Menopause perspectives and treatment of Asian women

This review summarizes the published literature on menopausal symptoms and concerns from the perspective of Asian menopausal women, compares and contrasts common menopausal symptoms between the Asian and the Western postmenopausal populations, and highlights considerations from the perspective of clinical practice. In contrast to menopausal symptomatology described in the Western populations, musculoskeletal symptoms and sleeplessness, rather than vasomotor symptoms, dominate the clinical presentation in menopausal Asian women; decreased sexual function, although an important issue, is not commonly brought up for discussion in the context of bothersome menopausal symptoms by Asian women. The epidemiology of the common disorders of aging, such as osteoporosis, breast cancer, and cardiovascular disease, differs between the Asian and Western populations. Awareness and the use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) are generally low and noted to vary significantly among populations from different Asian countries. The perspectives, and the spectrum of symptom burden relating to reproductive aging in the Asian menopausal women are unique; an appreciation of these distinctions will allow for better tailoring of management paradigms to accommodate the diversified cultural, customary, and religious backgrounds and the socioeconomic disparities that exist among the various Asian populations.