Menopause News and Research

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Menopause is the time in a woman's life when her period stops. It usually occurs naturally, most often after age 45. Menopause happens because the woman's ovary stops producing the hormones estrogen and progesterone.

Judge declares mistrial in case against Wyeth's Prempro

A judge in a Pennsylvania state court in Philadelphia on Wednesday declared a mistrial in a case in which a jury ruled that the use of Wyeth's combination hormone replacement therapy Prempro in part caused breast cancer to develop in a 66-year-old woman, the Wall Street Journal reports.

16 Oct 2006

Use of unapproved drugs in the U.S.

USA Today on Monday looked at the use of unapproved drugs in the U.S., including some that are used to treat menopause symptoms (Rubin, USA Today, 9/18).

20 Sep 2006

Jury dismisses lawsuit against Wyeth in first Pempro case

A jury in a U.S. District Court in Little Rock, Ark., on Friday dismissed negligence charges in the first of about 5,000 lawsuits filed over Prempro, a combination hormone replacement therapy manufactured by Wyeth, and found the drug's design was not defective, Reuters reports.

20 Sep 2006

Raloxifene reduces breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women

Raloxifene protects postmenopausal women from developing invasive breast cancer whether they are at high or low risk of developing the disease, according to a new study.

13 Sep 2006

Thyroid cancer among women in the U.S. has increased

The number of new cases of thyroid cancer among women in the U.S. has increased over the past decade despite a decline among women in mortality rates for most cancers, according to a report released Wednesday by the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries, the National Cancer Institute, CDC and the American Cancer Society, Long Island Newsday reports.

7 Sep 2006

Hearing loss in older women linked to hormone replacement therapy

Researchers in the U.S. are suggesting that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may possibly exacerbate hearing deficits in women who take it following the menopause.

5 Sep 2006

Bone protection by estrens occurs through non-tissue-selective activation of the androgen receptor

A new study appearing in the September issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation indicates that caution might be needed if a new group of drugs known as estrens are to be developed for the treatment of osteoporosis.

4 Sep 2006

Is psychotherapy the answer for menopause?

During peri- and postmenopause there is a high prevalence of psychological symptoms such as emotional instability, depressive moods, anxiety, sleep disorders, and sexual dysfunction.

1 Sep 2006

Obesity affects survival odds for ovarian cancer

According to research in the U.S. obese women get more aggressive ovarian cancers, have a shorter time before the cancer recurs and a shorter survival compared to women who are not obese.

29 Aug 2006

Women's Health Network petitions FDA to halt sales of estrogen, testosterone combination treatments

The National Women's Health Network has petitioned FDA to stop sales of Solvay's Estratest and Breckenridge Pharmaceuticals' Syntest, which are estrogen-testosterone combination therapies used to treat menopause-associated hot flashes, until they are proven safe and effective, Reuters reports.

24 Aug 2006

Low testosterone in men over 40 linked to early death

According to a new study, after the age of forty, men with low levels of the male sex hormone testosterone may have a higher risk of death over a four-year period than those with normal levels of the hormone.

15 Aug 2006

Insufficient evidence exists to support the use of complementary and alternative therapies to relieve menopause

Complementary and alternative therapies show little benefit in treating menopause symptoms.

25 Jul 2006

Estrogen and testosterone combination to treat menopause may increase risk of breast cancer

Women who take a combination of estrogen and testosterone to treat the symptoms of menopause may have an increased risk of breast cancer, according to an article in the July 24 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

25 Jul 2006

New natural contraceptive pill being trialled

University of Adelaide researchers, together with the Adelaide Hormone and Menopause Centre, are trialling a new natural contraceptive pill alternative.

24 Jul 2006

Exercise improves physical health, quality of life for breast cancer survivors

Researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have found that exercise decreases pain and helps breast cancer survivors feel healthier and increase participation in daily activities.

18 Jul 2006

Weight gain, particularly after menopause, is associated with increased risk of breast cancer

Weight loss after menopause lowers circulating estrogen hormones in women, and because estrogen is directly related to breast cancer, weight loss is thought to decrease risk of breast cancer.

12 Jul 2006

Women with mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes can reduce cancer risk by having ovaries removed

Women with mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes can significantly reduce their risk of certain types of cancer by having their ovaries removed, according to a study in the July 12 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association.

12 Jul 2006

Early menopause on the cards for childhood cancer survivors

In a new study researchers have found that girls who survive childhood cancer are more likely to experience an early menopause when they mature than other women.

6 Jul 2006

Study shows eggs survive in older ovaries

In research that could have broad implications for women's fertility treatments, scientists have found that despite their age, female mice have a renewable egg supply in their ovaries.

5 Jul 2006

Women who survive childhood cancer are more likely to suffer premature menopause

Women who survive childhood cancer are more likely to suffer premature menopause, according to a study in the July 5 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

4 Jul 2006