The menopause in Europe

Abstract

Most women in developed countries will live a third of their lives after the menopause. Vasomotor symptoms (hot flushes, night sweats, irritability, sleep disturbances, mood swings), and urogenital complications (atrophic vaginal irritation and dryness, dyspareunia) occur frequently during this period of life, but their severity and duration may vary widely between individuals. The menopause also induces accelerated bone loss and is the principal risk factor for osteoporosis. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT; estrogen or estrogen plus progestogen) alleviates these symptoms and can be administered orally, transdermally, topically, intranasally, or as subcutaneous implants. HRT is also effective for prevention and treatment of postmenosausal osteoporosis throughout the time that it is used. It is not surprising that HRT use has increased substantially during the past decade. Nevertheless, there are still considerable variations in use between different countries within the European community. This presentation will analyze: the frequency of menopausal symptoms among women in different European countries and the factors that influence them; the frequency of other postmenopausal women's health issues in Europe; the use of HRT in Europe as well as the type of HRT and its evolution during the last decade; and possible reasons explaining heterogeneity between countries.