the context of bothersome menopausal symptoms by Asian women. The epidemiology of the common disorders of aging, such as osteoporosis, breast cancer, and cardiovascular disease, differs between the Asian and Western populations. Awareness and the use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) are generally low and noted to vary significantly among populations from different Asian countries. The perspectives, and the spectrum of symptom burden relating to reproductive aging in the Asian menopausal women are unique; an appreciation of these distinctions will allow for better tailoring of management paradigms to accommodate the diversified cultural, customary, and religious backgrounds and the socioeconomic disparities that exist among the various Asian populations.

The relationships between psychological symptoms and cardiovascular symptoms experienced during the menopausal transition

“…Compared with other racial/ethnic groups, Asian women have been reported to be less likely to experience menopausal symptoms in general 13,25,26 , which was also supported in this study. In this study, Asian women had lower total numbers and lower total severity scores of cardiovascular and psychological symptoms during their menopausal transition.…”

“…A possible reason for this finding could be: the association between psychological symptoms and cardiovascular symptoms itself may not be greatly influenced by cultural factors although psychological symptoms or cardiovascular symptoms could be influenced by the women’s cultural attitudes and values/beliefs, respectively. In other words, socio-cultural mechanisms through which race/ethnicity could differently influence the symptoms experienced by midlife women during their menopausal transition may not adequately explain the relationships between psychological symptoms and cardiovascular symptoms that could be experienced during menopausal transition 13,25,26 .…”

Preventive effects of phytoestrogens against postmenopausal osteoporosis as compared to the available therapeutic choices: An overview

“…The available literature has depicted limited and scattered information on Asian and western populations, Jewish and Arab women and Iranian and Indian women. In a study on comparison of osteoporosis between Asian and western populations, Huang[36] found that the awareness and use of HRT among Asians were significantly low. A comparison between the Jewish and Arab menopausal women showed less concern for physical activity and calcium intake among the Arab women, while the Jewish menopausal women were more knowledgeable and show great interest in physical activities.…”

Nanospray Drying as a Novel Tool to Improve Technological Properties of Soy Isoflavone Extracts

“…The recent clinical and pharmacological interest in soybean and its derivatives is evidenced by the many epidemiological studies carried out, mainly on Asian populations, major consumers of soya. These studies have shown that in the Eastern population, the incidence of problems related to menopause, osteoporosis, breast cancer, cardiovascular disease, and colon cancer is lower compared to other countries [1][2][3].…”