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Introduction: Since the designation of people as Hispanic involves the amalgamation of a number of different cultures and languages, we sought to test the hypothesis that menopausal symptoms would differ among Hispanic women, based upon country of origin and degree of acculturation., Methods: A total of 419 women, aged 42-52 years at baseline, were categorized as: Central American (CA, n = 29) or South American (SA, n = 106), Puerto Rican (PR, n = 56), Dominican (D, n = 42), Cuban (Cu, n = 44) and non-Hispanic Caucasian (n = 142). We assessed vasomotor symptoms, vaginal dryness and trouble in sleeping. Hispanics and non-Hispanic Caucasians were compared using the chi(2) test, t test or non-parametric alternatives; ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis testing examined differences among the five Hispanic sub-groups. Multivariable regression models used PR women as the reference group., Results: Hispanic women were overall less educated, less acculturated (p < 0.001 for both) than non-Hispanic Caucasians and more of them reported vasomotor symptoms (34.1-72.4% vs. 38.3% among non-Hispanic Caucasians; p = 0.0293) and vaginal dryness (17.9-58.6% vs. 21.1% among non-Hispanic Caucasians, p = 0.0287). Among Hispanics, more CA women reported vasomotor symptoms than D, Cu, SA, or PR women (72.4% vs. 45.2%, 34.1%, 50.9%, and 51.8%, respectively). More CA (58.6%) and D women (38.1%) reported vaginal dryness than PR (17.9%), Cu (25.0%) and SA (31.4%) women. More PR and D women reported trouble in sleeping (66.1 and 64.3%, respectively) compared to CA (51.7%), Cu (36.4%), and SA (45.3%) women., Conclusion: Symptoms associated with menopause among Hispanic women differed by country of origin but not acculturation. Central American women appear to be at greatest risk for both vasomotor symptoms and vaginal dryness.

Background: There are limited data concerning the relationships between changes in adipocytokines and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors., Objective: To examine the longitudinal associations between leptin, adiponectin, resistin and ghrelin levels and CVD risk factor levels in women at midlife., Design: Prospective, observational study., Subjects and Measurements: Leptin, adiponectin, resistin, ghrelin levels and CVD risk factors were measured in specimens collected from 40 women at 3 points in time corresponding to the pre-, peri- and postmenopause stages of their natural menopause transition., Results: In longitudinal analyses adjusted for CVD risk factors and leptin at the previous menopausal stage, aging, education, smoking and physical activity, greater increases in leptin over the menopause transition were associated with greater decreases in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) and greater increases in diastolic blood pressure, glucose, insulin and insulin resistance (all P < 0.05). Larger decreases in adiponectin over the menopause transition were associated with greater increases in systolic blood pressure, insulin and insulin resistance and with greater decreases in HDL-c. Greater increases in ghrelin levels over the menopausal transition were associated with greater low-density lipoprotein cholesterol increases (P = 0.014). Resistin was not associated with CVD risk factor changes., Conclusion: There were significant adverse associations of adipocytokines and ghrelin with multiple CVD risk factor changes in women across midlife. Given that this time period is dynamic for CVD risk, these data underscore the need for additional prospective studies.

Method To test the hypothesis that psychosocial symptomatology differs by country of origin and acculturation among Hispanic women, we examined 419 women, aged 42-52 years at baseline, enrolled in the New Jersey site of the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN). Women were categorized into six groups: Central (CA, n = 29) or South American (SA, n = 106), Puerto Rican (PR, n = 56), Dominican (D, n = 42), Cuban (Cu, n = 44) and non-Hispanic Caucasian (NHC, n = 142). Acculturation, depressive symptoms, hostility/cynicism, mistreatment/discrimination, sleep quality, social support, and perceived stress were assessed at baseline. Physical functioning, trait anxiety and anger were assessed at the fourth annual follow-up. Comparisons between Hispanic and non-Hispanic Caucasians used χ2, t test or non-parametric alternatives; ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis testing examined differences among the five Hispanic sub-groups. Multivariable regression models used PR women as the reference group. Results Hispanic women were overall less educated, less acculturated ( p < 0.001 for both) and reported more depressive symptoms, cynicism, perceived stress, and less mistreatment/discrimination than NHCs. Along with D women, PR women reported worse sleep than Cu women ( p < 0.01) and more trait anxiety than SA and Cu women ( p < 0.01). Yet, PR women were most acculturated (21.4% highly acculturated vs. CA (0.0%), D (4.8%), SA (4.8%) and Cu (2.3%) women; p < 0.001). In regression models, PR women reported depressive symptoms more frequently than D, Cu, or SA women, and reported trait anxiety more frequently than Cu or SA women. Greater acculturation was associated with more favorable psychosocial status, but PR ethnicity was negatively related to psychosocial status. Conclusion Psychosocial symptomatology among Hispanic women differs by country of origin and the relatively adverse profile of Puerto Rican women is not explained by acculturation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]