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Menopausal Disorders Blog

Related terms: Change of Life, Menopause

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Estrogen Won't Make Women Sharper After Menopause, Study Finds

Posted 12 days ago by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Nov. 25 – Low levels of the hormone estrogen are not to blame for mood swings and poor memory after menopause, a new study suggests. Based on this finding, the researchers believe there's no reason to use hormone replacement therapy to boost mental well-being after periods stop. "These study findings provide further evidence that a woman's decision about hormone therapy use during early postmenopause should be made independently of considerations about thinking abilities," said lead researcher Dr. Victor Henderson, a professor of neurology and neurological science at Stanford University in California. However, while estrogen wasn't tied to any mental benefits, the study found that another hormone – progesterone – might affect thinking ability in younger women. But this could be a chance finding and merits further investigation, according to the report, published online Nov. ... Read more

Related support groups: Menopausal Disorders

FDA Approves Brisdelle - First Non-Hormonal Treatment for Hot Flashes Associated with Menopause

Posted 30 Jun 2013 by Drugs.com

June 28, 2013 --The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Brisdelle (paroxetine) to treat moderate to severe hot flashes (vasomotor symptoms) associated with menopause. Brisdelle, which contains the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor paroxetine mesylate, is currently the only non-hormonal treatment for hot flashes approved by the FDA. There are a variety of FDA-approved treatments for hot flashes, but all contain either estrogen alone or estrogen plus a progestin. Hot flashes associated with menopause occur in up to 75 percent of women and can persist for up to five years, or even longer in some women. Hot flashes are not life-threatening, but the symptoms can be very bothersome, causing discomfort, embarrassment and disruption of sleep. “There are a significant number of women who suffer from hot flashes associated with menopause and who cannot or do not want to u ... Read more

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

Is Menopause Overlooked in U.S. Medical Schools?

Posted 17 May 2013 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, May 17 – Too few obstetrics-gynecology residents in the United States receive formal training about menopause, which could lead to care issues for the rapidly growing number of older American women, a new study finds. Researchers surveyed 510 ob/gyn residents and found that fewer than one in five had received formal training in menopause medicine, even though seven in 10 would like to receive it. Forty percent to 60 percent of fourth-year residents – those soon to complete their training – said they need to improve their knowledge about menopause. Some ob/gyn residency programs don't offer any formal curriculum or clinical experience focused on women's pre- and post-menopausal health, according to the study, published online recently in the journal Menopause. "It's clear from the results that the residents who responded admit that their knowledge and clinical management ... Read more

Health Tip: Manage Menopause

Posted 13 May 2013 by Drugs.com

-- The onset of menopause brings many physical and emotional changes, and common symptoms from hot flashes to weight gain. Womenshealth.gov offers these recommendations to help minimize menopausal symptoms: Eat a balanced, nutritious diet, making an effort to limit caffeine and alcohol. Quit smoking. Get plenty of regular exercise to help strengthen bones, lose weight, boost mood and help you sleep. Practice regular stress management techniques, such as yoga or meditation. Lose any excess weight. Read more

Survey Tallies Menopause Symptoms' Toll

Posted 1 Mar 2013 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, March 1 – Women who suffer severe hot flashes during menopause may be less productive on the job and have a lower quality of life, a new study suggests. The study, by researchers from the drug maker Pfizer, Inc., is based on a survey of nearly 3,300 U.S. women aged 40 to 75. Overall, women who reported severe hot flashes and night sweats had a dimmer view of their well-being. They also were more likely than women with milder symptoms to say the problem hindered them at work. The cost of that lost work productivity averaged more than $6,500 over a year, the researchers estimated. On top of that, they said, women with severe hot flashes spent more on doctor visits – averaging almost $1,000 in menopause-related appointments. Pfizer researcher Jennifer Whiteley and her colleagues reported the results online Feb. 11 in the journal Menopause. It's not surprising that women with ... Read more

Breast Cancer Gene May Be Tied to Early Menopause

Posted 29 Jan 2013 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Jan. 29 – Women with the BRCA gene, who are already at greater risk for breast and ovarian cancer, may also be at increased risk for early menopause, according to a new study. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco found a harmful mutation in the BRCA gene may give women fewer childbearing years and may also increase their risk of infertility. And heavy smokers who carry the mutation may go through menopause even earlier than non-smoking women with the mutation. The researchers suggested that women with the BRCA mutation consider having children at a younger age. They noted that doctors should encourage their patients who carry this mutation to get fertility counseling in addition to their other medical treatments. "Our findings show that mutation of these genes has been linked to early menopause, which may lead to a higher incidence of infertility," study ... Read more

Related support groups: Breast Cancer, Menopausal Disorders

Menopause Can Bring Lapses in Memory, Thinking, Study Finds

Posted 7 Jan 2013 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Jan. 7 – Women going through menopause sometimes feel they are off their mental game, forgetting phone numbers and passwords, or struggling to find a particular word. It can be frustrating, disconcerting and worrisome, but a small new study helps to explain the struggle. Researchers found that women in the first year after menopause perform slightly worse on certain mental tests than do those who are approaching their post-reproductive years. "This study shows, as have others, that there are cognitive [mental] declines that are real, statistically significant and clinically significant," said study author Miriam Weber, an assistant professor in the department of neurology at the University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y. "These are subtle declines in performance, so women aren't becoming globally impaired and unable to function. But you notice it on a daily basis." The study is ... Read more

Hypnosis May Ease Hot Flashes in Postmenopausal Women

Posted 1 Nov 2012 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Nov. 1 – Hypnosis may help reduce hot flashes in postmenopausal women, cutting down their frequency as much as 74 percent, researchers say. Hot flashes affect about 80 percent of women as they go through menopause. The sudden rush of heat can be followed by chills and can reduce quality of life. Researcher Gary Elkins, director of the Mind-Body Medicine Research Laboratory at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, assigned 187 women who had at least seven hot flashes daily to either five weekly sessions of clinical hypnosis with at-home practice or a comparison treatment called structured attention. Women self-reported their hot flashes for 12 weeks, and the researchers also measured hot flash frequency by a skin conductance monitor. "Our results indicated both a reduction in perceived hot flashes and physiologically verified reduction in hot flashes over three months," Elkins ... Read more

Hormone Replacement Therapy: Safe or Not?

Posted 24 Oct 2012 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 24 – Is hormone replacement therapy safe or not? It has taken a decade of research to arrive at a conclusion that is far from definitive: The evidence suggests it may help in the short term to manage hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause in some younger, healthy women. But, taking it for long periods of time or later in menopause to help prevent certain chronic diseases isn't recommended. On Monday, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force once again backed the idea that long-term use later in menopause is unwise when it released recommendations that said the increased health risks outweighed the benefits of using the treatment in that medical scenario. That was not always the prevailing view in the medical community, however. For years, it was common for women suffering from hot flashes, night sweats and other life-disrupting symptoms of menopause to go on hormone ... Read more

Menopause Won't Spur Weight Gain, But May Boost Belly Fat: Review

Posted 18 Oct 2012 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Oct. 18 – Menopause does not cause weight gain, but it does increase belly fat, according to a new study. "It is a myth that the menopause causes a woman to gain weight. It's really just a consequence of environmental factors and aging that cause that," study leader Susan Davis, a professor at Monash University in Australia, said in an International Menopause Society news release. "But there is no doubt that the new spare tire many women complain of after menopause is real, and not a consequence of any changes they have made," Davis said. "Rather, this is the body's response to the fall in estrogen at menopause – a shift of fat storage from the hips to the waist." Davis and her colleagues reviewed available scientific findings on the issue, and their findings appear in the October issue of the journal Climacteric. The review was conducted by the International Menopause ... Read more

Related support groups: Menopausal Disorders

Early Menopause May Double Heart Disease Risk, Study Says

Posted 19 Sep 2012 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 19 – Women who experience early menopause may face double the risk of heart disease and stroke, according to a new study. This increased risk is true across different ethnic backgrounds and is independent of traditional heart disease and stroke risk factors, the researchers said. The study included more than 2,500 women, aged 45 to 84, who were followed for between six and eight years. Twenty-eight percent of the women reported early menopause, which occurs before the age of 46. Women with early menopause had twice the risk of heart disease and stroke compared to other women. The overall number of women in the study who suffered heart attacks (50) and strokes (37) was small, however, the researchers noted. When a woman's periods have stopped for a year, she has reached menopause. The study – which found an association between early menopause and heart risk, but not a ... Read more

Early Menopause Tied to Osteoporosis in 29-Year Study

Posted 25 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, April 25 – Women who go through menopause early are almost twice as likely to have the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis later in life, new research indicates. In addition, researchers from the Skane University Hospital in Malmo, Sweden, noted that these women are also at greater risk for fracture and an increased death rate. For the study, the researchers recruited 390 white women from northern Europe in 1977. The women, who were 48 years old at that time, were divided into two groups: those who went through menopause before the age of 47; and those who started menopause at age 47 or later. The women were followed for roughly three decades. All of the women had their bone mineral density measured. After 29 years, only 198 women remained in the study due to deaths, relocation or lack of participation. By this point, the women were 77 years old. The researchers re-measured ... Read more

Study Suggests Mental 'Fog' of Menopause Is Real

Posted 20 Mar 2012 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, March 20 – The memory blips and distractible moments that women say they experience during menopause may be as real as the hot flashes and poor sleep, a new study suggests. Researchers gave women who said they were experiencing "menopause fog" a series of cognitive tests to see how well their abilities matched their complaints. Sure enough, the women who felt they had more memory problems were also the ones who did not keep track of information or maintain their focus as well. "The main point of this study is that women are really good monitors. If a woman says, 'I'm having memory problems,' she probably is," said study co-author Pauline Maki, director of Women's Mental Health Research in the department of psychiatry at University of Illinois at Chicago. On the other hand, people with age-related mental decline do not usually identify the problem, suggesting the memory issues ... Read more

Factors Linked to Age of Onset of Menopause Identified

Posted 26 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Jan. 26 – New genetic factors associated with a woman's age when she begins menopause have been identified by an international team of researchers. Researchers identified 13 loci (specific location of a gene on a chromosome) linked with immune function and DNA repair, which have an effect on when menopause begins, said the researchers from the Boston University Schools of Public Health and Medicine and colleagues. They also confirmed four previously established loci. For most women, menopause – the term for the end of reproductive function of the ovaries – occurs in the early 50s. The study was published online Jan. 22 in the journal Nature Genetics. Most previous studies examining age of onset of menopause have zeroed in on genes associated with the estrogen-production pathway or vascular components, the researchers said. "Our findings demonstrate the role of genes which ... Read more

Caffeine May Alter Women's Estrogen Levels

Posted 26 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Jan. 26 – Caffeine changes women's estrogen levels and has different effects in Asian and white women, a new study says. More than 250 women, ages 18 to 44, took part in the study between 2005 and 2007. On average, they consumed 90 milligrams of caffeine a day, about the equivalent of one cup of caffeinated coffee. Estrogen is the reproductive hormone produced by the ovaries. Asian women who consumed an average of 200 milligrams or more of caffeine a day (equivalent to about two cups of coffee) had elevated estrogen levels compared to women who consumed less. But white women who consumed the same amount of caffeine had slightly lower estrogen levels than women who consumed less. Black women who consumed 200 or more milligrams of caffeine daily had elevated estrogen levels, but this finding was not statistically significant, said the U.S. National Institutes of Health ... Read more

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