Menopausal Disorders Blog

Menopause Often Means Worsening Cholesterol

Posted 3+ months ago by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Dec. 11 – Blood levels of LDL cholesterol, the bad kind that blocks arteries, go up sharply in women at the time of menopause, but there are no other dramatic changes in risk factors for heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular problems, a new study has found.

"This suggests that as women approach menopause, they need to have their lipid profiles checked," said Karen A. Matthews, a professor of psychiatry, epidemiology and psychology at the University of Pittsburgh and the study's lead author. A report on the findings is published in the Dec. 15/22 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, which is focused on prevention of cardiovascular disease. Read more...

Related support groups: Menopausal Disorders, Perimenopausal Symptoms, Postmenopausal Symptoms

Soybean Chemicals May Reduce Effects of Menopause

Posted 3+ months ago by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, April 9 – Chemicals in soybeans reduced the effects of menopause in rats, according to a Taiwanese study.

The researchers found that dietary supplementation with soy aglycons of isoflavone (SAI) – a group of chemicals found in soybeans – lowered cholesterol, boosted the anti-oxidative abilities of the liver, and prevented degeneration of the vaginal lining in female rats who'd had their ovaries removed. Read more...

Related support groups: Menopausal Disorders, Perimenopausal Symptoms, Postmenopausal Symptoms

Acupuncture May Not Help Hot Flashes

Posted 3+ months ago by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, April 7 – Acupuncture appears ineffective in treating menopause-related hot flashes, according to researchers who reviewed six randomized controlled studies that compared the effects of real acupuncture and sham acupuncture.

Only one of the studies found that acupuncture helped reduce the frequency and severity of hot flashes at four weeks follow-up after treatment.

The number of good randomized controlled trials is too small to draw any firm conclusion about whether acupuncture helps treat hot flashes, but the evidence from the studies suggests the treatment is ineffective, said lead researcher Dr. Myeong Soo Lee of the Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine in South Korea.

The review was published in the journal Climacteric. Read more...

Related support groups: Menopausal Disorders, Perimenopausal Symptoms, Postmenopausal Symptoms, Hot Flashes

Drop in Breast Cancer Rates Due to Drop in HRT Use

Posted 3+ months ago by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 4 – A new analysis shows that the drop in breast cancer cases that began in 2003 is indeed due to women stopping hormone replacement therapy (HRT) after a large, U.S. study showed surprisingly higher rates of heart problems and breast cancer among users of some kinds of HRT.

Some experts have suggested such a theory explains the trend, while others have said it might be related to changes in mammography use.

"If you stop hormones, the risk of breast cancer [associated with hormone use] rapidly declines," said Dr. Rowan Chlebowski, a medical oncologist at Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and lead author of the analysis in the Feb. 5 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Read more...

Related support groups: Activella, Adgyn Estro, Angeliq, Aranelle, Cenestin, Climara Pro, Estinyl, Menest, Ogen, Ortho-Prefest, Premphase, Menopausal Disorders, Prevention of Breast Cancer

2 Years of Hormone Use May Be 'Safe'

Posted 3+ months ago by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Feb. 3 – A potential two-year "safe period" for hormone replacement therapy has been identified by American Cancer Society epidemiologists, who also confirmed that using estrogen-plus-progesterone therapy increases the risk for both ductal and lobular breast cancer far more than taking estrogen alone.

The finding follows a report last month from the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada that women have been needlessly scared away from using hormone therapy during menopause.

Researchers for the U.S. study followed 68,369 postmenopausal women who were cancer-free when the study began in 1992. They were followed through mid-2005. Read more...

Related support groups: Activella, Adgyn Estro, Angeliq, Aranelle, Cenestin, Climara Pro, Estinyl, Menest, Ogen, Ortho-Prefest, Premphase, Menopausal Disorders, Perimenopausal Symptoms, Postmenopausal Symptoms, Prevention of Breast Cancer

FDA Medwatch Alert: Compounded Menopause Hormone Therapy Drugs

Posted 3+ months ago by Drugs.com

[Posted 01/10/2008] FDA informed healthcare professionals and patients that the Agency sent letters warning seven pharmacy operations that the claims they make about the safety and effectiveness of their so-called "bio-identical hormone replacement therapy," or "BHRT" products are unsupported by medical evidence, and are considered false and misleading by the agency. The pharmacy operations improperly claim that their drugs, which contain hormones such as estrogen, progesterone, and estriol (which is not a component of an FDA-approved drug and has not been proven safe and effective for any use) are superior to FDA-approved menopausal hormone therapy drugs and prevent or treat serious diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, stroke, and various forms of cancer. FDA is co Read more...

Related support groups: Menopausal Disorders, Perimenopausal Symptoms, Postmenopausal Symptoms