Tag: menopause

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Changes in Carotid Artery During Menopausal Transition May Predispose Women to Higher Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

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Substantial changes in the diameter and thickness of a section of carotid artery in perimenopausal women may indicate a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in women, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health.

Epidemiologists studied 249 women aged 42 to 52 from the Pittsburgh site of the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN) observational study. Each participant was given up to five ultrasound scans during transitional phases of menopause to measure the thickness and diameter of a section of the carotid artery. Researchers noted significant increases in the average thickness (0.017 mm per year) and diameter (0.024 mm per year) of the carotid artery during the late perimenopausal stage, the period of time when menstruation ceases for more than three consecutive months. These increases were significantly higher than those found in the premenopausal stage. Read full article.

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Soy: No effect on menopausal hot flashes

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(Medical Xpress)—A team of investigators led by UC Davis found that eating soy products such as soy milk and tofu did not prevent the onset of hot flashes and night sweats as women entered menopause.

Unlike previous studies investigating the relationship between soy and these menopausal symptoms, the current study included a very large population over a long period of time: more than 1,600 women over 10 years. The article, titled “Phytoestrogen and Fiber Intakes in Relation to Incident Vasomotor Symptoms: Results from the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation,” was published online today in Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society and will appear in the March 2013 print issue of the journal. Read full article.

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Hormone Therapy May Cut Alzheimer’s Risk in Menopausal Women

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CHICAGO (Reuters) – The latest data from a long-running study of hormone therapy suggests women who started taking hormone replacements within five years of menopause were 30 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than women who started years later.

The findings, reported on Wednesday in the journal Neurology, add to evidence suggesting that taking hormone treatments around the time of menopause may be doing more than just helping women cope with hot flashes and night sweats. Read full article.

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Hormone Therapy Not Recommended for Disease Prevention: U.S. Panel

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(Reuters) – The risks of taking hormone therapy to prevent heart disease and osteoporosis in post menopausal women far outweigh the benefits and such treatment is not recommended, according to new guidelines from an influential panel of U.S. health advisers.

The guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, published on Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine, reaffirm the group’s 2005 guidelines recommending against the treatment.

They apply only to hormone therapy for prevention of chronic disease. They do not apply to the use of hormones to treat symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes or vaginal dryness, or to women under age 50 who have had a hysterectomy.

“Our recommendation is the same as it was for 2005,” said Dr. Kirstin Bibbins-Domingo, a researcher and internist at the University of California San Francisco and a member of the task force. Read full article.

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Make-up Triggers Early Menopause

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CHEMICALS found in make-up, hairspray and food packaging are causing women to hit menopause early, researchers warn. Those exposed to high doses have been found to go through the change almost two and a half years before other women.

And in some cases, these chemicals may be causing women to stop having periods 15 years too soon, say scientists. Read full article.

 

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Menopause Does Not Result in Weight Gain; It Increases Belly Fat

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Menopause does not result in weight gain among women, however, hormonal adjustments are linked to a difference in fat distribution, which increases belly fat, according to a recent study that has been released by the International Menopause Society in light of the upcoming World Menopause Day on October 18th.

The new trial, published in Climacteric, is a comprehensive, scientifically based report on weight gain when a woman reaches menopause. Read full article.

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Hormone Therapy Safe in Early Menopause

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Researchers in Denmark have become the first to offer statistical proof that hormone therapy is not only safe for menopausal women who begin it early — it actually reduces their risk of mortality, heart attack and heart failure.

The 16-year randomized study of about a thousand women offers new proof that the “timing hypothesis,” which suggests that hormone therapy protects women from heart disease if they start it soon after their last menstrual period, is correct. Researchers also saw no difference in breast cancer risk between those who were assigned the hormone therapy and those who were not. Read full article. 

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ASRM Statement on New Study on Hormone Therapy for Menopausal Women

ASRM News and Research

In the WHI study, women were in their 60´s when they began taking hormones, in this study, the average age of the women was only 50 when they first began using HT. This study much more closely resembles the use of HT in clinical practice. Data from WHI in women aged 50-59 also showed that women receiving estrogen alone had a significantly reduced rate of CVD and a reduced mortality in the 11 year follow-up.

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Hysterectomy with Ovary Removal Tied to Weight Gain

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Women who have their ovaries and uterus removed – to treat fibroids, for example – tend to gain more weight in the years afterward than those who only have their uterus taken out or don’t have surgery at all, a new study hints.

The findings suggest that surgery to remove the uterus, called a hysterectomy, doesn’t have much effect on weight on its own – contrary to what many women may believe, according to Patricia Moorman, a women’s health researcher at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina. Read full article.

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Hormone Therapy in Early Menopause May Benefit Some Women: Study

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WEDNESDAY, Oct. 3 (HealthDay News) — New research suggests that hormone replacement therapy, used to relieve hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause, might be safe for younger menopausal women when taken in smaller doses for short periods of time.

Women have shied away from this type of therapy since the landmark Women’s Health Initiative study found elevated risks of breast cancer, heart disease and other health problems among women taking estrogen plus progestin, a synthetic form of progesterone. That study was halted early because of the results, published in 2002. Read full article.