Duration of the climacteric syndrome in women treated by hormonal substitution and in controls

Abstract

This study investigates the duration of symptoms occurring in vegetative climacteric syndrome in women treated by hormonal substitution and in untreated controls. The average duration of the problem in 97 women who refused hormone treatment and served as the control group was 4.5 yr. A mean duration of 5.4 yr was seen in 85 women treated with oral oestrogens, of 6.4 yr in 20 women treated with a combination of oestradiol and prasterone, and of 12.9 yr in 28 women receiving a combination of oestradiol and testosterone. All of these groups were practically identical as regards initiation of therapy, age, and 17 other case-history, sociological and clinical criteria. Although hormonal treatment of the climacteric syndrome can lengthen the duration of the symptoms, this is not necessarily always the case. The type of medication and the dose undoubtedly play an important role in this connection. It has been shown that oestradiol-testosterone combinations can prolong the period during which the symptoms of the climacteric syndrome occur beyond the period that their occurrence may be regarded as physiological.