ISGE statement on oral emergency contraception.

Unintended pregnancy is an important public health problem worldwide. Unwanted pregnancies may end in induced abortion (legal or illegal, safe or unsafe) or in childbirth. In many parts of the world both can be life threatening. Even where both are safe, abortion is distressing for all concerned while unwanted births often lead to poor health and social outcomes for both the mother and her child.

[Hormone replacement therapy and cardiovascular prevention. Where are we now?]. / Terapia hormonal de reemplazo en prevención cardiovascular. Dónde estamos parados?

During their fertile period women suffer significantly less atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (particularly myocardial infarction) than men. This benefit progressively disappears after menopause, to equalize after the sixth decade of life. Experimental studies in animal and human models demonstrated the existence of physiological mechanisms suggesting that estrogens could be responsible for this cardiovascular protection, and retrospective analysis of clinical studies showed that post menopausal women who had used hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) suffered less cardiovascular events. These observations stimulated the execution of several prospective, randomized clinical trials (some of them with a large number of patients and prolonged follow-up) in post menopausal women, with the aim of proving the hypothesis that HRT could prevent major cardiovascular events. Such hypothesis could not be demonstrated in any of those studies because HRT was not beneficial, and in several cases it was even deleterious in some aspects. Criticism has arisen over some of the methodological aspects of those prospective trials, basically regarding the age of the included patients and the timing of the beginning of HRT. There are also biological reasons that can explain the contradiction. A new hypothesis, also based on experimental and clinical observations, suggests the possibility that beginning HRT in younger women and earlier after menopause could yield different results.

Clinical guidelines for improving compliance with hormone therapy in Latin American women during the menopausal transition and thereafter.

OBJECTIVE: To provide uniform, objective guidance for physicians and other health care workers in Latin America to enhance compliance with hormone therapy (HT), and to provide a tool for continued medical education and a source for answering clinical questions. METHOD: Literature search using MEDLINE; identification of key relevant publications by a five-member expert committee; creation and validation of a 60-item questionnaire used to survey the opinion of 72 physicians participating in a Latin American symposium, "The Faces of Menopause". RESULTS: On the basis of the validated responses, major points were identified to enhance compliance with HT with specific reference to Latin America, and two algorithms were created to provide practical guidance. CONCLUSION: The present guidelines will facilitate optimal compliance with therapy in Latin American postmenopausal women who opt for HT and for whom HT is indicated.

Latin American position on the current status of hormone therapy during the menopausal transition and thereafter.

OBJECTIVE: Data from placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trials conducted during the past few years resulted in critical re-evaluation of the overall health benefits of hormone therapy (HT) in women during the menopausal transition and thereafter. These data stimulated vigorous debate among experts and produced several position papers by North American and European authorities providing guidance on the use of HT. It is well known that cultural, geographic and ethnic differences influence the acceptance and risk perception of HT. Therefore, it was considered essential to present a position specifically relevant to Latin American countries. METHODS: A Latin American Expert Panel, convening in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, obtained consensus on recommendations for HT that incorporated the findings of the most recently published reports. The panelists' opinions were surveyed by means of the Likert scale along five categories ranging from complete agreement to complete disagreement. RESULTS: The Panel presented 13 recommendations and considered three additional issues relevant to HT use. There was consensus that HT during the perimenopause and thereafter is warranted in Latin American women in particular for the management of vasomotor symptoms. HT may also be an option for osteoporosis prevention in women at significant risk, after evaluation of risks/benefits and after consideration of alternative therapies. HT should be individualized and prescribed at the lowest effective dose. CONCLUSIONS: The Panel concluded that HT remains a safe and effective treatment option for peri- and postmenopausal Latin American women.

The impact of a monophasic continuous estro-progestogenic treatment on Latin American menopausal women.

OBJECTIVE: The present study was undertaken to assess the impact, effectiveness and safety of a monophasic hormone replacement treatment (HRT) for continuous use with regards to the clinical effects, bleeding patterns and lipid profile of menopausal women in four Latin American countries. DESIGN: Three hundred and six postmenopausal women with natural menopause and uterus present were recruited. This was a multicentre prospective, clinical trial; the participating countries were Brazil (BR), Colombia (CO), Mexico (MX) and Argentina (AR). The study period was 12 months. The HRT regime was formulated in tablets containing 2 mg estradiol E2 and 1mg norethisterone acetate (NETA); one visit every 3 months was solicited. METHODS: HRT was given as one tablet every day without interruption for 1 year. Climacteric complaints, side-effects, reason for discontinuation, bleeding patterns, lipid profile at baseline and 12 months of treatment were documented. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the four populations on clinical measurements. Thirty-four women discontinued, 13 for bleeding problems. The five most common side-effects were mastalgia, bleeding problems, headache, pelvic pain and nausea. 44.8% of women experienced scanty vaginal bleeding during the first 3 months of therapy. Ninety seven percent of women had amenorrhea at the end of the study in MX, BR and AR, and 100% in CO. Body weight was constant during the study, and no correlation was found between body weight and total days with bleeding. The Kupperman index score was used to evaluate the climacteric complaints, and the score decreased from a mean of 25.4 to 5.1 at 12-months visit. Total cholesterol levels were significantly reduced in BR and CO (P < 0.05) between baseline and the final sample; serum triglycerides remained unchanged, HDL-cholesterol was significantly increased in MX (P < 0.05), and LDL-cholesterol was significantly reduced in CO (P < 0.05). The results of this 1-year study emphasize that a continuous combined HRT regimen with 2 mg E2/1 mg NETA is an attractive alternative for postmenopausal women who are at least 1 year after their menopause and optimally 2 years after their menopause. Although the combination of 2 mg E2 with 1 mg NETA in a continuous combined therapy scheme has been in use in the Nordic countries for over a decade and in Latin America for the last 6 years, there have been no previous published reports on its effectivity in Latin American women. This publication reports the experience in a group of 306 Latin American women, and it is the first Latin American publication with this formulation.

[Cardiovascular disease and hormone therapy. Current status of the controversy]. / Enfermedad cardiovascular y terapia hormonal de reemplazo: estado actual de la controversia.

The cardiovascular effects of female sex steroids have many faces and are very complex. To make this situation even more complicated different therapeutic regimens, types, dosages or routes of administration may exhibit different effects of estrogens and progestines in postmenopausal women. Furthermore, the interpretation of population studies may be problematic by itself, in view of so many confounders and biases involved and methodological flaws that sometimes are discovered only post-hoc. It seems therefore, that in such a complicated situation making definite conclusions and guidelines is almost an impossible task. Our suggestion to clinicians is to try and follow the main stream of clinical data, looking at the general picture rather than the small details, and try to individualize therapy in order to maximize the benefits and minimize the adverse reactions and risks. This article discusses the current knowledge on hormone replacement therapy and the cardiovascular system. It is not an overview since data are vast, but in the post-WHI era this chapter presents current ideas and trends in this field to be used by people who practice menopause medicine for their own clinical decisions.

Terapia hormonal de reemplazo en prevención cardiovascular: ¿Dónde estamos parados? / Hormone replacement therapy and cardiovascular prevention: Where are we now?

Durante su edad fértil, la mujer sufre una incidencia de enfermedad cardiovascular ateroesclerótica (particularmente infarto de miocardio) significativamente inferior a la del hombre. Este beneficio desaparece progresivamente luego de la menopausia, hasta equilibrarse luego de la sexta década de la vida. Estudios experimentales en modelos animales y humanos sugirieron la existencia de mecanismos fisiológicos por los cuales los estrógenos podrían ser los responsables de esta protección cardiovascular, y análisis retrospectivos de estudios clínicos mostraron que las mujeres climatéricas que habían consumido terapia hormonal de reemplazo (THR) sufrían menos eventos cardiovasculares. Estas observaciones estimularon la ejecución de numerosos ensayos clínicos prospectivos aleatorizados (algunos de gran envergadura) en mujeres climatéricas, destinados a probar la hipótesis de que la THR podría prevenir eventos cardiovasculares graves en esa población. La hipótesis no pudo probarse, ya que en ninguno de esos ensayos la THR fue efectiva, y en algunos casos incluso fue en ciertos aspectos perjudicial. Existen cuestionamientos de orden metodológico que tienen que ver con el diseño de dichos ensayos prospectivos, fundamentalmente la edad de las pacientes incluidas y el momento del inicio de la THR. Existen también razones biológicas que pueden explicar la mencionada contradicción. Una nueva hipótesis, basada asimismo en observaciones experimentales y clínicas, se orienta hacia la posibilidad de que el inicio de la THR en mujeres más jóvenes y más precozmente luego de la menopausia, podría mostrar diferentes resultados.

During their fertile period women suffer significantly less atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (particularly myocardial infarction) than men. This benefit progressively disappears after menopause, to equalize after the sixth decade of life. Experimental studies in animal and human models demonstrated the existence of physiological mechanisms suggesting that estrogens could be responsible for this cardiovascular protection, and retrospective analysis of clinical studies showed that post menopausal women who had used hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) suffered less cardiovascular events. These observations stimulated the execution of several prospective, randomized clinical trials (some of them with a large number of patients and prolonged follow-up) in post menopausal women, with the aim of proving the hypothesis that HRT could prevent major cardiovascular events. Such hypothesis could not be demonstrated in any of those studies because HRT was not beneficial, and in several cases it was even deleterious in some aspects. Criticism has arisen over some of the methodological aspects of those prospective trials, basically regarding the age of the included patients and the timing of the beginning of HRT. There are also biological reasons that can explain the contradiction. A new hypothesis, also based on experimental and clinical observations, suggests the possibility that beginning HRT in younger women and earlier after menopause could yield different results.

Enfermedad cardiovascular y terapia hormonal de reemplazo: estado actual de la controversia / Cardiovascular disease and hormone therapy: current status of the controversy

Los efectos cardiovasculares de los esteroides sexuales en la mujer son complejos y para complicar aún más la situación existen diferencias en los efectos de los distintos regímenes terapéuticos, dosis y vías de administración de la terapia hormonal de reemplazo (THR) en la post-menopausia. Incluso la interpretación de los estudios clínicos es problemática en vista de múltiples factores que pueden llevar a confusión, además de los sesgos y defectos metodológicos encontrados en algunas circunstancias post-hoc. En este contexto plantear conclusiones definitivas y recomendaciones parecería una tarea imposible. Nuestra sugerencia para la práctica clínica diaria es intentar seguir la corriente principal de la información científica, analizar los datos generales e intentar individualizar la THR para maximizar los beneficios y minimizar los efectos adversos. Este artículo resume el estado actual de la THR y el sistema cardiovascular. Dado lo vasto de la información en la era postWHI, solo presentamos las ideas actuales y tendencias en este campo para el uso práctico del profesional en sus decisiones clínicas.

The cardiovascular effects of female sex steroids have many faces and are very complex. To make this situation even more complicated different therapeutic regimens, types, dosages or routes of administration may exhibit different effects of estrogens and progestines in postrnenopausal women. Furthermore, the interpretation of population studies may be problematic by itself, in view of so many confounders and biases involved and methodological flaws that sometimes are discovered only post-hoc. It seems therefore, that in such a complicated situation making definite conclusions and guidelines is almost an impossible task. Our suggestion to clinicians is to try and follow the main stream of clinical data, looking at the general picture rather than the small details, and try to individualize therapy in arder to maximize the benefits and minimize the adverse reactions and risks. This article discusses the current knowledge on hormone replacement therapy and the cardiovascular system. It is not an overview since data are vast, but in the post-WHI era this chapter presents current ideas and trends in this field to be used by people who practice menopause medicine for their own clinical decisions.

Lipoproteinas de muy baja densidad y subespecies de liproproteinas de densid intermedia en mujeres postmenopausicas / Very low density lipoproteins and subclasses of intermediate density lipoproteins in postmenopausal women

La mujer post-menopáusica presenta aumento de riesgo cardiovascular y paralelamente modificación del perfil lipoproteico con aumento de las lipoproteínas aterogénicas IDL y LDL. Nuestros objetivos fueron analizar la composición de las VLDL, IDL y sus subespecies IDL-1 e IDL-2, y la actividad de Lipoproteína Lipasa y Lipasa Hepática en un grupo de 12 MPM clínicamente sanas, en comparación con Controles fértiles. Los valores medios de colesterol-total y colesterol-LDL fueron significativamente mayores en el grupo MPM que en Controles (p < 0,005 y p < 0,001 respectivamente) mientras que el colesterol-HDL fue menor en las MPM (p < 0,02) aun cuando ninguna presentó colesterol-HDL menor de 35 mg/dl y la media fue de 50 mg/dl. Las MPM presentaron mayor concentraciión plasmática de VLDL, IDL total e IDL-2 que las Controles (p < 0,05, p < 0,005 y p < 0,001 respectivamente). La concentración plasmática de IDL-total fue mayor en MPM que en Controles (33,6 + 3,4 vs 22,6 + 0,8 mg/dl p < 0,005). El aumento de IDL se debió al incremento en IDL-2 que fue de 19,9 + 1,7 vs 11,5 + 0,8 mg/dl, p < 0,001. La subfracción IDL-2 fue el 60 + 2,6 por ciento de la total em MPM y el 51 + 2,0 por ciento en las Controles, p < 0,02. tanto en MPM como en Controles la relación triglicéridos/proteínas fue significativamente mayor en IDL-1 que en IDL-2 p < 0,005 y p < 0,01 respectivamente. Sin embargo, dicha relación no mostró diferencias significativas cuando se compararon VLDL, IDL total e IDL-2 de MPM vs Controles por lo que la mayor concentración plasmática indicaría un mayor número de partículas en el grupo de MPM vs las Controles. No se encontraron diferencias significativas en la actividad de Lipasa Hepática y Lipoproteína Lipasa entre grupos. La Lipoproteína Lipasa mostró una correlación inversa significativa con los triglicéridos-IDL total y con los triglicéridos-IDL-2 (p < 0,05 en ambos casos) en el grupo Controles pero no en el grupo MPM. Se concluye que el análisis cuali y cuantitativo de las lipoproteínas muestra un perfil más aterogénico en el grupo MPM con aumento en la concentración y número de partículas de VLDL, IDL total e IDL-2.

Evaluación del acetato de medroxiprogesterona (MPA) oral en el tratamiento del síndrome climatérico / Evaluation of oral medroxyprogesterone in the treatment of climateric syndrome

Realizamos un estudio no comparativo con Acetato de Medroxiprogesterona (MPA) para valorar su eficacia en el alivio del Síndrome Climatérico y los cambios hormonales por su administración. Se estudiaron dos grupos de mujeres, todas sintomáticas. Grupo A, diez mujeres menopáusicas de 6 a 12 meses de evolución y Grupo B, nueve mujeres menopáusicas de 12 a 24 meses de evolución. Todas recibieron MPA a la dosis de 20 mg. diarios via oral durante 120 dias. Al comenzar el tratamiento en el grupo A, 5 pacientes presentaban intensos síntomas vasomotores y en 5 éstos eran moderados. Al finalizar el tratamiento sólo 2 tenian sintomatologia moderada. Las 8 restantes la sintomatologia estaba ausente. Del grupo B, 5 pacientes con sintomatologia moderada al comenzar la terapéutica, ésta desapareció al finalizar. Las 4 restantes con sintomatología intensa al comienzo, 3 aliviaron sus síntomas y sólo 1 no manifestó mejoria. Las variaciones hormonales en ambos grupos mostraron una significativa disminución de los niveles de LH luego de finalizado el tratamiento. De acuerdo a esta experiencia podemos inferir que el MPA puede ser utilizado con éxito para tratar a las pacientes menopáusicas sintomáticas. Esta mejoria se correlaciona con la significativa disminución de los niveles de LH, de ambos grupos de pacientes, por una probable acción inhibitoria central de este progestágeno

Actividad física y osteoporosis en mujeres postmenopáusica / Physical activity and ossteoporosis in postmenopausical women

La relación entre el buen estado físicao, ejercicio regular y densidad mineral ósea (BMD) de columna lumbar y cuello de fémur, fueron estudiadas en 60 pacientes, entre 113 mujeres psotmenopáausicas de Cleveland Menopause Clinic, dirigida por el Dr. Utian. En cada sujeto se evaluó la masa ósea por densitometría, midiendo el contenido mineral óseo. Se incluyeron sólo las pacientes de tipo corporal normal. Se objservó una diferencia estadisticamente significativa, entre mujeres de vida activa y sedentaria, en relación a pacientes con y sin osteoporosis