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.

Are hormone therapy drugs safe?

The history of hormone therapy drugs – once thought of as almost magic pills to keep women healthy, vital and young – shows why it is so important to conduct research studies to identify the risks and benefits of drugs, say researchers from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

17 Feb 2005

Changing chemistry helps explain estrogen threat to the heart

A piece of the topical puzzle of how estrogen goes from protecting women from heart disease to apparently increasing their risk later in life may have been found.

16 Feb 2005

Premenstrual exacerbation of depression common

Virginia Commonwealth University mental health experts have found that women with depression commonly report fluctuations in their symptoms across the menstrual cycle — a key factor that may help physicians better evaluate and treat depressed women.

30 Jan 2005

The role body fat plays in determining one's risk of chronic diseases

As the prevalence of obesity in America approaches epidemic proportions, researchers are scrambling to learn more about how the body stores fat, how fat tissues affect body systems and the role body fat plays in determining one's risk of chronic diseases.

27 Jan 2005

10 million Americans have osteoporosis, and another 18 million have low bone mass

According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, 10 million Americans have osteoporosis, and another 18 million have low bone mass, making them at risk for osteoporosis. Often referred to as the silent disease because it develops slowly over a number of years without symptoms, osteoporosis is characterized by a gradual weakening of the bones due to bone loss, which can lead to fractures.

20 Jan 2005

More data needed on what's effective for hot flashes

A University of Michigan expert on menopause says a new study that indicates placebos work as well as antidepressant drugs to help hot flashes shows how much more research is needed about what gives patients relief.

17 Jan 2005

Testosterone has both a physiological and a psychological impact on women’s sexuality

A recently published dissertation from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows that testosterone has both a physiological and a psychological impact on women’s sexuality.

23 Nov 2004

New findings have implications for chronic use of COX-2 Inhibitors in pre-menopausal women

Heart disease is less pronounced in women than in men as humans age, but this difference narrows after menopause. Some studies have shown that estrogen slows heart disease in mouse models, but the mechanism is largely unknown.

18 Nov 2004

Five advanced tests provide answers to couples with unexplained infertility

For couples struggling with infertility, "all routine tests came back negative" are not the words they want to hear. With up to 15% of couples with "unexplained infertility" and another 3% struggling with recurrent pregnancy loss, advanced tests help doctors find answers for their most challenging cases.

16 Nov 2004

Pfizer licenses drug from University of Rochester for treatment of hot flashes

The University of Rochester has signed a license agreement with Pfizer which will allow Pfizer to market a specific class of non-hormonal drugs for the treatment of hot flashes associated with menopause.

4 Nov 2004

Prolonged breastfeeding helps prevent rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), an inflammatory disease of the immune system, is between two and four times more likely to strike women than men.

4 Nov 2004

Reproductive hormones have effects on all of these stages of brain growth and development

Scientists are now uncovering increasing evidence that the brain not only responds to hormones produced by the reproductive system, but that these hormones-the so-called "female hormones," estrogen and progestin, and the "male" androgens, such as testosterone-play an important role in the development of differences between male and female brains.

2 Nov 2004

Hormone therapy findings suggest a complex relationship between marketing, scientific evidence and prescribing patterns

Pharmaceutical companies slashed their promotional spending for hormone therapies by more than a third following reports in July 2002 of health risks associated with the drugs, but within the year they beefed up their marketing efforts to promote lower-dose forms of the medications

1 Nov 2004

New insights into hormone therapy show when estrogen best aids brain

New hormone therapy studies demonstrate estrogen's ability to directly stimulate neurons, repair damaged neurons, and stimulate support cells—most of which can alleviate some of the cognitive decline associated with menopause.

28 Oct 2004

Understanding the impact of breast cancer beyond treatment

Monash University and the Jean Hailes Foundation are assessing the key physical and emotional issues faced by women following breast cancer diagnosis and treatment as part of a five-year study.

26 Oct 2004

Can traditional Chinese medicine relieve symptoms of menopause

A woman experiencing the odd hot flush when glimpsing Brad Pitt decked out in his 'Troy' gear might be normal, but uncontrolled flushing because of menopause usually isn't so welcome.

25 Oct 2004

Europe has one of the highest incidence rates of ovarian cancer in the world

A new large-scale study of ovarian cancer trends found that while it is declining in most northern European countries, it is increasing in a few southern and eastern European countries.

25 Oct 2004

Estrogen treatment had less beneficial effect on memory in active female mice

Estrogen treatment had less beneficial effect on memory in female mice that raced on running wheels and played with other toys than in mice raised in non-stimulating environments, according to a Yale study published this month.

22 Oct 2004

Tamoxifen use for the treatment of breast cancer is not associated with an increased risk of stroke

Tamoxifen use for the treatment of breast cancer is not associated with an increased risk of stroke, according to a new study in the October 20 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. However, chemotherapy use is associated with an increased risk of stroke, regardless of tamoxifen use.

21 Oct 2004

Leading endocrinologist supports RMIT menopause research

Leading endocrinologist Dr Helena Teede has joined the research team of an RMIT University study that might shed light on the treatment of menopausal symptoms using herbal medicines.

21 Oct 2004