Symptoms associated with menopause are known to negatively affect quality of life for many women. Moreover, concern about risks associated with hormone replacement therapy can prompt women to seek non-pharmacological approaches to symptom management. Claims exist that yoga can be useful in the management of menopausal symptoms, possibly through modification of endocrine function. This study used a randomized controlled design to examine the effect of yoga on sedentary menopausal women with regard to menopausal symptoms, circulating hormones, musculoskeletal fitness, heart rate, blood pressure, and body mass index. Women participating in a traditional walking program served as the control group. Results indicate that both types of activity were beneficial for perimenopausal women, although the differences between yoga and walking for improvement in menopause symptoms were not statistically significant. The effects do not appear to be associated with hormonal changes. Musculoskeletal fitness in sedentary women improved with activity despite weight gain. / ix, 105 leaves ; 29 cm

Negative effects of oophorectomy (castration, or removal of the ovaries) on a woman's sexual functioning, mood and body image have been documented in previous studies, but these studies did not measure vaginal blood flow and often did not include a non-surgical control group. Five groups of women aged 35 to 55 years were studied, a non-surgical control group (CTL), a hysterectomy-only group (TAH, at least one ovary intact) and three oophorectomy groups: an untreated group (BSO), women on estrogen-replacement therapy (ERT) and women on androgen-estrogen replacement therapy (HRT). The interview/questionnaire assessed mood, body image and sexual functioning (sexual desire, arousal, orgasm, interpersonal sexual activities). In a second session completed by 58 and 129 subjects (45%), a vaginal photoplethysmograph measured vaginal blood flow in response to an erotic stimulus while subjects concurrently monitored subjective arousal. Overall, the BSO and ERT groups had significantly lower self-reported desire and arousal. Body image as measured by a new scale, 'body comfort', was significantly poorer in the BSO group. The hysterectomy groups had more sexual problems than the control group. Further, about a third of the CTL group reported positive changes in body image and sexuality in the previous 5 years. This effect was attenuated in the TAH, HRT and ERT groups and almost absent in the BSO group. No significant group differences were obtained however, on mood, or vaginal blood flow and subjective arousal to an erotic stimulus. Vaginal blood flow and subjective arousal were significantly correlated. The possibility that these findings may be due to differential levels of testosterone in the various groups is discussed.

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The aim of this thesis is to explore rural women’s midlife experiences and interrogate the roles of health, social and community factors in these. In the cultural imagination, midlife signifies the onset of ageing and is thus framed in a discourse of decline. For women, it is often considered in terms of menopause and the end of fecundity and fertility. I propose that women’s experience of midlife is much broader than this; instead, it is characterised by transformation in multiple domains and health status is important. I suggest that the continuity theory of ageing is useful when conceptualising the life course. The concept of habitus enables exploration of how identity is re/constructed during the ageing process in response to changing bodily circumstances, such as health problems. (For complete abstract open document)

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 74-93) Also available in print.

Thesis (M.A. (Health Social Science))--Mahidol University, 2006. / LICL has E-Thesis 0012 ; please contact computer services.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 195-220).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:35:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2008-08-25Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T18:47:00Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 orsatti_fl_dr_botfm.pdf: 388914 bytes, checksum: 4ebcdb325956efbf43f2f32282b28137 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Investigar o efeito independente e aditivo do treinamento resistido (TR) e da isoflavona de soja (ISO) sobre a densidade mineral óssea (DMO) e a composição corporal de mulheres na pós-menopausa. Foi conduzido estudo clínico prospectivo, duplo-cego (ISO), placebocontrolado e randomizado dois (ISO x Placebo) por dois (TR x sem TR). Oitenta mulheres sedentárias na pós-menopausa (amenorréia últimos 12 meses, FSH > 40UIml), idade entre 45 a 70 anos, foram randomizadas a um dos quatro grupos (71 completaram 9 meses de intervenção): ISO + TR (n=15; 55,7±7,0); ISO + sem TR (n=20; 56,6±8,8); placebo + TR (n=18; 56,0±5,8); placebo + sem TR (n=18; 55,3±8,0). As participantes randomizadas para ISO receberam 250mg de extrato de soja, total de 100mg/dia de isoflavona. Aquelas randomizadas para TR realizaram sessões de exercícios resistidos supervisionados, mínimo de dois dias na semana, durante 9 meses, que incluiu 2-3 exercícios para os grupamentos musculares maiores (coxa, peito e costa) e 1 exercício para os menores (bíceps e tríceps), em 3 séries de 8-12 repetições máximas. No momento basal e aos 9 meses, a composição corporal (massa gordurosa e muscular) e a DMO (corpo inteiro, colo de fêmur e coluna lombar) foram estimadas pela absortometria radiológica de feixes duplos de energia (DXA, Hologic QDR-2000). Valores plasmáticos de CTX (serum levels of C-terminal cross-linked telopeptides of type I collagen) e de osteocalcina foram dosados como marcadores da reabsorção e formação óssea, respectivamente. Para avaliação antropométrica foram obtidos: peso, estatura, índice de massa corpórea (IMC=peso/altura2), circunferência da cintura (CC) e relação cintura/quadril (RCQ). Valores plasmáticos de isoflavona foram realizados ao final da intervenção para analisar a aderência ao tratamento. Na análise... / To investigate the independent and additive effects of resistance training (RT) and soy isoflavone (ISO) on bone mineral density (BMD) and body composition in postmenopausal women. This study used a placebo-controlled, double-blind (soy), randomized two (ISO vs placebo) x two (RT vs no-RT) design. A total of 80 sedentary postmenopausal women (>12 months amenorrhea and FSH >40mIU/ml), aged 45- 70 years, was randomized one of four groups (71 completed 9-months intervention): ISO + RT (n=15; 55.7±7.0); ISO + no-RT (n=20; 56.6±8.8); placebo + RT (n=18; 56.0±5.8); placebo + no-RT (n=18; 55,3±8,0). Participants randomized to ISO received 250mg of standardized soy extract, total of 100mg/day of isoflavone. Subjects randomized to RT attended supervised resistance exercise sessions, three days/week for 9-months and included 2-3 exercises for the larger muscle groups, and 1 exercise for smaller groups in 3 series of 8-12 repetitions. At baseline and 9-months, body composition (fat and muscle mass) and BMD (whole body, lumbar spine and femoral neck) were estimated by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA, Hologic QDR-2000). Serum levels of C-terminal cross-linked telopeptides of type I collagen (CTX) and osteocalcin were measured as markers of bone resorption and formation, respectively. The anthropometric indicators included: weight, height, body mass index (BMI= weight/height2), waist circumference (WC) and waist/hip ratio (WHR). The plasma levels of isoflavones were measured to assess compliance. The Shapiro-Wilk, Kolmogorov & Smirnov for distribution statistics, and Levene's test for homogeneity of variances, ANOVA-repeated measure, ANOVAone way and post hoc Fisher test, Pearson’s correlation, test t and analyze regression forward stepwise were used in the statistical analysis. There were no significant difference... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)