Case Study:
A 46-year-old, 230lb woman with a family history of breast cancer. She is up to date on yearly mammograms. She has a history of HTN. She complains of hot flushing, night sweats, and genitourinary symptoms. She had felt well until 1 month ago and she presented to her gynecologist for her annual gyn examination and to discuss her symptoms. She has a history of ASCUS about 5 years ago on her pap, other than that, Pap smears have been normal. Home medications are Norvasc 10mg qd and HCTZ 25mg qd. Her BP today is 150/90. She has regular monthly menstrual cycles. Her LMP was 1 month ago.
Assignment:
Post a description of your patient’s health needs from the patient case study you selected. Be specific. Then, explain the type of treatment regimen you would recommend for treating your patient, including specific medications. Be sure to justify your response. Explain a patient education strategy you might recommend for assisting your patient with the management of their health needs. Be specific and provide examples.
Women and Men Health
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course
Instructor’s Name
Date
Women and Men’s Health
The case study is about a 46-year old woman with a family history of breast cancer, who presented with hot flushing, night sweats, and genitourinary symptoms. The patient’s symptoms and her past medical history show that the patient is suffering from the premenopausal phase. The hot flashes and night sweat symptoms appear to be vasomotor symptoms of menopause (Roberts & Hickey, 2016). The patient needs both hormonal and non-hormonal therapy. Education regarding menopause of also a health need for the patient. Women who take hormone therapy have shown positive results.
Considering that the patient has a history of breast cancer and her menstrual cycle is still regular, hormone therapy might not be the best option for her. In that case, certain antidepressants such as SSRIs or SNRIs are recommended to help relieve the vasomotor symptoms of menopause (Kagan et al., 2019). More specifically, escitalopram is the first choice medication for menopausal symptoms. However, topical estrogen can also be used because it is safe for high-risk patients. The patient should benefit from healthy lifestyle modifications such as a healthy diet, physical activity, and stress control.
Educational strategy is also recommended to improve the health status of the patient. Education should increase the patient’s awareness of menopause. The patient may also be educated regarding medication adherence (Pickar & Baber, 2021). She should be able to understand the side effects of escitalopram, including drowsiness, headache, diarrhea, and others. Instructions regarding the use of estrogen and a healthy lifestyle are very important (Kagan et al., 2019). The patient should be able to practice healthy lifestyle modifications willingly even after treatment completion.
Reference
Kagan, R., Kellogg-Spadt, S., & Parish, S. J. (2019). Practical treatment considerations in the management of the genitourinary syndrome of menopause. Drugs & aging, 36(10), 897-908. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40266-019-00700-w
Pickar, J. H., & Baber, R. J. (2021). Managing the menopause: the question of evidence. Climacteric, 24:1, 1-2, DOI: 10.1080/13697137.2020.1826127
Roberts, H., & Hickey, M. (2016). Managing the menopause: An update. Maturitas, 86, 53-58. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2016.01.007