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.

Anthropologist's studies of childbirth bring new focus on women in evolution

Contrary to the TV sitcom where the wife experiencing strong labor pains screams at her husband to stay away from her, women rarely give birth alone.

18 Feb 2009

Guidance for evaluating menopause-like condition in girls and young women

A comprehensive plan to help health care professionals diagnose and treat primary ovarian insufficiency-a menopause-like condition affecting girls and young women that may occur years before normal menopause is expected-has been developed by a scientist at the National Institutes of Health.

5 Feb 2009

Fractures due to osteoporosis in seniors a signal for premature death

An Australian study has found that people over 60 years old who have had a fracture because of reduced bone density, or osteoporosis, face a higher risk of death over the next 5 to 10 years compared to the general population and those who experience additional fractures increase their risk of death further.

3 Feb 2009

Study identifies potential 'safe period' for hormone replacement use

A new study makes important new findings on the role of hormone use on the risk of breast cancer, confirming that the use of estrogen plus progesterone increases the risk of both ductal and lobular breast cancer far more than estrogen-only; suggesting a two-year 'safe' period for the use of estrogen and progesterone; and finding that the increased risk for ductal cancers observed in long-term past users of hormone replacement therapy drops off substantially two years after hormone use is stopped.

2 Feb 2009

Is rapid transition through menopause linked to earlier onset of heart disease?

An evaluation of 203 women as part of the multifaceted Los Angeles Atherosclerosis Study (LAAS) found that those who transitioned more quickly through menopause were at increased risk for a higher rate of progression of "preclinical atherosclerosis" - narrowing of arteries caused by the thickening of their walls.

29 Jan 2009

Genetic testing may not lead to demand for 'designer babies'

A new study by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center found a high desire for additional genetic testing among consumers for life altering and threatening medical conditions including mental retardation, blindness, deafness, cancer, heart disease, dwarfism and shortened lifespan from death by 5 years of age.

27 Jan 2009

Loss of sex drive after menopause affects health, quality of life

Women with low levels of sexual desire, often as a result of menopause, are more likely to be depressed and to suffer physical symptoms such as back pain and memory problems than women who report higher levels of desire, according to a new study by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals.

21 Jan 2009

Exercise after menopause lowers breast cancer risk

Several studies had previously suggested that regular physical exercise reduces the breast cancer risk of women.

19 Jan 2009

Obesity raises ovarian cancer risk

A new epidemiological study has found that among women who have never used menopausal hormone therapy, obese women are at an increased risk of developing ovarian cancer compared with women of normal weight. Published in the February 15, 2009 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the research indicates that obesity may contribute to the development of ovarian cancer through a hormonal mechanism.

14 Jan 2009

Question marks over herbal remedies for menopausal symptoms

There is no strong evidence either way for several herbal remedies commonly taken to relieve troublesome menopausal symptoms, concludes the January issue of the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin ( DTB ).

13 Jan 2009

HRT linked to brain shrinkage, but not lesions

Two new studies show that commonly prescribed forms of postmenopausal hormone therapy may slightly accelerate the loss of brain tissue in women 65 and older beyond what normally occurs with aging.

12 Jan 2009

Obesity may contribute to the development of ovarian cancer

5 Jan 2009

Researchers look at global endometrial ablation procedure for heavy menstrual bleeding

Experts estimate that 20 percent of women experience excessive or prolonged menstrual bleeding at some time during their lives, particularly as they approach menopause.

5 Jan 2009

Bionovo publishes discoveries in predictable tissue selectivity for selective estrogen receptor modulators platform

Bionovo, Inc. has announced results describing predictable estrogen regulatory elements that can be used to identify estrogenic drugs that are safer.

5 Jan 2009

Study links obesity to elevated risk of ovarian cancer

5 Jan 2009

Fruits, vegetables and fiber may cut risk of breast cancer recurrence in women without hot flashes

A secondary analysis of a large, multicenter clinical trial has shown that a diet loaded with fruits, vegetables and fiber and somewhat lower in fat compared to standard federal dietary recommendations cuts the risk of recurrence in a subgroup of early-stage breast cancer survivors - women who didn't have hot flashes - by approximately 31 percent.

15 Dec 2008