Symptom perception in healthy menopausal women: Can we predict concordance between subjective and physiological measures of vasomotor symptoms?

Stefanopoulou, Evgenia; Hunter, Myra

doi:10.1002/ajhb.22530

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…The reasons for this association are unclear. Smoking is a risk factor for experiencing HFs[ 24 , 32 ] and smokers tend to over-report the frequency of their hot flashes[ 33 ], rate their hot flashes as more problematic[ 34 ] and report higher levels of bother from their hot flashes than non-smokers with a similar HF burden[ 35 ]. This finding should be interpreted with caution as the proportion of smokers in our study was small.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Expectancy after the first treatment and response to acupuncture for menopausal hot flashes

Thuraisingam

Pirotta

et al. 2017

PLoS ONE

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BackgroundEvidence on the impact of expectancy on acupuncture treatment response is conflicting.ObjectivesThis secondary analysis of a randomized sham-controlled trial on acupuncture for menopausal hot flashes investigated whether treatment expectancy score was associated with hot flash score at end-of-treatment. Secondary analyses investigated whether there were associations between other pre-specified factors and hot flash score.Study designWomen experiencing moderately-severe hot flashes were randomized to receive 10 sessions of real or sham acupuncture over eight weeks. Hot flash score was collected using a seven-day hot flash diary, and expectancy using the modified Credibility and Expectancy Questionnaire immediately after the first treatment. Linear mixed-effects models with random intercepts were used to identify associations between expectancy score and hot flash score at end-of-treatment. Regression was also used to identify associations between pre-specified factors of interest and hot flash score. Because there was no difference between real and sham acupuncture for the primary outcome of hot flash score, both arms were combined in the analysis.Results285 women returned the Credibility and Expectancy Questionnaire, and 283 women completed both expectancy measures. We found no evidence for an association between expectancy and hot flash score at end-of-treatment for individual cases in either acupuncture or sham group. Hot flash scores at end-of-treatment were 8.1 (95%CI, 3.0 to 13.2; P = 0.002) points lower in regular smokers compared to those who had never smoked, equivalent to four fewer moderate hot flashes a day.ConclusionIn our study of acupuncture for menopausal hot flashes, higher expectancy after the first treatment did not predict better treatment outcomes. Future research may focus on other determinants of outcomes in acupuncture such as therapist attention. The relationship between smoking and hot flashes is poorly understood and needs further exploration.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Expectancy after the first treatment and response to acupuncture for menopausal hot flashes

Thuraisingam

Pirotta

et al. 2017

PLoS ONE

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“…Increased skin conductance is an objective marker of sweating which occurs in menopausal flushing. Sternal skin conductance (SSC) was measured using a previously described Bahr hot flush monitor that measured SSC in microsiemens (μS) every 10 seconds by passing an electric current across two electrodes attached to the sternal region of the chest (Simplex Scientific, Wisconsin, USA) 19 24 25 .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neurokinin B Administration Induces Hot Flushes in Women

Jayasena

Comninos

Stefanopoulou

et al. 2015

Sci Rep

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139

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Neurokinin B (NKB) is a hypothalamic neuropeptide binding preferentially to the neurokinin 3 receptor. Expression of the gene encoding NKB is elevated in postmenopausal women. Furthermore, rodent studies suggest that NKB signalling may mediate menopausal hot flushes. However, the effects of NKB administration on hot flushes have not been investigated in humans. To address this, we performed a randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, 2-way cross-over study. Ten healthy women were admitted to a temperature and humidity-controlled research unit. Participants received 30 minute intravenous infusions of NKB and vehicle in random order. Symptoms, heart rate, blood pressure, sweating and skin temperature were compared between NKB and vehicle in a double-blinded manner. Eight of ten participants experienced flushing during NKB infusion with none experiencing flushing during vehicle infusion (P = 0.0007). Significant elevations in heart rate (P = 0.0106 vs. pre-symptoms), and skin temperature measured using skin probe (P = 0.0258 vs. pre-symptoms) and thermal imaging (P = 0.0491 vs. pre-symptoms) characteristic of menopausal flushing were observed during hot flush episodes. Our findings provide evidence that NKB administration can cause hot flushes in women. Further studies are required to determine if pharmacological blockade of NKB signalling could inhibit hot flushes during the menopause and during treatment for sex-steroid dependent cancers.

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“…In another study, these same investigators found that more perceived self-control on hot flushes and night sweats was associated with less severe vasomotor symptoms [11]. A prospective study among women with moderate to severe hot flushes and night sweats reported that negative beliefs about night sweats and sleep were the strongest predictors of concordance between objective and subjective measures of these symptoms [12]. All these studies focused either on lifestyle or psychological variables; none included potential biologic predictors of symptom severity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does anti-Müllerian hormone predict change in menopausal symptoms following risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy? A prospective observational study

et al. 2018

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Does anti-Müllerian hormone predict change in menopausal symptoms following risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy? A prospective observational study Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate whether serum Anti Müllerian hormone (AMH) predict symptom burden after risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO) in order to individualize counselling. Methods Patient-reported menopausal symptoms, sexual functioning and psychological distress (depression and anxiety) were assessed one day before (T0), and six weeks (T1) and seven months (T2) after RRSO. AMH was assessed before RRSO. Multivariable regression analysis was used to investigate the association between AMH and short-term and long-term change in symptom burden following RRSO. Results 91 premenopausal women at high risk of ovarian cancer were included. Pre-surgical AMH was not related significantly to change in symptoms post-RRSO. As secondary outcome we found that regular menses before RRSO was associated specifically with long-term increase in hot flushes (sr 0.40, p=0.001; total R 2 0.171) and depression (sr 0.29 p=0.012; total R 2 0.132). Earlier receipt of chemotherapy was associated with long-term improvement in sexual functioning (sr 0.24, p=0.041; total R 2 0.348). Conclusions In this cohort, AMH was not a significant predictor of change in symptoms following RRSO. Regular menses prior to RRSO and earlier receipt of chemotherapy were significantly, but relatively weakly associated with changes in outcomes six weeks and/or seven months after RRSO.

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Symptom perception in healthy menopausal women: Can we predict concordance between subjective and physiological measures of vasomotor symptoms?

Cited by 8 publications

References 38 publications

Expectancy after the first treatment and response to acupuncture for menopausal hot flashes

Expectancy after the first treatment and response to acupuncture for menopausal hot flashes

Neurokinin B Administration Induces Hot Flushes in Women

Does anti-Müllerian hormone predict change in menopausal symptoms following risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy? A prospective observational study

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