Somatic-vegetative Symptoms Evolution in Postmenopausal Women Treated with Phytoestrogens and Hormone Replacement Therapy

Background: The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of the phytoestrogens in relieving and/or sup-pressing the specific somatic-vegetative symptoms of menopause with those of the hormone therapy, administered in small doses. Methods: The study was conducted in the County Clinical Emergency Hospital Oradea - Obstetric-Gynecological Ambulatory, and in private obstetrics-gynecology cabinets from Bihor County (NW Romania), from November 2011 to January 2014. Overall, 325 patients clinically diagnosed with specific postmenopausal symptomatology and not pre-viously treated with phytoestrogens or hormone replacement therapy (HRT), were divided into 3 groups. Symptom assessment was performed with a standardized questionnaire named Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) in three phases: beginning of the treatment, after six months, and after one year. The administered doses for three different groups were as follows: 1 mg estradiol and 0.5 mg norethisterone acetate (NETA) p.o. daily (i.e. for the HRT group); 40 mg of isoflavones p.o. daily - i.e. 2 capsules of 40% standardized extract containing 20 mg of pure isoflavones: Genistein, Daidzein, and Glycitein (i.e. for the group with phytoestrogens); and no trreatment for the control group. Results: The evolution of the somatic-vegetative symptoms was better in both groups treated either with phytoestro-gens or HRT (P<0.001) as opposed to the higher percentage of patients with stationary symptoms in the control group (i.e. 37.74% for control group, 16.13% for the group treated with phytoestrogens, respectively 18.95% for the group treated with HRT). Conclusion: Twelve months treatment study is a favorable evidence for the use of soy derived phytoestrogens in the treatment of somatic-vegetative symptoms at postmenopausal women.