評論
打印
Leaders
來源于《社論》版塊
Menopause
更年期
Second spring
第二春
Hormone-replacement therapy is safer than people think. More women should take it
激素替代療法比人們認為的更安全。更多的女性應該接受它
It is known colloquially as “the change”. The end of a woman’s natural child-bearing years is a moment of transformation that is welcome to some and miserable for others. But for too many, menopause is also a painful process that can damage their bones, heart and brain. As societies age, the question of how best to preserve women’s health during menopause is becoming more urgent. In 1990 nearly half a billion women were 50 or older (the age when menopause typically begins). Today there are almost twice as many.
它俗稱為“變化”。女性自然生育年齡的結(jié)束是一個轉(zhuǎn)變的時刻，對此，一些人樂于接受，而另一些人則悵然若失。但對很多人來說，更年期也是一個痛苦的過程，會損害骨骼、心臟和大腦。隨著社會老齡化，如何最好地保護更年期女性的健康問題變得越來越緊迫。1990年，50歲以上（更年期通常開始的年齡）的女性人數(shù)將近5億。如今，這個數(shù)字幾乎是以前的兩倍。
About 47m women around the world reach the age of menopause each year. In Western countries, where most research has been conducted, up to 80% will experience symptoms such as hot flushes, night sweats, depression, insomnia, anxiety and memory loss. Symptoms can last up to 12 years. Around a quarter of women going through menopause feel so wretched that their quality of life is dimmed, according to studies in rich countries. Almost half of British women experiencing it say that their work suffers as a result.
全球每年約有4700萬女性達到更年期年齡。在大多數(shù)研究已經(jīng)開始進行的西方國家，高達80%的人會出現(xiàn)潮熱、盜汗、抑郁、失眠、焦慮和失憶等癥狀。癥狀可持續(xù)長達12年。根據(jù)發(fā)達國家的研究，大約有四分之一的女性在經(jīng)歷更年期時感到非常痛苦，以至于生活質(zhì)量變差了。在英國，幾乎一半的女性表示，工作因此受到影響。
Twenty years ago, doctors would routinely have prescribed hormone-replacement therapy ( HRT) to women entering menopause. But in 2002 the results of a huge randomised trial were published, showing that the treatment brought health risks, including a slightly raised chance of breast cancer after five years. Women and doctors were alarmed. Around the world they abandoned hormonal therapy in droves. Before the study, 22% of menopausal women in America took HRT. Six years later that figure had fallen below 5%. In Australia, around 15% of menopausal women with moderate or severe symptoms receive the treatment. Take-up of HRT is now low in most countries. Women are scared and doctors wary.
20年前，醫(yī)生通常會給進入更年期的女性進行激素替代療法(HRT)。但在2002年，一項大型隨機試驗的結(jié)果發(fā)表了，結(jié)果顯示，激素替代療法帶來了健康風險，包括5年后患乳腺癌的幾率略有增加。婦女和醫(yī)生對此感到震驚。在世界各地，激素替代療法陸陸續(xù)續(xù)被放棄。在這項研究之前，22%的美國更年期婦女接受了激素替代療法。六年后，這一數(shù)字降至5%以下。在澳大利亞，有中度或重度癥狀的更年期婦女中約有15%接受這種治療。目前，激素替代療法在大多數(shù)國家的使用率很低。女性很害怕，醫(yī)生也很警惕。
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