Blood pressure and cardiovascular risk factors in women treated for climacteric symptoms with acupuncture, phytoestrogens, or hormones

Objective: To evaluate the response of cardiovascular risk factors to the treatment of climacteric symptoms. Methods: In this prospective study, women reporting climacteric symptoms were randomized to 3 months of treatment with either acupuncture (n = 19), phytoestrogens (75 mg soy isoflavones, BID; n = 22), or low-dose hormone therapy (HT; 0.3 mg conjugated equine oestrogens plus 1.5 mg medroxyprogesterone acetate; n = 20). Greene's climacteric scale, blood pressure (BP), lipids, glucose, insulin, and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance were assessed before and after treatment. Observed changes were compared by analysis of variance. Results: HT and acupuncture reduced Greene climacteric score to a similar extent, but the effect of phytoestrogens was significantly lower (P 
Source: Menopause - Category: OBGYN Tags: Original Studies Source Type: research