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Standardized Cup Sizes
Breast Size 32aa
Celebrity example Mena Suvari
Breast Size 34A
Celebrity example Audrey Hepburn
Breast Size 36B
Celebrity example Claudia Schiffer
Breast Size 34C
Celebrity example Angelina Jolie
Breast Size 40D
Celebrity example Catherine Bell
Breast Size 40F
Celebrity Example Anna Nicole
Smith Breast Size EE
Celebrity Example Dolly Parton |
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Study suggests MPA is effective treatment for hot flashes
Study suggests MPA is effective treatment for hot flashes
March 01, 2006
Mayo Clinic researchers working with other North Central Cancer
Treatment Group (NCCTG) investigators have found that a single dose
of depomedroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) more effectively reduces
hot flashes than does the antidepressant venlafaxine (Effexor®).
Results of the study are available online in the Journal of
Clinical Oncology.
Hot flashes are a major problem for many women as they approach
menopause. Estrogen-based therapy had been the standard for many
years, resulting in an 80 to 90 percent reduction in hot flashes.
However, concerns about a link between estrogen and progesterone
combined therapy and an increased risk of breast cancer, heart
disease and/or cognitive dysfunction were reported in articles
about the "Women's Health Initiative" published in JAMA in 2002 and
2004, and have led to a search for alternate therapies.
Some newer antidepressants such as venlafaxine (Effexor®) and
some progestin-based drugs such as megestrol acetate (Megace®) or
MPA (Depo-ProveraTM) are non-estrogen ways of treating hot flashes.
No reports were published previously comparing the efficacy of the
newer antidepressants to hormone therapy for treating hot flashes.
Charles Loprinzi, M.D.
, Mayo Clinic oncologist and lead author of
the study, and his fellow researchers conducted this study to make
that comparison, hoping to identify the best available
alternative.
Patients were randomly selected to receive either 75 milligrams
of venlafaxine orally every day or one 400 milligram intramuscular
shot of MPA, and then report on hot flashes, potential side effects
and quality of life issues over a six-week period. The reduction in
hot flashes was significantly greater in the group receiving MPA
than the group receiving venlafaxine (79 percent versus 55 percent
reduction). The effectiveness of the single dose of MPA was similar
for cancer patients with or without tamoxifen therapy, and
treatment effectiveness also appeared be the same for women with or
without a history of breast cancer.
Although follow-up information is not available for all the
patients after six weeks, the collected data indicated that the
improved hot flash benefit appeared to last for at least six months
in some women following the single MPA dose. Almost three times as
many MPA patients still reported a 90 percent reduction in hot
flashes after six months, compared to those receiving
venlafaxine.
While both venlafaxine and MPA appear to be well tolerated, MPA
shows a distinct advantage in the early part of treatment, with the
patients receiving venlafaxine reporting more nausea, appetite
loss, dizziness, constipation, mouth dryness and sleepiness. One
shot of MPA also costs significantly less than a three-month supply
of venlafaxine.
The obvious benefits need to be weighed against the
uncertainty that exists with regard to MPA safety, in terms of risk
for breast cancer, says Dr. Loprinzi. "While there is some data to
suggest that MPA might slightly increase breast cancer risk, other
data suggest that MPA, when not given in combination with estrogen,
might decrease risk," he says. "Given that, MPA does provide a
treatment option that is reasonable for women to consider.
"
Mayo Clinic
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