• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.52-61
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• 2009

Objectives : The aim of this study was to assess health-related quality of life and evaluate the risk factors affecting severity of menopausal symptoms in early and late postmenopausal women based on the stages of reproductive aging workshop(STRAW) paradigm. Methods : This cross-sectional study examined 497 Korean postmenopausal women aged 41-59 years in Seoul and Gyeonggi province. We divided subjects into early postmenopause group and late postmenopause group. Menopause Rating Scale(MRS) was used to measure the quality of life. MRS scores, sociodemographic variables, smoking, alcohol use, age at menopause, and risk factors such as attitude to menopause, depression, history of premenstrual dysphoric disorder were compared between early and late postmenopause groups. Multiple regression analysis was performed in each group to assess the independent contribution of several variables. Results : Early postmenopause group showed significantly higher MRS scores, more negative attitude toward menopause, higher scores of depressive symptoms than late postmenopause group. Moderate to very severe hot flush group showed significantly, more negative attitude toward menopause, higher score of depressive symptoms, and higher MRS scores than none to mild hot flush groups. Depressive symptoms and attitude toward menopause contributed to the severity of menopausal symptom in both early and late postmenopause groups. Chronological age, age at menopause, history of PMDD contributed to severity of menopausal symptoms in early postmenopause group while marital status and occupation contributed in late postmenopause group. Conclusion : Health-related quality of life in postmenopause women was significantly lower in early postmenopause group than the late. Attitude toward menopause and depressive symptoms contributed significantly to quality of life in both early and late postmenopause groups but other variables contributed differently in each group. Further studies on clinical samples of postmenopausal women in order to confirm quality of life and its risk factor are needed to be done.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.155-167
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• 2009

Objectives : Psychological comorbidities are high in patients with obesity and are associated with a variety of medical and dietary problems. This study aims to examine the association between psychological factors and obesity. Methods : This study was performed in pre-menopausal obese($BMI{\geq}25kg/m^2$, waist circumference ${\geq}85cm$) women in Seoul, in 2008 (n=35). Every patient underwent the obesity treatment program. The program included dietary and exercise education, and abdominal mesotherapy for 6 weeks. Simple anthropometry including weight, BMI and Computed Tomography (CT) including Subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and Visceral adipose tissue/Subcutaneous adipose tissue ratio (VSR) were done. To assess psychological factors, the Rosenberg self-esteem scale (SES) questionnaire, Beck depression inventory (BDI) questionnaire and stress response inventory(SRI) questionnaire were administered. Results : 1. All of the obesity indicators (except VSR) decreased significantly after the obesity treatment program. 2. There was a significant relationship between self esteem (SES score) and visceral obesity (VAT and VSR) measured at the end of the program. 3. During the intervention, the more weight, BMI, and subcutaneous adipose tissue decreased, the more self-esteem (SES) increased. There was no relationship between depression (BDI) and obesity. And the change in stress response (SRI) was associated with the change of deep subcutaneous adipose tissue and total abdominal adipose tissue. Conclusions : This study proves that visceral obesity may contribute to low self-esteem, and there is a possibility that the other psychological factors could also be related with obesity in Korean obese women. Individualised antiobesity therapy may be required depending on the patient's psychological characteristics and weight loss could be helpful in order to treat psychological problem in obese patients.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.199-204
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• 2016

Objectives Although forgetfulness is a common complaint among menopausal depressed women, there is still a debate about the relationship between memory impairment and menopause. The aim of this study is to examine whether menopause is related to cognitive decline among women with depressive disorders. We hypothesized that postmenopausal depressed women show generally poorer performance than premenopausal depressed women on various cognitive function tests. Methods With a retrospective chart review, we identified a total of 87 female patients (45 premenopausal patients and 42 postmenopausal patients) who were hospitalized with depressive disorders from 2000 to 2016. Demographic and clinical variables and cognitive test results were compared between two groups. Results Education year is longer in premenopausal group than postmenopausal group whereas clinical characteristics (illness duration, recurrence, and symptom severity) and mean Intelligence Quotient (IQ) were similar between two groups. The postmenopausal group took longer time for Bender-Gestalt Test (BGT) recall, Trail Making Test (TMT)-A, and TMT-B than the premenopausal group. After controlling for age and education, significant difference was remained for BGT recall (p = 0.029). Conclusions Postmenopausal state may be related with decline of visuospatial memory function, in particular, among depressed female patients. Other areas of cognitive function including complex attention, verbal memory, auditory memory, and working memory might be interpreted while considering age and education level.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.30-36
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• 2013

The aim of this review was to assess the effectiveness of ginseng as a treatment option for managing menopause symptoms. We searched the literature using ll databases from their inception to 26 September 2012 and included all randomised clinical trials (RCTs) that compared any type of ginseng to a placebo controls in postmenopausal women. The methodological quality of all studies was assessed using a Cochrane risk of bias tool. Four RCTs met our inclusion criteria. Most RCTs had high risk of bias. One RCT showed that Korean red ginseng (KRG) significantly improved sexual arousal and global health compared with placebo. Another RCT reported the superiority of KRG over placebo for treating menopause symptoms on Kupperman's index and menopausal rating score. The third RCT failed to show a significant effect of KRG on hot flash frequency compared to placebo. The fourth RCT found beneficial effects of ginseng compared to placebo on depression and well-being. In conclusion, the evidence on ginseng as an effective treatment for managing menopause symptoms is limited. Most of the RCTs are burdened with a high risk of bias. Thus firm conclusions cannot be drawn. Rigorous studies seem warranted.

• Journal of Menopausal Medicine
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.143-149
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• 2018

Lack of adequate sleep has become increasingly common in our 24/7 modern society. Reduced sleep has significant health consequences including metabolic and cardiovascular disorders, and mental problems including depression. In addition, although the increase in life expectancy has provided a dream of longevity to humans, the occurrence of osteoporosis is a big obstacle to this dream for both male and female. It is known that insomnia and bone health problems, which are very critical conditions in human life, interestingly, share a lot of pathogenesis in recent decades. Nevertheless, due to another side effects of the synthetic drugs being taken for the treatment of insomnia and osteoporosis, patients have substantial anxiety for the safety of drugs with therapeutic expectation. This review examines the pathogenesis shared by sleep and osteoporosis together and herbal medicine, which has recently been shown to be safe and efficacious in the treatment of both diseases other than synthetic drugs. We suggestions for how to treat osteoporosis. These efforts will be the first step toward enabling patients to have comfortable and safe prescriptions through a wide selection of therapeutic agents in the future.

• Journal of Menopausal Medicine
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.156-159
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• 2017

Some species of traditional herbal medicine has a history of use, most traditional natural herbs have been used for various diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. Among them, Passiflora incarnata L. is a traditional natural medicine, flowers as well as berries, roots, and leaves have been used as a medicine. It has been used as a natural medicine for the treatment of insomnia and anxiety for a longtime in Europe, and it has been used primarily for sedation tea in North America. Moreover, Passiflora incarnata L. is widely used anti-asthmatic, analgesic and sedation in Brazil. In other words, Passiflora incarnata L. has been used to treat a sedative, dysmenorrhea, insomnia, cancer, etc. in many countries. Present review of the plants showed a wide range of pharmacological activity in anxiolytic relax the clinical disease, such as anti-inflammatory, anxiety and antioxidant. In addition, Passiflora incarnata L. affects menopause symptoms such as vasomotor symptoms, insomnia, and depression. This review aims to provide the latest information on specific functional components of Passiflora incarnata L. especially the results of clinical trials will provide new insights into opportunities for the future development of natural medicines and doors will be used for purposes of analysis.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.235-239
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• 1999

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to evaluate the difference of depressive symptoms and attention between estrogen user and non-user in postmenopausal women. Methods : 30 Estrogen users and 30 non-users were participated in this study. They were all menopausal for at least 1 year and have 12 or more education years. We used BDI(Beck depression inventory), digit span and digit symbol to evaluate depressive symptoms and attention in both groups. We also measured the plasma estradiol level and identified the correlation between estradiol level and BDI, digit span and digit symbol. Results : The demographic data was not different between both groups. Estrogen users scored higher than non-users in digit span(forward) and lower than non-users in BDI. The correlation between estradiol level and BDI, digit span and digit symbol was not significant. Conclusion : Estrogen replacement therapy was effective in alleviating depressive symptoms but ineffective in improving attention in postmenopausal women.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.105-121
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• 2022

Objectives: It is a statistical analysis study to examine the results of CaPSPI (Diagnostic System for Climacteric and Postmenopausal Syndrome Pattern Identification), developed for objective defecation of climacteric and postmenopausal syndrome. Methods: Total 341 people's questionnaire responses were statistically analyzed. 275 people involved in developing CaPSPI 2018 (E) and 146 people involved in 2019-2020 study of research1,3). Results: The frequency of diagnosis for examination was the highest at liver depression, 93.8% for 320 times, the lowest at heartheat, 62.8% for 214 times. The frequency of treatment for examination was the highest at liver depression, 54.3% for 185 times, and the lowest at dual deficiency of heart-spleen, 16.7% for 57 times. The diagnosis ratio was the lowest at dual deficiency of heart-spleen, 19.72%, and the highest at liver depression, 57.81%. As a result of comparing these diagnoses with the Kupperman's index, all showed significant differences. As a result of comparing these disease elements, all showed significant differences. The correlation between diagnosis and dialectic elements was found to have similar results with the korean medical pathology, and in 7 dialectics except for heartheat, the treatment version was more severe or progressing to perjury than for examination. Conclusions: The CaPSPI shows the characteristics of korean medicine well, and it is needed to utilize the high correlative disease elements to upgrade the system.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.176-184
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• 2017

Objectives : Middle aged women with depression often experience hot flush symptoms. It is still unclear about the association between depression and hot flush symptoms. Therefore, we investigated hormonal profile, functional somatic symptoms, coping styles and attitude for menopause between depressed women with hot flush and those without hot flush. Methods : This study included 33 depressed patients with hot flush symptoms and 33 depressed patients without hot flush symptoms. Hot flush was confirmed through prospective daily symptom ratings for a week. Subjects' coping styles were assessed by the stress coping checklist. Somatic symptoms were assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire-15(PHQ-15). Sex hormonal levels were assayed by a radioimmunoassay. The Brief World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment Instrument(WHOQOL-BREF) was used to evaluate quality of life. Results : In coping style, depressed women with hot flush symptoms used less 'problem-centered coping'($13.15{\pm}3.17$) and 'search for social support'($11.83{\pm}2.84$) than those without hot flush symptoms($15.17{\pm}3.1$, p=0.028 ; $14.25{\pm}3.22$, p=0.009 ; respectively). Depressed women with hot flush symptoms showed more negative attitude toward post-menopause, but its statistical significance was marginally insufficient(p=0.059). We did not find any group differences in sex hormonal levels and somatic complaints assessed by the PHQ-15. The score of social relationship domain of WHOQOL-BREF was significantly lower in subjects with hot flush symptoms($8.62{\pm}2.04$) than subjects without hot flush symptoms($9.71{\pm}1.65$ ; p=0.044). Conclusions : Among middle aged women with depression, the manifestation of hot flush symptoms was associated with coping styles and attitude for menopausal transition. Hot flush symptoms in depressed women negatively influence quality of life, so clinicians actively perform therapeutic approach in case of depressed patients with hot flush symptoms. In case of depressed patients who present hot flushes, cognitive behavior therapy or stress management might be an effective treatment option in company with antidepressants or hormonal treatment. Later, longitudinal study will be needed to evaluate risk factor, cause and effect associated with hot flush and depression.

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.59-67
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• 2018

This study was conducted to identify convergence factors affecting depressive symptoms of postmenopausal women through the theory unpleasant symptom. This study was secondary data analysis form Sixth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2015. Study sample of 1,298 menopausal women to evaluate the factors that would influence depressive symptoms, physiological factors, situational factors, and psychological factors. The results showed that significant variables influencing the depressive symptom were income quartile(${\beta}=-.14$, p<.001), health status(${\beta}=.24$, p<.001), and stress(${\beta}=-.20$, p<.001). The explanation power of this regression model was 14. 1% and it was statistically significant. As a result, to improve their depressive symptoms, the nursing interventions are required for postmenopausal women who have the income, health status, and stress.