Does the menopausal status of female gynecologists affect their prescription of menopausal hormone therapy?

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether menopausal status and symptoms among female gynecologists would influence their clinical behavior related to menopausal hormone therapy (MHT). METHODS: Female gynecologists of 11 Latin American countries were requested to fill out the Menopause Rating Scale and a questionnaire containing personal information and that related to MHT use. RESULTS: A total of 818 gynecologists accepted to participate (86.4%). Overall, the mean age was 45.0 ± 10.7 years, 32.2% were postmenopausal, and 17.6% worked in an academic position; 81.8% reported that they would use MHT if they have symptoms, regardless of menopausal status. Academic gynecologists favor personal MHT use at a higher rate (p = 0.04) and have a higher MHT prescription rate as compared to non-academic ones (p = 0.0001). The same trend was observed among post- as compared to premenopausal ones (p = 0.01) and among those who had hysterectomy alone as compared to those experiencing natural menopause (p = 0.002). The presence of menopausal symptoms did not influence their MHT prescription. Current use of MHT and alternative therapy was higher among post- than premenopausal gynecologists (both, p = 0.0001) and among those who had undergone hysterectomy than those experiencing natural menopause. A 38.5% perceived breast cancer as the main risk related to MHT, and a high proportion prescribed non-hormonal drugs (86.4%) or alternative therapies (84.5%). CONCLUSION: Most female gynecologists in this survey would use MHT if menopausal symptoms were present. Postmenopausal physicians use MHT and prescribe it to their symptomatic patients at a higher rate than premenopausal physicians.

A multicentric study regarding the use of hormone therapy during female mid-age (REDLINC VI).

BACKGROUND: Menopausal hormone therapy (HT) has shown benefits for women; however, associated drawbacks (i.e. risks, costs, fears) have currently determined its low use. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of current HT use among mid-aged women and describe the characteristics of those who have never used, have abandoned or are currently using HT. In addition, reasons for not using HT were analyzed. METHOD: This was a cross-sectional study that analyzed a total of 6731 otherwise healthy women (45-59 years old) of 15 cities in 11 Latin American countries. Participants were requested to fill out the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) and a questionnaire containing sociodemographic data and items regarding the menopause and HT use. RESULTS: The prevalence of current HT use was 12.5%. Oral HT (43.7%) was the most frequently used type of HT, followed by transdermal types (17.7%). The main factors related to the current use of HT included: positive perceptions regarding HT (odds ratio (OR) 11.53, 95% confidence interval (CI) 9.41-14.13), being postmenopausal (OR 3.47, 95% CI 2.75-4.36) and having a better socioeconomic level. A total of 48.8% of surveyed women had used HT in the past, but abandoned it due to symptom improvement or being unconcerned; fear of cancer or any other secondary effects were also reported but in less than 10%. Among women who had never used HT, 28% reported the lack of medical prescription as the main reason, followed by the absence of symptoms (27.8%). Among those reporting lack of prescription as the main reason for not using HT, 30.6% currently had severe menopausal symptoms (total MRS score > 16); 19.5% of women were using alternative 'natural' therapies, with 35.1% of them displaying severe menopausal symptoms as compared to a 22.5% observed among current HT users. CONCLUSION: The use of HT has not regained the rates observed a decade ago. Positive perceptions regarding HT were related to a higher use. Lack of medical prescription was the main reason for not using HT among non-users, many of whom were currently displaying severe menopausal symptoms.

Menopausal symptoms appear before the menopause and persist 5 years beyond: a detailed analysis of a multinational study.

OBJECTIVE: Few Latin American studies have described menopausal symptoms in detail by means of a standardized assessment tool. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence and severity of menopausal symptoms and their impact over quality of life among mid-aged Latin American women. METHOD: In this cross-sectional study, 8373 otherwise healthy women aged 40-59 years from 12 Latin American countries were asked to fill out the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) and a questionnaire containing personal sociodemographic data. Menopause status (pre-, peri- and postmenopausal) was defined according to the criteria of the Stages of Reproductive Aging Workshop. RESULTS: Of all the studied women, 90.9% had at least one menopausal symptom (complaint) that they rated. Muscle and joint discomfort, physical and mental exhaustion and depressive mood were highly prevalent and rated as severe-very severe (scores of 3 and 4), at a higher rate than vasomotor symptoms (15.6%, 13.8% and 13.7% vs. 9.6%, respectively). Of premenopausal women (40-44 years), 77.0% reported at least one rated complaint, with 12.9% displaying MRS scores defined as severe (> 16). The latter rate increased to 26.4% in perimenopausal, 31.6% in early postmenopausal and 29.9% among late postmenopausal women. As measured with the MRS, the presence of hot flushes increased the risk of impairment of overall quality of life in both premenopausal (odds ratio 12.67; 95% confidence interval 9.53-16.83) and peri/postmenopausal women (odds ratio 9.37; 95% confidence interval 7.85-11.19). CONCLUSION: In this large, mid-aged, female Latin American series, muscle/joint discomfort and psychological symptoms were the most prevalent and severely rated menopausal symptoms. The symptoms appear early in the premenopause, significantly impair quality of life and persist 5 years beyond the menopause.

Severe menopausal symptoms in mid-aged Latin American women can be related to their indigenous ethnic component.

BACKGROUND: Latin American women present more severe menopausal symptoms when compared to those from other regions of the world. Since this population is an ethnic blend of Caucasian and indigenous people, we sought to test the hypothesis that severe menopausal symptoms in Latin American women are associated with an indigenous origin. OBJECTIVE: To assess menopausal symptoms among two specific indigenous Latin American populations. METHOD: A total of 573 natural postmenopausal indigenous women aged 45-59 years (288 Quechua (Peru) and 285 Zenú (Colombia)) living in isolated communities were surveyed with a general questionnaire and the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS). RESULTS: The total MRS score was significantly higher among Quechua women as compared to Zenú ones (22.7 ± 5.7 vs. 14.7 ± 2.5, p < 0.0001); both figures were higher than those described for Hispanic or European populations. Quechua women presented more intense somatic and psychological symptoms as compared to Zenú (8.8 ± 2.3 vs. 5.3 ± 1.8; and 7.8 ± 2.4 vs. 3.2 ± 1.7, p < 0.0001); however, both indigenous groups presented similar intense urogenital symptoms (6.1 ± 1.6 vs. 6.2 ± 1.4, not significant). These differences persisted after adjusting for age, years since menopause onset and parity. The percentage of women presenting severe somatic and psychological symptoms significantly increased with aging among Quechua. This was not the case for Zenú women. More than 90% of indigenous women (Quechua and Zenú) at all age intervals presented severe urogenital scores, a percentage that is much higher than that described in the world literature. CONCLUSION: Severe menopausal symptoms found among Latin American women could be the result of their indigenous ethnic origin; the urogenital domain is the most affected.

Electrostatic subframing and compressive-sensing video in transmission electron microscopy.

We present kilohertz-scale video capture rates in a transmission electron microscope, using a camera normally limited to hertz-scale acquisition. An electrostatic deflector rasters a discrete array of images over a large camera, decoupling the acquisition time per subframe from the camera readout time. Total-variation regularization allows features in overlapping subframes to be correctly placed in each frame. Moreover, the system can be operated in a compressive-sensing video mode, whereby the deflections are performed in a known pseudorandom sequence. Compressive sensing in effect performs data compression before the readout, such that the video resulting from the reconstruction can have substantially more total pixels than that were read from the camera. This allows, for example, 100 frames of video to be encoded and reconstructed using only 15 captured subframes in a single camera exposure. We demonstrate experimental tests including laser-driven melting/dewetting, sintering, and grain coarsening of nanostructured gold, with reconstructed video rates up to 10 kHz. The results exemplify the power of the technique by showing that it can be used to study the fundamentally different temporal behavior for the three different physical processes. Both sintering and coarsening exhibited self-limiting behavior, whereby the process essentially stopped even while the heating laser continued to strike the material. We attribute this to changes in laser absorption and to processes inherent to thin-film coarsening. In contrast, the dewetting proceeded at a relatively uniform rate after an initial incubation time consistent with the establishment of a steady-state temperature profile.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae MPS2 encodes a membrane protein localized at the spindle pole body and the nuclear envelope.

The MPS2 (monopolar spindle two) gene is one of several genes required for the proper execution of spindle pole body (SPB) duplication in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae (). We report here that the MPS2 gene encodes an essential 44-kDa protein with two putative coiled-coil regions and a hydrophobic sequence. Although MPS2 is required for normal mitotic growth, some null strains can survive; these survivors exhibit slow growth and abnormal ploidy. The MPS2 protein was tagged with nine copies of the myc epitope, and biochemical fractionation experiments show that it is an integral membrane protein. Visualization of a green fluorescent protein (GFP) Mps2p fusion protein in living cells and indirect immunofluorescence microscopy of 9xmyc-Mps2p revealed a perinuclear localization with one or two brighter foci of staining corresponding to the SPB. Additionally, immunoelectron microscopy shows that GFP-Mps2p localizes to the SPB. Our analysis suggests that Mps2p is required as a component of the SPB for insertion of the nascent SPB into the nuclear envelope.

Predicting diabetes. Moving beyond impaired glucose tolerance.

We developed predictive models for type II diabetes using stepwise multiple logistic regression analyses of a cohort of 844 Mexican Americans and 641 non-Hispanic whites who were nondiabetic at baseline and who were then followed for 8 yr. Models were developed for the overall population and separately for each sex and ethnic group. For optimal models, the multiple logistic regression program selected potential risk factors from a panel of 5 categorical and 14 continuous demographic, anthropometric, metabolic, and hemodynamic variables. For reduced models, the list of candidate variables was restricted to those commonly used in ordinary clinical practice, i.e., skinfolds, and serum insulin and postural glucose load variables were excluded. For all models, the stepwise process selected a mixture of anthropometric, glucose, lipid, and hemodynamic variables. The top 15% of the risk continuum for each model was defined as high risk to compare the performance of the models with the performance of impaired glucose tolerance (15% prevalence) as a predictor of diabetes. The relative risk of being high risk ranged from 12.16 to 35.29, whereas the relative risk of having impaired glucose tolerance ranged from 7.11 to 10.0. The sensitivity of the multiple logistic regression models ranged from 67.7 to 83.3% compared with 56.5 to 62.1% for impaired glucose tolerance. The results indicate that multivariate predictive models perform at least as well, if not better than impaired glucose tolerance in predicting type II diabetes but need not require an oral glucose load. Moreover, the models highlight the complex metabolic and hemodynamic syndrome that precedes diabetes.

Differences in the prevalence of diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance according to maternal or paternal history of diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether diabetes risk is influenced by which parent (a parental history of diabetes is a well-documented risk factor for NIDDM) is reported to have diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We compared the prevalence of NIDDM and IGT for 4914 subjects according to their parental history of diabetes (mother only, father only, both parents, neither parent). Subjects were drawn from the San Antonio Heart Study, a population-based survey of diabetes and cardiovascular risk factors conducted in Mexican American and non-Hispanic white individuals between 1979-1988. RESULTS: Men with a parental history of diabetes had a higher prevalence of both NIDDM and impaired glucose tolerance than men reporting no parental history of diabetes. Prevalence was equally high regardless of which parent, or whether both parents, had diabetes. In contrast, in women, only a maternal history of diabetes was associated with a higher prevalence of NIDDM and impaired glucose tolerance. Virtually no difference in NIDDM prevalence was found between women with a paternal-only history of diabetes and women with no parental history of diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: Results differed markedly between men and women. The reason for this sex difference is unclear. It may represent a measurement bias, a sex-specific environmental effect, or a genetic effect that is expressed or transmitted differently between the sexes.

Sex difference in lifestyle factors predictive of diabetes in Mexican-Americans.

OBJECTIVE: Little is known about the role of lifestyle factors in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) incidence among Mexican-Americans. Therefore, we examined whether baseline lifestyle factors predictive of 8-year NIDDM incidence differ in Mexican-American men and women. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We studied 353 Mexican-American men and 491 Mexican-American women free of diabetes at baseline who participated in the San Antonio Heart Study follow-up. Lifestyle factors examined were body mass index (BMI), energy intake (total calories/kg), grams of alcohol consumed per week, efforts to control weight by dieting and exercise, leisure physical activity, sugar avoidance, saturated fat/cholesterol avoidance, and 24-h dietary recall assessment of total calories and percentage of calories from total carbohydrate, sucrose, and starch and from total, saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fat. Incidence of NIDDM was regressed on lifestyle factors separately for men and women using a backward elimination procedure. RESULTS: Lifestyle factors significantly associated with NIDDM incidence differed for the two sexes. In men, leisure physical activity, was inversely associated and alcohol consumption, weight control by dieting, and BMI were positively associated with NIDDM. In women, BMI was positively associated with NIDDM and was the strongest lifestyle predictor. Sugar avoidance and leisure physical activity were also associated with increased NIDDM risk, while weight control by dieting was associated with decreased NIDDM risk. Saturated fat/cholesterol avoidance, grams of alcohol consumed per week, and energy intake were also negatively and indirectly associated with NIDDM in women by means of their direct effects on BMI. CONCLUSIONS: It may be important to tailor interventions designed to prevent NIDDM in Mexican-Americans to address sex differences in lifestyle precursors of this disease

Disproportionately increased proinsulin levels are associated with the insulin resistance syndrome.

Recent data suggest that proinsulin may be associated with increased cardiovascular risk factors in both diabetic and nondiabetic subjects. We examined the relation of insulin, proinsulin, and the fasting proinsulin/insulin ratio to a number of metabolic disorders believed to be related to the insulin resistance syndrome (low high density lipoprotein cholesterol and high triglyceride levels, hypertension, and impaired glucose tolerance). Proinsulin was measured by a RIA, and insulin was measured by a Linco RIA that does not cross-react with proinsulin. The increased fasting proinsulin/insulin ratio was significantly associated with hypertension, low high density lipoprotein cholesterol and high triglyceride levels, and impaired glucose tolerance in 423 nondiabetic subjects. The fasting proinsulin/insulin ratio increased significantly with the number of metabolic disorders (zero, 0.060; one, 0.086; two, 0.098; three, 0.177; four, 0.182; P < 0.001). The increased proinsulin/insulin ratio was also associated with a greater number of metabolic disorders in diabetic subjects. Our results show that particularly nondiabetic individuals with the insulin resistance syndrome not only have hyperinsulinemia as a marker of insulin resistance, but also show an increase in proinsulin relative to insulin, which may reflect relative beta-cell failure or malfunction.

A 25-year prospective study of modified radical mastectomy (Patey) in 193 patients.

The results of a prospective study over 20 years of 193 patients with breast carcinoma treated by Patey mastectomy are presented together with details of the operative technique employed. One hundred and twenty-eight cases (66%) were stage 1 (T1/T2 N0), 46 (24%) were stage 2 (T1/T2 N1), 18 (9%) were stage 3 (T3 N0/N1), and one was stage 4 (M1). The probability of survival together with 95% confidence intervals for stage 1 (T1/T2 N0) at 10 years was 79% (71-88); and at 15 years 74% (61-87). For stage 2 (T1/T2 N1), the probability of survival at 10 years was 64% (48-79), and at 15 years 60% (44-76). For stage 3 (T3 N0/N1), the probability of survival at 10 years was 70% (45-95) and nobody survived at 15 years. These differences between the clinical stages lacked significance [Log-rank test: chi 2 = 3.44 df = 2 P = 0.18]. There were nine patients (5%) who developed local recurrence without systemic metastases. There was no postoperative mortality, and morbidity was low. Axillary node metastases depressed survival with probability of survival at 10 years 43% (29-57) in contrast to those without it 90% (84-96) [log-rank test: chi 2 = 39.42 df = 1 P < 0.0001]. Patey mastectomy should be considered for patients with T1 or T2 tumours who choose mastectomy rather than breast conservation. It is an effective local treatment which is of particular relevance in countries where radiotherapy is not available.

The modified radical mastectomy of Patey: technique and experience.

We report our experience from 193 patients with breast cancer treated by Modified Radical Mastectomy of Patey and describe the technique used, amplified by illustrations. We achieved a low morbidity viz symptomatic lymphoedema five cases, chronic shoulder stiffness one case, skin grafting two cases, and all cases of chest wall pain cleared by four years. Cancer recurred, to date, local in nine cases (4.6%), local and systemic in 17 cases (8.9%) and systemic in 27 cases (13.9%). We compile, for the first time, all references by Patey and Richard Handley to the procedure. We recommend the operation as achieving complete primary clearance with safe and full axillary node removal. Histological state of the nodes allows rational decisions on adjuvant therapy with hormones and chemotherapy.

Non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in minorities in the United States.

PURPOSE: To review the available information on prevalence, complications, and mortality of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and primary and secondary prevention activities in black persons, Hispanic persons, Native Americans, and Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. DATA SOURCE: MEDLINE search from 1976 to 1994 through the PlusNet search system. STUDY SELECTION: Use of the key words non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, the names of each specific minority group, socioeconomic status, acculturation, genetics, diet, complications, mortality, treatment, and intervention (lifestyle or medication) produced 290 unduplicated articles. Additional articles cited in the original articles were also included. DATA EXTRACTION: Risk factors, incidence, prevalence, complications, and mortality of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. DATA SYNTHESIS: All minorities, except natives of Alaska, have a prevalence of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus that is two to six times greater than that of white persons. Most studies show an increased prevalence of nephropathy that can be as much as six times higher than that of white persons. Retinopathy has variably higher rates in black persons, Hispanic persons, and Native Americans. Amputations are done more frequently among black persons than among white persons (9.0 per 1000 compared with 6.3 per 1000), and Pima Indians have 3.7 times more amputations than do white persons. Diabetes-related mortality is higher for minorities than for white persons, and the rate is increasing. The relative importance of genetic heritage, diet, exercise, socioeconomic status, culture, language, and access to health care in the prevalence, incidence, and mortality of diabetes is not clear. Studies of interventions in minority populations are in progress. CONCLUSION: Diabetes should be treated as a public health problem for minority populations.

Minority advantage in diabetic end-stage renal disease survival on hemodialysis: due to different proportions of diabetic type?

The objectives of this study were to identify predictors of survival on hemodialysis in patients with diabetic end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and to explain ethnic differences in survival among non-Hispanic whites, African-Americans, and Mexican-Americans. The study design was a survival analysis of an inception cohort and was conducted in dialysis centers in two urban counties in Texas. A population-based, tri-ethnic cohort of 638 adult patients with diabetic ESRD were studied. Follow-up was completed in 96% of the cohort, with a median length of follow-up of 3.8 years. Survival length on center hemodialysis was the main outcome measure. In a combined model of types I and II diabetes, Mexican-Americans (relative hazard [RH], 0.666; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.457 to 0.944) and African-Americans (RH, 0.598; 95% CI, 0.414 to 0.864) showed a better survival than non-Hispanic whites. Other predictors independently associated with survival were age (RH, 1.015 per 10 years of age; 95% CI, 1.001 to 1.028), high self-reported physical disability (RH, 1.770; 95% CI, 1.213 to 2.583), coronary artery disease (RH, 1.445; 95% CI, 1.044 to 2.012), lower extremity amputations (RH, 2.049; 95% CI, 1.438 to 2.920), and average blood glucose levels prior to ESRD (RH, 1.002 per 1 mg/dL increment; 95% CI, 1.003 to 1.004). Non-Hispanic whites had a significantly higher rate of type I diabetes, but did not have a greater burden of any of the other predictors. In separate type I and II models, ethnicity was still a significant predictor of survival among type I but not among type II. In conclusion, we have reconfirmed the survival advantage on dialysis of African-Americans and Mexican-Americans over non-Hispanic whites with diabetic ESRD. However, among type II patients, this minority survival advantage disappears. Self-reported physical disability is an important predictor of survival among both diabetes types. Functional status at baseline is an important predictor of survival and should be assessed as an adjunct to measurement of co-morbidities. Macrovascular disease is important for type II, while educational status is important for type I. While amputation may be a marker for the severity of systemic illness, it could be a marker for quality of primary care provided to diabetic patients, since a majority of diabetic lower extremity amputations are thought to be preventable.

Is microalbuminuria part of the prediabetic state? The Mexico City Diabetes Study.

Microalbuminuria is associated with increased cardiovascular mortality in both diabetic and non-diabetic subjects. A number of studies have indicated that insulin resistance, increased blood pressure and dyslipidaemia precede the onset of clinical diabetes. We examined various correlates of microalbuminuria in 1,298 non-diabetic subjects who participated in the Mexico City Diabetes Study, a population-based study of diabetes and cardiovascular risk factors. Both parental history of diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance were significantly associated with microalbuminuria. These results were not explained by differences in age or blood pressure between subjects with or without a parental history of diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance. In addition, subjects with microalbuminuria had increased 2-h insulin and triglyceride concentrations, a higher prevalence of hypertension, and decreased high density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations relative to subjects without microalbuminuria. These results that microalbuminuria may be a feature of the prediabetic state.

Predictors of weight change in a bi-ethnic population. The San Antonio Heart Study.

To study demographic, anthropometric and metabolic determinants of weight change, we divided a random sample of 1493 Mexican Americans and non-Hispanic whites into two groups: weight gainers and weight losers. This classification was based on the weight change during the eight-year follow-up of participants of the San Antonio Heart Study, a population-based longitudinal study of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Men gained significantly less weight and lost more weight than women. The average gains for weight gainers were 6.1 kg and 6.8 kg for men and women respectively; and the average losses for weight losers were 4.4 and 3.4 kg for men and women respectively. There was no ethnic difference in either category of weight change. Weight gainers were significantly younger and leaner than weight losers. Fasting insulin was the only independent metabolic predictor of weight change and only among the most obese tertile of the population: the higher the baseline levels of fasting insulin, the less the likelihood of gaining and the greater the likelihood of losing weight. Our results support the hypothesis that insulin resistance is part of a negative feedback mechanism that attenuates further weight gain among the obese.

La enfermedad de Alzheimer, el estudio de las monjas y la terapia de suplencia hormonal / Alzheimer disease, Num study and Hormonal replacement therapy

La enfermedad de Alzheimer es la más común de las causas de demencia, con el 50 a 70 por ciento de los casos, caracterizada por un deterioro continuo y progresivo de la función cognitiva, pensar, recordar y razonar, que puede llegar a ser tan severa que interfiera con las funciones individuales y sociales de la persona. Generalmente la enfermedad de Alzheimer aparece después de los 65 años de edad y es mucho más frecuente en mujeres que en varones. El estudio de las monjas ha realizado importantes aportes al conocimiento del comportamiento de la entidad. Aunque se conoce mucho sobre la manera en que los estrógenos actúan en el sistema nervioso central y de la importancia de existir dos tipos de receptores estrogénicos en este sistema, continúa siendo controversial, por la ausencia de ensayos clínicos adecuadamente diseñados, el papel de los estrógenos en la prevención y en el retardo en el progreso de la enfermedad de Alzheimer. No obstante, los estudios observacionales permiten concluir que la terapia de suplencia hormonal es una valiosa estrategia terapéutica que debe ser involucrada en el cuidado de mujeres post menopáusicas con factores de riesgo o cuadro de Alzheimer en fase de establecimiento

Conocimientos y creencias sobre menopausia en mujeres mayores de 40 años de edad naturales del palenque de San Basilio, Bolivar-Colombia / Believes and knowledge in women over 40 years old from San Basilio, Bolivar-Colombia

El Palenque de San Basilio (Bolívar), es un asentamiento humano de raza negra, descendiente de negros que en la época de la colonia se ocultaron en la región de los Montes de María, huyendo de la condición de esclavos a que estaban sometidos. Han conservado muchas de sus tradiciones culturales y poseen una baja incidencia de mezcla con otras razas. Las mujeres se dedican especialmente a la venta ambulante de productos frutales propios de la región, actividad que desempeñan desde corta hasta avanzada edad. Se encuestaron 129 mujeres mayores de 40 años de edad, naturales de San Basilio de Palenque, con edad promedio 57.8 años de edad. El 73.7 por ciento Postmenopáusicas y el 26.3 por ciento premenopáusicas. Edad promedio de menopausia: 49.4 años. El 69 por ciento se dedicaban a ventas ambulantes en las ciudades de Cartagena, Barranquilla y poblaciones vecinas. 71 mujeres (55 por ciento ) informaron tener algún grado de conocimiento sobre menopausia, y de ellas el 69 por ciento comunicaron haberla obtenido a través de las amigas y un 26.8 por ciento en conversaciones familiares. El 36.6 por ciento consideró a la educación impartida por el Médico, la fuente del conocimiento. Los medios masivos de comunicación (televisión, radio, prensa) obtuvieron una calificación ínfima, medios que estas mujeres no utilizan. Aunque el nivel educativo es muy bajo, 81 mujeres (62 por ciento ) definieron correctamente menopausia, no obstante 62 (48 por ciento ) no sabían la edad en la cual se presenta y el 72 por ciento no sabían la causa de dicho evento. 71 mujeres (55 por ciento ) creen que la menopausia es una enfermedad. 53 (41 por ciento ) informaron no saber si debe darse tratamiento en la menopausia. La mitad de las mujeres manifestó no tener temores sobre la menopausia, 41(31 por ciento >) informaron creer que la menopausia disminuye la libido y 71 mujeres (55 por ciento ) comunicaron seguir con actividad coital activa. Existe interés en este grupo poblacional sobre la menopausia, no se presentan barreras sociales o culturales y deben adelantarse programas de educación. La capacitación de lideres comunitarios puede ser una estrategia valiosa para multiplicar la información

Niveles diurnos de progesterona en mujeres con ciclos normales / Serum progesterone levels from women with regular cycles

En 20 mujeres sin trastornos menstruales y con evidencia ultrasonográfica de ovulación, se cuantificaron los niveles de progesterona durante la mañana (9:00-11:00) y la tarde (2:00-4:00) de un día correspondiente a las fases lútea temprana, mediana y tardía. Los niveles de progesterona obtenidos en la mañana no fueron estadísticamente diferentes de los valores obtenidos en la tarde en ninguno de los días estudiados. Las fluctuaciones en los niveles de progesterona observadas durante las fases lútea temprana, media y tardía fueron relativamente pequeñas y durante la fase lútea media en ninguna de las mujeres estudiadas se obtuvieron valores de progesterona inferiores a 5 ng/ml. Por lo tanto, concluimos que una sola determinación de progesterona, realizada en la fase lútea media del ciclo y durante el intervalo comprendido entre las 9:00 a.m y las 4:00 p.m, es suficientemente para evaluar adecuadamente la función del cuerpo lúteo