Table 3.
Symptoms associated with menopause and therapies by race
| Characteristic | White (n = 721) |
Black or African American (n = 167) |
Asian/Native American/Alaska Native (n = 83) |
Other race/ethnicitya (n = 35) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Menopausal symptoms (occurring in >10% of women), n (%) | ||||
| Hot flashes | 667 (92.5) | 150 (89.8) | 73 (88.0) | 31 (88.6) |
| Vaginal dryness | 331 (45.9) | 90 (53.9) | 38 (45.8) | 14 (40.0) |
| Vaginal atrophy | 102 (14.1) | 32 (19.2) | 13 (15.7) | 2 (5.7) |
| Dyspareunia | 193 (26.8) | 49 (29.3) | 21 (25.3) | 8 (22.9) |
| Mood changes | 325 (45.1) | 69 (41.3) | 39 (47.0) | 16 (45.7) |
| Sleep problems | 369 (51.2) | 76 (45.5) | 37 (44.6) | 21 (60.0) |
| Urinary problems | 65 (9.0) | 21 (12.6) | 11 (13.3) | 8 (22.9) |
| Irregular periods | 128 (17.8) | 26 (15.6) | 25 (30.1) | 14 (40.0) |
| Weight gain or slowed metabolism | 184 (25.5) | 50 (29.9) | 16 (19.3) | 9 (25.7) |
| Thinning/dry hair | 107 (14.8) | 15 (9.0) | 18 (21.7) | 5 (14.3) |
| Dry skin | 91 (12.6) | 20 (12.0) | 11 (13.3) | 5 (14.3) |
| Reduced libido | 250 (34.7) | 45 (26.9) | 20 (24.1) | 12 (34.3) |
| Difficulty concentrating | 103 (14.3) | 24 (14.4) | 7 (8.4) | 5 (14.3) |
| Duration of symptoms, n (%) | ||||
| ≤3 mo | 117 (16.2) | 13 (7.8) | 20 (24.1) | 6 (17.1) |
| 3-6 mo | 247 (34.3) | 48 (28.7) | 21 (25.3) | 10 (28.6) |
| 6-12 mo | 222 (30.8) | 69 (41.3) | 22 (26.5) | 12 (34.3) |
| >12 mo | 121 (16.8) | 36 (21.6) | 19 (22.9) | 7 (20.0) |
| Not documented | 14 (1.9) | 1 (0.6) | 1 (1.2) | 0 |
| Documented therapy, n (%) | ||||
| Prescription only | 183 (25.4) | 42 (25.1) | 13 (15.7) | 8 (22.9) |
| Prescription and nonprescription | 258 (35.8) | 63 (37.7) | 28 (33.7) | 11 (31.4) |
| Nonprescription only | 193 (26.8) | 34 (20.4) | 31 (37.3) | 11 (31.4) |
| Prescription treatments, n (%) | 441 (61.1) | 105 (62.9) | 41 (49.4) | 19 (54.3) |
| Hormone therapy (any) | 326 (73.9) | 63 (60.0) | 28 (68.3) | 11 (57.9) |
| Compounded hormone therapy (any) | 50 (11.3) | 19 (18.1) | 4 (9.8) | 3 (15.8) |
| SSRIs | 64 (14.5) | 17 (16.2) | 3 (7.3) | 3 (15.8) |
| SNRIs | 32 (7.3) | 5 (4.8) | 2 (4.9) | 0 |
| Clonidine | 18 (4.1) | 6 (5.7) | 2 (4.9) | 1 (5.3) |
| Gabapentin or pregabalin | 17 (3.9) | 5 (4.8) | 4 (9.8) | 0 |
| SERMs | 3 (0.7) | 0 | 0 | 1 (5.3) |
| Other | 5 (1.1) | 1 (1.0) | 0 | 0 |
| Nonprescription treatments documented (in >15% of women in any group), n (%) | 451 (62.6) | 97 (58.0) | 59 (71.1) | 22 (62.9) |
| Black cohosh | 153 (33.9) | 17 (17.5) | 12 (20.3) | 6 (27.3) |
| Estroven | 53 (11.8) | 12 (12.4) | 9 (15.3) | 3 (13.6) |
| Vitamin E | 45 (10.0) | 6 (6.2) | 10 (16.9) | 1 (4.5) |
| Exercise | 196 (43.5) | 37 (38.1) | 21 (35.6) | 9 (40.9) |
| Sleep alterations | 119 (26.4) | 29 (29.9) | 11 (18.6) | 6 (27.3) |
| Food or alcohol avoidance | 126 (27.9) | 27 (27.8) | 10 (16.9) | 6 (27.3) |
SERM, selective estrogen-receptor modulator; SNRI, serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor; SSRI, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor.
aNative Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Mexican/Latina, and Turkish.