Table 2.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion criteria	Exclusion criteria
• 40 to 55 years old	• Non-natural menopause (due to surgery, radiation, medication)
• Perimenopausal female (menstrual irregularity in past 12 months; or menstrual period off at least twice in past 12 months; or amenorrhea of 2 to 12 months)	• Use of HRT, SSRIs, vitamin E, or black cohosh in past 4 weeks
• Suffering any following perimenopausal symptoms: vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes, sweats), psychological symptoms (insomnia, migraine, irritability), or genitourinary symptoms (vaginal dryness, dyspareunia)	• Any contraindication of HRT (for example, family history of breast cancer, hysteromyoma, benign galactophore diseases, or ovarian cyst)
• Serum FSH level >10 units/L, or decline of estradiol after amenorrhea	• Unknown causes of vaginal hemorrhage
• Willing to receive treatment and sign consents	• Poorly controlled hypertension, diabetes mellitus
	• History of malignant cancer, mental disorders (including depression), thyroid diseases, diabetic neuropathy
	• Dermatosis (for example, eczema, psoriasis)
	• Serious heart, liver or kidney diseases
	• Coagulation defeats or use of anticoagulant medicine (for example, warfarin, heparin, and so forth)
	• Use of sedative or anti-anxiety drugs
	• Cigarette smoking, alcohol or drug abuse
	• Pacemaker or artificial joints
	• Pregnant women or women in lactation
	• Participation in other clinical trials

FSH, follicle-stimulating hormone; HRT, hormone replacement therapy; SSRI, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor.