A Study by Duke University researchers published in the Obstetrics & Gynecology journal, found that having a hysterectomy increases the risk of an earlier menopause among younger women.
It confirms what many women, obstetricians and gynecologists have suspected for a long time now.
The researchers led by Patricia G. Moorman, PhD, MSPH, report that younger women who undergo hysterectomies face a nearly two-fold increase in the risk for developing menopause early.
The study is the largest analysis to track over time the actual hormonal impact of woman who had hysterectomies and compare them to women whose uteruses remained intact.
Nearly 900 women ages 30 to 47 were enrolled at two hospitals in Durham, N.C. (Duke University Hospital and Durham Regional Hospital) and followed up with blood tests and questionnaires over five years. 465 women (approx half the group), were healthy controls who had no surgery, whilst the remaining 406 women went through hysterectomies that spared at least one ovary.
The researchers found that 14.8 percent of women in the study who had hysterectomies experienced menopause over the course of the duration of the study, compared with only 8 percent in the group of women who had not had surgery.
The analysis carried out by the Duke’s researchers estimated that menopause occurred approximately two years earlier in the women who underwent hysterectomy.
Professor Moorman concluded that this could potentially change practice because women who are considering hysterectomy for fibroids or other problems may want to explore other treatment options for their condition if they know they may go through menopause earlier.
This just confirms my opinion that hysterectomies should really be the last resort when there are no other options left.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Does Menopause Make You More Susceptible To Diabetes?
No it does not. Menopause has little to no impact on whether women become more susceptible to diabetes, according to a unique study.
This is according to study lead author Catherine Kim, M.D., M.P.H., an associate professor of internal medicine and obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Michigan Health System, who conducted a national clinical trial of 1,237 women at high risk for diabetes, ages 40 to 65, menopause had no additional effect on risk for diabetes.
Postmenopausal women had no higher risk for diabetes whether they experienced natural menopause or had their ovaries removed.
The research is considered the only menopause study that specifically analyzed the impact of diabetes on women who had natural menopause and those who had their ovaries removed. Most other studies mixed them together or excluded one group.
Dr Kim says"Menopause is one of many small steps in aging and it doesn't mean women's health will be worse after going through this transition."
She says that menopause does not mean that menopausal women have a higher risk of diabetes and that lifestyle changes can be very effective in keeping them healthy.
This is according to study lead author Catherine Kim, M.D., M.P.H., an associate professor of internal medicine and obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Michigan Health System, who conducted a national clinical trial of 1,237 women at high risk for diabetes, ages 40 to 65, menopause had no additional effect on risk for diabetes.
Postmenopausal women had no higher risk for diabetes whether they experienced natural menopause or had their ovaries removed.
The research is considered the only menopause study that specifically analyzed the impact of diabetes on women who had natural menopause and those who had their ovaries removed. Most other studies mixed them together or excluded one group.
Dr Kim says"Menopause is one of many small steps in aging and it doesn't mean women's health will be worse after going through this transition."
She says that menopause does not mean that menopausal women have a higher risk of diabetes and that lifestyle changes can be very effective in keeping them healthy.
Tuesday, August 09, 2011
Menopause Is Not A Medical Problem
According to psychotherapist Sue Brayne, who presented her insights into the lived, felt experiences of women going through menopause in at the British Psychological Society Psychology of Women Section annual conference, menopause shouldn't be seen as a medical problem that needs fixing but as a life-affirming and normal process that women go through.
Little consideration is given to the psychological, emotional, and spiritual changes women go through in this stage of life and no matter how science attempts to 'cure' the menopause, evolution cannot be stopped. When a woman reaches her fifties, she will undergo immense changes. She has to face the death of fertility, the loss of her youth, and to accept that she is no longer able to attract the attention she once did.
I think deep down we all know this, but it is just simpler to use the menopause to explain the changes women face as ultimately the above issues cannot be solved by medication or supplements or any other quick fix, but by each individual woman on her own - not an easy process...
Little consideration is given to the psychological, emotional, and spiritual changes women go through in this stage of life and no matter how science attempts to 'cure' the menopause, evolution cannot be stopped. When a woman reaches her fifties, she will undergo immense changes. She has to face the death of fertility, the loss of her youth, and to accept that she is no longer able to attract the attention she once did.
I think deep down we all know this, but it is just simpler to use the menopause to explain the changes women face as ultimately the above issues cannot be solved by medication or supplements or any other quick fix, but by each individual woman on her own - not an easy process...
Friday, May 27, 2011
Menopausal Women Benefit From Green Tea and Tai Chi
According to Dr Chwan-Li Shen, Green Tea and Tai Chi enhance bone health and reduce inflammation in postmenopausal women.
Dr. Chwan-Li (Leslie) Shen is an associate professor and a researcher at the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women's Health at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and has conducted a study focused on postmenopausal women and investigating the potential for green tea to work synergistically with tai chi (an eastern fitness activity) in enhancing bone strength after the menopause.
She carried out a double-blind, placebo-controlled, intervention trial which involved 171 postmenopausal women with an average age of 57 years old, who had weak bones but not full-fledged osteoporosis.
The study lasted for 6 months, during which time blood and urine samples were collected and muscle strength assessed.
The results show that drinking about 4 to 6 cups of steeped green tea daily and doing tai chi, enhanced markers of bone health by the third and sixth month. A similar effect was found for muscle strength after six months. Participants taking tai chi classes also reported significant beneficial effects in quality of life in terms of improving their emotional and mental health.
What she found important was the substantial effect that both the green tea and tai chi had on biological markers of oxidative stress. Because oxidative stress is a main precursor to inflammation, this finding suggests that green tea and tai chi may help reduce the underlying etiology of not only osteoporosis, but other inflammatory diseases as well.
Dr. Shen and colleagues hope to soon complete a more long-term study utilizing more technically savvy measures of bone density.
In the meantime, I for one, will be enjoying my well earned cuppa green tea!
Dr. Chwan-Li (Leslie) Shen is an associate professor and a researcher at the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women's Health at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and has conducted a study focused on postmenopausal women and investigating the potential for green tea to work synergistically with tai chi (an eastern fitness activity) in enhancing bone strength after the menopause.
She carried out a double-blind, placebo-controlled, intervention trial which involved 171 postmenopausal women with an average age of 57 years old, who had weak bones but not full-fledged osteoporosis.
The study lasted for 6 months, during which time blood and urine samples were collected and muscle strength assessed.
The results show that drinking about 4 to 6 cups of steeped green tea daily and doing tai chi, enhanced markers of bone health by the third and sixth month. A similar effect was found for muscle strength after six months. Participants taking tai chi classes also reported significant beneficial effects in quality of life in terms of improving their emotional and mental health.
What she found important was the substantial effect that both the green tea and tai chi had on biological markers of oxidative stress. Because oxidative stress is a main precursor to inflammation, this finding suggests that green tea and tai chi may help reduce the underlying etiology of not only osteoporosis, but other inflammatory diseases as well.
Dr. Shen and colleagues hope to soon complete a more long-term study utilizing more technically savvy measures of bone density.
In the meantime, I for one, will be enjoying my well earned cuppa green tea!
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Does Menopause Trigger Hayfever?
Does menopause trigger hayfever? Whilst menopause does not trigger hayfever, some women do experience increased allergies as part of their menopause symptoms and this of course includes hayfever.
As women approach the menopause and their hormonal profile changes, some may begin to experience a heightened sensitivity to allergies that previously had only subtle effects, or new allergies might spring up seemingly out of nowhere.
The stress of menopause symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia and depression amongst others can leave you physically and mentally exhausted. This as well as the hormonal changes caused by the menopause can dramatically impair your immune system which in turn leaves you more susceptible to allergies including hayfever.
One trick I find that helps me with hayfever is to smear vaseline into the nostrils before being exposed to pollen etc. This traps the pollen before it has a chance to enter the body and for me, reduces their impact.
As women approach the menopause and their hormonal profile changes, some may begin to experience a heightened sensitivity to allergies that previously had only subtle effects, or new allergies might spring up seemingly out of nowhere.
The stress of menopause symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia and depression amongst others can leave you physically and mentally exhausted. This as well as the hormonal changes caused by the menopause can dramatically impair your immune system which in turn leaves you more susceptible to allergies including hayfever.
One trick I find that helps me with hayfever is to smear vaseline into the nostrils before being exposed to pollen etc. This traps the pollen before it has a chance to enter the body and for me, reduces their impact.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Hot Flashes Reduced by Picturing Images Associated With Coolness
A study by Baylor University study has shown that women going through the menopause who specifically pictured images associated with coolness during hypnotherapy had a dramatic decrease in hot flashes.
The results appear in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis.
"This is an interesting finding because it begins to shed light on what is it, specifically, about hypnotic relaxation therapy that reduces the hot flashes," said Dr. Gary Elkins, professor of psychology and neuroscience at Baylor's College of Arts and Sciences, who has conducted several studies on hypnotic relaxation therapy. "The finding may indicate that areas of the brain activated by imagery may be identical to those activated by actual perceived events. Consequently, it may be that while a woman suffering hot flashes imagines a cool place, she also feels cool rather than the heat of a hot flash."
So next time you feel a hot flash coming, picture yourself making a snowman surrounded by lots of wonderful, cooling snow!!
The results appear in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis.
"This is an interesting finding because it begins to shed light on what is it, specifically, about hypnotic relaxation therapy that reduces the hot flashes," said Dr. Gary Elkins, professor of psychology and neuroscience at Baylor's College of Arts and Sciences, who has conducted several studies on hypnotic relaxation therapy. "The finding may indicate that areas of the brain activated by imagery may be identical to those activated by actual perceived events. Consequently, it may be that while a woman suffering hot flashes imagines a cool place, she also feels cool rather than the heat of a hot flash."
So next time you feel a hot flash coming, picture yourself making a snowman surrounded by lots of wonderful, cooling snow!!
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