Menopause Can Cause Temporary Loss of Memory and Learning Ability

A new study has revealed that women going through the menopause do suffer from temporary loss of memory and learning ability.

For a four-year period, researchers studied 2,362 women, who were between the ages of 42 and 52 had at least one menstrual period in the three months before the study started.

This is the largest study of its kind to date and has been published in the May 26, 2009 issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

The women were given three tests:
* verbal memory
* working memory
* a test that measured the speed at which they processed information.

Scientists tested the women throughout four stages of the menopause transition:
- premenopausal (no change in menstrual periods)
- early perimenopausal (menstrual irregularity but no "gaps" of 3 months)
- late perimenopausal (having no period for three to 11 months)
- postmenopausal (no period for 12 months).

The study found that processing speed improved with repeated testing during premenopause, early perimenopause and postmenopause, but that scores during late perimenopause did not show the same degree of improvement.

Hot Flashes Could Mean Low Bone Mineral Density.

Premenopausal women, perimenopausal women and postmenopausal women who suffer from hot flashes and night sweats, were found to have lower femoral neck (the large bone in the thigh that attaches to the pelvis) bone mineral density, than those who don't.

This is according to Researchers at the University of California, who analyzed data for 2,213 women between the ages of 42-52 who participated in the bone sub-study of the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation.

The study, which was published in the journal Menopause also noted that postmenopausal women with hot flashes and night sweats had lower lumbar and total hip bone mineral density.

'Female Viagra'?

When a testosterone patch for women was launched in 2007, it was hailed by the media as the 'female Viagra'. It aimed to boost the libido or sex drive of women who'd had their menopause brought on by a hysterectomy. But now, an independent drug guide has recommended that women avoid the patches, saying that the benefits are limited and the long-term safety uncertain.

An independent medicine guide has reviewed the research on testosterone patches for women, and says they shouldn't be recommended to treat a low libido. Although the research shows some benefits for carefully selected women, the improvement is small, with dummy patches working almost as well. Short-term side effects from testosterone patches are common, and the long-term safety is unknown.

The report also points out that the diagnosis of low sexual desire is subjective and can involve several factors, including relationships and lifestyle.

Source: Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin, published by the BMJ Group.

How To Prevent a Stroke - One Minute Video

Post menopausal women have an increased risk of stroke, so please watch this one minute video.

This video has been produced by the National Health Service and is currently being shown on British TV.
It is aimed at helping people to recognise the first signs of stroke, and act FAST to save lives and reduce the damage caused.

Does HRT Shrink Women's Brains?

According to a US study led by researchers at Wake Forest University, two key areas of the brain involved in thinking and memory were smaller in women who had taken HRT than in those who had been given a "dummy" placebo pill.

These findings may explain previous studies linking HRT to dementia and an increased risk of memory loss.

The big flaw in this study was that the researchers admitted that they they were unable to take brain scans of the women before they began takin HRT.

So in actual fact the brain shrinkage could have occured before these women began taking HRT.

Yet again a big broo ha ha about nothing as this doesn't prove anything.
More studies would have to be done before any conclusions about brain shrinkage and HRT can be made.