• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.11-15
• /
• 2010

Obstructive sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder that predominantly affects adult men than women. However, the prevalence in women increases with menopause dramatically. Menopause has long been described as a risk factor for obstructive sleep apnea. Recent large well-designed population studies support that menopause increases the risk for sleep-disordered breathing. The mechanism of that hypothesis is not yet clear. But, the decline in progesterone has been thought to influence the development of obstructive sleep apnea because progesterone is a respiratory stimulant and plays a protective role against sleep apnea. Increased visceral obesity and hypertension as major symptoms of metabolic syndrome are also associated with menopause and place women at increased risk for obstructive sleep apnea and other serious health problem. Hormone replacement therapy has been associated with a lower prevalence of sleep apnea. But, relative risk and benefits of hormone replacement therapy compared with other treatment options will require thorough consideration for each individual woman. Finally, attention should be drawn to the need for obstructive sleep apnea evaluation in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
• /
• v.28 no.2
• /
• pp.280-290
• /
• 1998

The two objectives of this study were 1) to develop an educational program based on the Self-Efficacy Theory(SET) of Bandura, and 2) to investigate the effects of the educational program on the management of menopause. The investigation process of this study was done in two phases. The first phase was to development an educational program through video tape. A telephone coaching program served as a follow-up to the educational video program and provided encouragement and support to the subjects. The second phase was the experimental stage. This experimentation was conducted to determine whether an educational program based on theory of Bandura would increase self-efficacy and management of menopause. Results : The developed video consisted of 2 parts. Part one discussed symtoms and management of menopause. Part two reflected the vicarious step-by-step success of middle-aged women's of menopause through the effective use of the 5 factors mentioned above. Telephone coaching program served as a followed to the educational video program and provided encouragement and support to the subjects. Total length of video is 32 minutes. Hypothesis stated in phase two were supported by the following result. Experimental group increased general-self-efficacy scores. Experimental group increased concrete-self-efficacy scores. Experimental group increased objective and subjective management of menopause scale.

• Women's Health Nursing
• /
• v.9 no.4
• /
• pp.400-409
• /
• 2003

Purpose: This study was to identify the correlations among climacteric symptoms, knowledge of menopause and health promoting behavior in middle-aged women. Method: 1.360 women between 40-60 years of age living in Incheon, were asked to complete a questionnaire on their health. The data was collected between October 10th and October 30th, 2002. The data was analyzed using T-test, ANOVA and Pearson's correlation coefficients with SPSS/pc program. Result: The variables significantly affecting climacteric symptoms, knowledge of menopause and health promoting behavior were education, perceived health status and family health - problems. The relationship between knowledge of menopause and health promoting behavior was statistically significant with a positive correlation. Conclusion: The knowledge of menopause by middle aged women was in positively correlated with health promoting behavior. Therefore, based on this study, we plan to develop a health education program to promote knowledge of menopause and health promoting behavior.

• Women's Health Nursing
• /
• v.16 no.2
• /
• pp.186-193
• /
• 2010

Purpose: This study was done to extend the understanding and knowledge of menopause by comparing attitudes toward menopause and menopausal symptoms of women religious and married women. Methods: The data were collected by self-report questionnaires from 126 women religious and 131 married women, between 40 and 59 years of age who lived in P city, D city and K province. A structured questionnaire was used which included demographic and health-related information, attitudes toward menopause, and menopausal symptoms. Data were analyzed by using $x^2$ test, t-test, and Pearson correlation coefficients with the SPSS/WIN 14.0 program. Results: The mean score for attitudes toward menopause of women religious and married women was $69.46{\pm}6.15$ and $66.98{\pm}6.12$ respectfully, and the difference was significant (p=.001). The mean score for menopausal symptoms of women religious and married women was $41.33{\pm}23.55$ and $55.99{\pm}30.81$ respectively, and the difference was also significant (p<.001). Attitudes toward menopause were negatively correlated with menopausal symptoms (r=-.27, p<.001).

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
• /
• v.33 no.1
• /
• pp.150-159
• /
• 2020

Objectives: This case report describes the management of three patients with menopausal disorder treated with Jaeumganghwa-tang, an herbal extract in national health insurance. Methods: Three patients suffering from Menopause disorder were hospitalized and treated with herbal extract Jaeumganghwa-tang for 4 weeks. This study was measured by Kupperman's Index, Menopause Rating Scale and EuroQol-Five Dimensions. Results: The symptoms of menopausal disorder have improved after treating with Jaeumganghwa-tang. Also the Kupperman's Index and Menopause Rating Scale have decreased, while the EuroQol-Five Dimensions has increased. Conclusions: As seen in these three cases, Jaeumganghwa-tang in herbal extract form has effects on the management of menopause disorder.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.31 no.11
• /
• pp.1490-1500
• /
• 2021

Various microorganisms reside in the human vagina; the vaginal microbiome is closely linked to both vaginal and general health, and for this reason, microbiome studies of the vagina are an area of research. In this study, we analyzed the vaginal microbiome of women before and after menopause to further increase our understanding of the vaginal microbiome and its contribution to general health. We did a 16s rRNA gene-based metagenomic analysis on the vaginal fluids of 11 premenopausal and 19 postmenopausal women in Korea. We confirmed that the taxonomic composition was significantly different between the two groups. In postmenopausal women, species richness was significantly decreased, but species diversity was significantly increased. In particular, among the taxonomic components corresponding to all taxon ranks of the vaginal microbiome, a reduction in Lactobacillus taxa after menopause contributed the most to the difference between the two groups. In addition, we confirmed through metabolic analysis that the lactic-acid concentration was also decreased in the vaginal fluid of women after menopause. Our findings on the correlation between menopause and the microbiome could help diagnose menopause and enhance the prevention and treatment diseases related to menopause.

• 모자간호학회지
• /
• v.2 no.1
• /
• pp.70-86
• /
• 1992

What is the meaning of menopause experienced by urban Korean women? Nurses need an under standing of menopause as it is experienced by women themselves. Nursing needs to build knowledge of womens' health experiences. This phenomenological study examined what menopause means to modern Korean woman to build a structure of knowledge useful for practice to enhance the quality of life of women throughout this experience. Traditional definition of menopause according to physiological changes, as illness and more recently as psychosociocultural phenomena were examined along with the folk lore information generally available in the society A review of the research and scientific literature was done from the perspectives of four models including the medical model of menopause as disease, the psychosocial model as positive and negative behavioral responses to menopause, a feminist model of menopause as a time of rebirth and a nursing model of the changing patterns of meaning, rythms and transformation women experience through menopause. Van Kaam's method was used to analyse data audio-recorded during interviews by the investigator with 65 women, 40 to 60 years of agey whose confidentility was assured. Interpretation of the data was enhanced luther by consultation with professional colleugues and with informants. Four rhythmical patterns of process emerged : from suffering to comfort, from oppression to freedom from being a good wife and wise mother to becoming a woman and from a hard life to an abundant life. The detailed common elements making up each of the four patterns and definitions of each pattern were presented. Each pattern was discussed critically from the point of view of medical, psychosociocultural, womens' and nursing models. The structural definition of the synthesis of the four process patterns was stated as : in spite of suffering the middle-aged urban Korean woman find she is able to help herself to feel comfortable and to realize release as she moves from oppression to liberation and freedom from being a good wife and wise mother she experiences rebirth as a woman : she begins to live a profitable and valuable life : her life becomes one of transformed abundant living. The definition transcends the medical and phychosociocultural model to embody a nursing model. The analysis was critiqued by using Parse' Human Becomming theory of nursing because the emerging themes were process patterns. Parse' theory provides and explanation of the experience of menopause consistant with the data which enhances nursing understanding of womens' experience of menopause. Parse' practice methodology provide guidance for promoting womens' quality of life throughout the experience of menopause. Feminist analysis contributes valuable critique to nursing research, richly expanding the perspective from traditional approaches to promote understanding of the meaning of womens' health experiences.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.48 no.4
• /
• pp.216-224
• /
• 2015

Objectives: Decreased fertility and impaired health owing to early menopause are significant health issues. Smoking is a modifiable health-related behavior that influences menopausal age. We investigated the effects of smoking-associated characteristics on menopausal age in Korean women. Methods: This study used data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2007 to 2012. Menopausal age in relation to smoking was analyzed as a Kaplan-Meier survival curve for 11 510 women (aged 30 to 65 years). The risk of entering menopause and experiencing early menopause (before age 48) related to smoking were assessed using a Cox proportional hazards model. Results: The menopausal age among smokers was 0.75 years lower than that among non-smokers (p<0.001). The results of the Cox proportional hazards model showed pre-correction and post-correction risk ratios for entering menopause related to smoking of 1.26 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09 to 1.46) and 1.27 (95% CI, 1.10 to 1.47), respectively, and pre-correction and post-correction risk ratios for experiencing early menopause related to smoking of 1.36 (95% CI, 1.03 to 1.80) and 1.40 (95% CI, 1.05 to 1.85), respectively. Conclusions: Smokers reached menopause earlier than non-smokers, and their risk for experiencing early menopause was higher.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
• /
• v.24 no.1
• /
• pp.87-98
• /
• 2011

Objectives: To evaluate the clinical use of Kupperman's Index, Menopausespecific quality of life questionnaire(MENQOL), Menopause Rating Scale(MRS) by comparison with the Subjective measures of hot flush. Methods: The participants were 107 women (45-60 yr) who were not currently on hormone therapy, and had reached hot flash scores of 10 or higher. The evaluating indexes of this trial are hot flush score, hot flush VAS, Hot flush consistence time, sweating VAS, Kupperman`s Index, Menopause-specific quality of life questionnaire (MENQOL), Menopause Rating Scale(MRS). Results: 1. The hot flush score, hot flush VAS, sweating VAS were significantly correlated with each other, but the Hot flush consistence time with no special relationship was found on Subjective measures of hot flush 2. The Kupperman's Index, Menopause-specific quality of life questionnaire (MENQOL) and Menopause Rating Scale(MRS) were significantly correlated with each other. 3. There was significant correlation between Subjective measures of hot flush and Menopause-specific quality of life questionnaire(MENQOL), Thus Menopausespecific quality of life questionnaire(MENQOL) is considered the most suitable on hot flush related research. Conclusions: There was significant correlation between Subjective measures of hot flush and Menopausal scale, thus the use of various indicators are needed for the assessment of climacteric symptoms.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.85-91
• /
• 2015

Objectives: Postmenopausal symptoms are subject to many factors. Recently, obesity has been suggested as a factor of hot flush. So this study aims to report the relationship between body composition and Menopause Rating Scale (MRS), The Menopause-specific Quality of Life Questionnaire (MENQOL) of postmenopausal women. Methods: We studied 42 climacteric women who had visited Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong from April 2011 to July 2014. 42 women had filled out MRS, MENQOL, and they had taken body composition tests. Pearson correlation tests were conducted. (Correlation was statistically significant at the 0.05 level) Results: Correlation between psychological subscale of MENQOL and Waist-Hip Ratio (WHR) was statistically significant (pearson correlation coefficient=0.385; p-value=0.012). But other subscales of MRS and MENQOL were not statistically related with body composition. Conclusions: WHR could be an important factor of psychological health of menopausal women. So, abdominal fat reduction must be considered when curing menopausal symptoms. In connection with climacteric depression, well-designed studies would be necessary.