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That could explain why emotional well-being and romantic relationships were ranked as the two areas most affected by menopause symptoms, ahead of professional life, said Dr.

James Simon, a gynecologist and menopause specialist at George Washington University in Washington, who helped design the survey questionnaire.

Earlier studies examined how menopause affects women in general, Simon said, but "a generation ago, there weren't enough female executives" to do a survey of that group.

He said menopause symptoms may be more prevalent because of the growing obesity problem.

"Fatter women are more likely to have hot flashes than thinner women," he explained.

Simon said he was not compensated for the survey by Barr Laboratories of Woodcliff Lake, N.J.

The company makes Cenestin, a synthetic, plantderived prescription drug for menopause symptoms.

The survey was conducted online by pollster Harris Interactive in February.

The results will be reported this week in San Diego at the annual meeting of the North American Menopause Society, a doctors group.

Simon is the group's immediate past president.

Impacts women's ability to work Amy Niles, president of the National Women's Health Resource Center in Red Bank, N.J., said past educational campaigns about menopause have not targeted women in the work force.

They are more lik...

The new results for estrogen-only pills echo previous data from the same study showing estrogen-progestin had little effect on older women's overall well-being and quality of life.

The 10,739 women in the latest study, which appeared in Monday's Archives of Internal Medicine, had all had hysterectomies.

In both groups, fewer than 3 percent reported poor quality of life and scores for 40 percent were in the excellent range after a year.

Dr.

Julia Johnson, vice chairman of gynecology at the University of Vermont, noted that the women were about 10 years past the age when troublesome symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats, which can affect quality of life, are most likely to occur.

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The new results for estrogen-only pills echo previous data from the same study showing estrogen-progestin had little effect on older women's overall well-being and quality of life.

The 10,739 women in the latest study, which appeared in yesterday's Archives of Internal Medicine, had all had hysterectomies.

In both groups, fewer than 3 percent reported poor quality of life and scores for 40 percent were in the excellent range after a year.

Several doctors said the conclusions cannot be generalized to apply to younger women who have had hysterectomies.

Dr.

Julia Johnson, vice chairman of gynecology at the University of Vermont, noted that the women were about 10 years past the age when troublesome symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats — which can affect quality of life — are most likely to occur.

"Using this study to look at quality of life is sort of like comparing apples and oranges," said Johnson, who was not involved in the study.

Dr.

Ginger Constantine of Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, which makes University of Nevada researcher Robert Brunner, the study's lead author, said that estrogen pil...