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Objective To review the experience of menopausal symptoms and low-dose hormone therapy (HT) in postmenopausal women in China. Design Literature review and critical summaries of available prospective, clinical trials (randomized, controlled trials, RCTs). Results Chinese women experience menopausal symptoms less frequently compared with women in developed countries, and the prevalence of menopausal symptoms is less in women of southern China than in women of northern China. The majority of postmenopausal Chinese women lack knowledge about HT, and the usage rate of HT is low in these women compared to that in women of developed countries. Some RCTs investigated the efficacy and safety of low- or ultra-low-dose HT, including conjugated equine estrogen, estradiol valerate, transdermal estradiol, nylestriol alone or in combination with progesterone, and tibolone in postmenopausal Chinese women. These RCTs reported that low- or ultra-low-dose HT relieved menopausal symptoms and prevented bone loss as well as standard-dose HT and was less likely to induce side-effects, including irregular vaginal bleeding and breast tenderness; there may be dose-dependent effects of HT. No study evaluated the effects of low-dose HT on cardiovascular events or breast mammographic density/risk of breast cancer. Conclusions More RCTs are required to confirm efficacy and to assess the safety of low- or ultra-low-dose HT for a long-term period in a large group of postmenopausal women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Forearm fractures are a major cause of disability in postmenopausal women. However, no prior report on the relationship of dietary patterns and forearm fracture in mainland China is available and the results from Western studies may not be applicable to the Chinese population. Objective To determine whether food groups are associated with the risk of forearm fracture among postmenopausal women in China. Design Case-control study. Methods Cases were 209 postmenopausal women aged 50-70 years with new forearm fractures, identified in hospitals in Chengdu. Controls were age- and district-matched subjects randomly selected from the community of Chengdu. Dietary habits and food group intake were measured by a structured food frequency questionnaire. Results The dietary pattern in Chinese postmenopausal women was of high intakes of cereals, vegetables, fruits, beans or bean products, but lower intakes of meat and milk. The estimated odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for forearm fracture were 0.53 (0.42-0.67) for each quintile increase in vegetable intake, 0.73 (0.59-0.92) for each quintile increase in cereal intake, and 0.26 (0.14-0.48) in subjects who met World Health Organization (WHO) dietary recommendations for vegetables and fruits. Conclusions This is the first report indicating that the levels of vegetable and cereal intake, and that meeting WHO recommendations for vegetable and fruit intake, are associated with a decrease in the risk of forearm fractures in Chinese postmenopausal women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]