EFFECTIVENESS OF HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY FOR VASOMOTOR SYMPTOMS IN MENOPAUSE

Background: Vasomotor symptoms are common in menopause. This study was conducted to observe the clinical presentations of menopause and to evaluate the effectiveness of hormone replacement therapy in the management of vasomotor symptoms. Material Methods: This was a prospective study conducted at Gynae B unit, Ayub Teaching Hospital, Abbottabad, Pakistan, from January 2002 to December 2003. Six thousand patients attended Gynaecology out patient clinic. Symptomatic post-menopausal patients were included in the study. Results: There were 120 symptomatic post-menopausal patients. Their age range was 50-60 year. Among them, 60 (50%) patients presented with vasomotor symptoms, 12 (10%) psychological disturbance, 24 (20%) urogenital prolapse, 6 (5%) urinary symptoms, 12 (10%) gynaecological malignancies, 2 (1%) backache and 4 (3.5%) post-menopausal bleeding. Out of 60 patients complaining of vasomotor symptoms 50 opted to take hormone replacement therapy. Forty (80%) patients got complete relief of vasomotor symptoms within two weeks, 5 (10%) got moderate relief of hot flushes but were satisfied with treatment, while 5(10%) got minimal relief of their symptoms. Conclusion: Vasomotor symptoms are the commonest presentation of menopause. Majority of these patients get relief of these symptoms with hormone replacement therapy