Climacteric : the journal of the International Menopause Society
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The main objective of this study was to investigate, in a population of normal postmenopausal women, the association between menopause and severity of lumbar disc degeneration from the first lumbar to the first sacral vertebra on magnetic resonance imaging. ⋯ Menopause is associated with disc degeneration in the lumbar spine. The association almost entirely occurred in the first 15 years since menopause, suggesting estrogen decrease may be a risk factor for lumbar disc degeneration.
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Pelvic pain is a frequent complaint in women during both reproductive and post-reproductive years. Vulvodynia includes different manifestations of chronic vulvar pain with no known cause. Many women do not receive a diagnosis and appropriate treatment. ⋯ Clinical characteristics include pelvic pain with sitting which increases throughout the day and decreases with standing or lying down, sexual dysfunction and difficult with urination and/or defecation. To confirm pudendal neuralgia, the Nantes criteria are recommended. Treatment includes behavioral modifications, physiotherapy, analgesics and nerve block, surgical pudendal nerve decompression, radiofrequency and spinal cord stimulation.
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Relationship between serum uric acid levels and hepatic steatosis in non-obese postmenopausal women.
Serum uric acid levels have been reported to be associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, very few studies specifically examining the relationship between serum uric acid (SUA) levels and NAFLD in postmenopausal women have been reported in China, especially in postmenopausal women with normal body mass index (BMI) in whom NAFLD is not uncommon. ⋯ Higher SUA levels even within the normal range are positively and independently associated with the presence of hepatic steatosis in Chinese postmenopausal women with normal BMI.