Nancy E Avis1, Beverly J Levine1, Suzanne Danhauer1, Remy R Coeytaux2. 1. Department of Social Sciences and Health Policy, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC. 2. Department of Family and Community Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to conduct a pooled analysis of three published trials of nonpharmacological interventions for menopausal hot flashes to compare the effectiveness of interventions. METHODS: Data from three randomized controlled trials of interventions for hot flashes (two acupuncture trials, one yoga trial) were pooled. All three studies recruited perimenopausal or postmenopausal women experiencing ≥4 hot flashes/d on average. The primary outcome for all three studies was frequency of hot flashes as measured by the Daily Diary of Hot Flashes. Study 1 participants were randomly assigned to 8 weeks of acupuncture treatments (active intervention), sham acupuncture (attention control), or usual care. Study 2 participants were randomly assigned to 10 weeks of yoga classes, health and wellness education classes (attention control), or waitlist control. Study 3 randomly assigned participants to 6 months of acupuncture or waitlist control. To standardize the time frame for these analyses, only the first 8 weeks of intervention from all three studies were used. RESULTS: The three active interventions and the two attention control groups had statistically similar trends in the percentage reduction of hot flashes over 8 weeks, ranging from 35% to 40%. These five groups did not differ significantly from each other, but all showed significantly greater reduction in hot flash frequency compared with the three usual care/waitlist groups. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture, yoga, and health and wellness education classes all demonstrated statistically similar effectiveness in reduction of hot flash frequency compared with controls.
RCT Entities:
OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to conduct a pooled analysis of three published trials of nonpharmacological interventions for menopausal hot flashes to compare the effectiveness of interventions. METHODS: Data from three randomized controlled trials of interventions for hot flashes (two acupuncture trials, one yoga trial) were pooled. All three studies recruited perimenopausal or postmenopausal women experiencing ≥4 hot flashes/d on average. The primary outcome for all three studies was frequency of hot flashes as measured by the Daily Diary of Hot Flashes. Study 1 participants were randomly assigned to 8 weeks of acupuncture treatments (active intervention), sham acupuncture (attention control), or usual care. Study 2 participants were randomly assigned to 10 weeks of yoga classes, health and wellness education classes (attention control), or waitlist control. Study 3 randomly assigned participants to 6 months of acupuncture or waitlist control. To standardize the time frame for these analyses, only the first 8 weeks of intervention from all three studies were used. RESULTS: The three active interventions and the two attention control groups had statistically similar trends in the percentage reduction of hot flashes over 8 weeks, ranging from 35% to 40%. These five groups did not differ significantly from each other, but all showed significantly greater reduction in hot flash frequency compared with the three usual care/waitlist groups. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture, yoga, and health and wellness education classes all demonstrated statistically similar effectiveness in reduction of hot flash frequency compared with controls.
Authors: Jeannette M Painovich; Chrisandra L Shufelt; Ricardo Azziz; Yuching Yang; Mark O Goodarzi; Glenn D Braunstein; Beth Y Karlan; Paul M Stewart; C Noel Bairey Merz Journal: Menopause Date: 2012-01 Impact factor: 2.953
Authors: C L Loprinzi; J W Kugler; J A Sloan; J A Mailliard; B I LaVasseur; D L Barton; P J Novotny; S R Dakhil; K Rodger; T A Rummans; B J Christensen Journal: Lancet Date: 2000-12-16 Impact factor: 79.321
Authors: Katherine M Newton; Diana S M Buist; Nora L Keenan; Lynda A Anderson; Andrea Z LaCroix Journal: Obstet Gynecol Date: 2002-07 Impact factor: 7.661
Authors: Nancy E Avis; Claudine Legault; Remy R Coeytaux; May Pian-Smith; Jan L Shifren; Wunian Chen; Peter Valaskatgis Journal: Menopause Date: 2008 Nov-Dec Impact factor: 2.953