The aim of this study was to evaluate the associations between vasomotor symptoms ([VMS] hot flushes or flashes and night sweats) and markers of cardiovascular risk.
Methods
Healthy postmenopausal women in a randomized controlled trial of progesterone for VMS recorded VMS frequency in the Daily Menopause Diary for 28 days at baseline. Accepted risks for cardiovascular disease were measured: body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), blood pressure (BP), endothelial function by venous occlusion plethysmography, fasting lipids, glucose, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, albumin, and D-dimer. Relationships between risk variables and VMS frequency (24 h, day and night) were assessed by univariate and multivariate robust regressions with adjustment for age and WHtR.
Results
Data were available for 145 healthy, nonsmoking women without heart disease, hypertension, or diabetes who were 1 to 11 years past their final menstruation and were aged 43 to 65 years, with a mean (SD) BMI of 25.0 (2.9) kg/m and WC of 79.1 (7.1) cm. Anthropometric variables (BMI, WC, and WHtR) were significantly negatively associated with total (24-h day) VMS frequency and with day VMS but not with night VMS frequency. Systolic BP decreased with greater 24-hour VMS frequency, and both systolic and diastolic BPs were inversely related to day but not night VMS frequency. Albumin was positively associated with night VMS frequency but not with day or 24-hour VMS frequency. Other variables showed little association with VMS frequency.
Conclusions
Hot flushes, but not night sweats, were associated with lower cardiovascular risk factors in these healthy postmenopausal women. Future research should differentiate night sweats from hot flushes.
hot flushes night sweats cardiovascular risk markers menopause, Prior JC vasomotor symptoms cardiovascular disease postmenopausal, hot flashes versus night sweats cardiovascular associations, body mass index waist circumference vasomotor symptoms, Hitchcock Prior VMS cardiovascular risk postmenopause, blood pressure endothelial function menopausal vasomotor symptoms, day versus night vasomotor symptoms health outcomes, healthy postmenopausal women VMS anthropometric measures, C-reactive protein D-dimer menopause hot flashes, venous occlusion plethysmography endothelial function menopause
PMID 22781788 22781788 DOI 10.1097/gme.0b013e31825541cc 10.1097/gme.0b013e31825541cc
Cite this article
Hitchcock, C. L., Elliott, T. G., Norman, E. G., Stajic, V., Teede, H., & Prior, J. C. (2012). Hot flushes and night sweats differ in associations with cardiovascular markers in healthy early postmenopausal women. Menopause (New York, N.Y.), 19(11), 1208-1214. https://doi.org/10.1097/gme.0b013e31825541cc
Hitchcock CL, Elliott TG, Norman EG, Stajic V, Teede H, Prior JC. Hot flushes and night sweats differ in associations with cardiovascular markers in healthy early postmenopausal women. Menopause. 2012;19(11):1208-1214. doi:10.1097/gme.0b013e31825541cc
Hitchcock, C. L., et al. "Hot flushes and night sweats differ in associations with cardiovascular markers in healthy early postmenopausal women." Menopause (New York, N.Y.), vol. 19, no. 11, 2012, pp. 1208-1214.
Celentano C et al., 2018·J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med
To identify the effects of different dietary inositol stereoisomers on insulin resistance and the development of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in women at high risk for this disorder.Design: A preliminary, prospective, randomized, placebo controlled clinical trial. Nonobese singleton pregnant women with an elevated fasting glucose in the first or early second trimester were studied throughout pregnancy. Supplementation with myo-inositol, d-chiro-inositol, combined myoand d-chiro-inositol or placebo.Main Development of GDM on a 75 grams oral glucose tolerance test at 24-28 weeks' gestation. Secondary outcome measures were increase in BMI, need for maternal insulin therapy, macrosomia, polyhydramnios, neonatal birthweight and hypoglycemia. The group of women allocated to receive myo-inositol alone had a lower incidence of abnormal oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Nine women in the control group (C), one of the myo-inositol (MI), five in d-chiro-inositol (DCI), three in the myo-inositol/D-chiro-inositol group (MI/DCI) required insulin (p = .134). Basal, 1-hour, and 2 hours glycemic controls were significantly lower in exposed groups (p < .001, .011, and .037, respectively). The relative risk reduction related to primary outcome was 0.083, 0.559, and 0.621 for MI, DCI, and MI/DCI groups. This study compared the different inositol stereoisomers in pregnancy to prevent GDM. Noninferiority analysis demonstrated the largest benefit in the myo-inositol group. The relevance of our findings is mainly related to the possibility of an effective approach in GDM. Our study confirmed the efficacy of inositol supplementation in pregnant women at risk for GDM.
Preterm preeclampsia is an important cause of maternal and perinatal death and complications. It is uncertain whether the intake of low-dose aspirin during pregnancy reduces the risk of preterm preeclampsia. In this multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we randomly assigned 1776 women with singleton pregnancies who were at high risk for preterm preeclampsia to receive aspirin, at a dose of 150 mg per day, or placebo from 11 to 14 weeks of gestation until 36 weeks of gestation. The primary outcome was delivery with preeclampsia before 37 weeks of gestation. The analysis was performed according to the intention-to-treat principle. A total of 152 women withdrew consent during the trial, and 4 were lost to follow up, which left 798 participants in the aspirin group and 822 in the placebo group. Preterm preeclampsia occurred in 13 participants (1.6%) in the aspirin group, as compared with 35 (4.3%) in the placebo group (odds ratio in the aspirin group, 0.38; 95% confidence interval, 0.20 to 0.74; P=0.004). Results were materially unchanged in a sensitivity analysis that took into account participants who had withdrawn or were lost to follow-up. Adherence was good, with a reported intake of 85% or more of the required number of tablets in 79.9% of the participants. There were no significant between-group differences in the incidence of neonatal adverse outcomes or other adverse events. Treatment with low-dose aspirin in women at high risk for preterm preeclampsia resulted in a lower incidence of this diagnosis than placebo. (Funded by the European Union Seventh Framework Program and the Fetal Medicine Foundation; EudraCT number, 2013-003778-29 ; Current Controlled Trials number, ISRCTN13633058 .).
Pregnancy rates among infertile women have been reported to increase after hysterosalpingography, but it is unclear whether the type of contrast medium used (oil-based or water-soluble contrast) influences this potential therapeutic effect. We performed a multicenter, randomized trial in 27 hospitals in the Netherlands in which infertile women who were undergoing hysterosalpingography were randomly assigned to undergo this procedure with the use of oil-based or water-based contrast. Subsequently, couples received expectant management or the women underwent intrauterine insemination. The primary outcome was ongoing pregnancy within 6 months after randomization. Outcomes were analyzed according to the intention-to-treat principle. A total of 1119 women were randomly assigned to hysterosalpingography with oil contrast (557 women) or water contrast (562 women). A total of 220 of 554 women in the oil group (39.7%) and 161 of 554 women in the water group (29.1%) had an ongoing pregnancy (rate ratio, 1.37; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.16 to 1.61; P<0.001), and 214 of 552 women in the oil group (38.8%) and 155 of 552 women in the water group (28.1%) had live births (rate ratio, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.17 to 1.64; P<0.001). Rates of adverse events were low and similar in the two groups. Rates of ongoing pregnancy and live births were higher among women who underwent hysterosalpingography with oil contrast than among women who underwent this procedure with water contrast. (Netherlands Trial Register number, NTR3270 .).