Avis N E, McKinlay S M
New England Research Institutes, Watertown, Massachusetts, USA.
J Am Med Womens Assoc (1972). 1995 Mar-Apr;50(2):45-9, 63.
This paper presents findings from the Massachusetts Women's Health Study (MWHS), one of the largest population-based studies of mid-aged women. A longitudinal study that followed a population-based cohort of women as they proceeded through menopause, the MWHS's goal was to describe their responses and to identify health-related, life-style, and other social factors that affect this transition. Findings indicate that natural menopause appears to have no major impact on health or health behavior. The majority of women do not seek additional help concerning menopause, and their attitudes toward it are, overwhelmingly, positive or neutral. Physicians treating mid-aged women must be careful not to confuse "menopausal" symptoms with indicators of underlying disease or conditions unrelated to menopause.
本文介绍了马萨诸塞州女性健康研究（MWHS）的研究结果，该研究是针对中年女性开展的规模最大的基于人群的研究之一。MWHS是一项纵向研究，跟踪了一组基于人群的女性经历更年期的过程，其目标是描述她们的反应，并确定影响这一转变的健康相关、生活方式及其他社会因素。研究结果表明，自然绝经似乎对健康或健康行为没有重大影响。大多数女性不会就更年期寻求额外帮助，而且她们对更年期的态度绝大多数是积极或中立的。治疗中年女性的医生必须注意，不要将“更年期”症状与潜在疾病或与更年期无关的病症指标相混淆。
