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MenopauseRx News & Events Blog


Welcome, we've created this blog in an effort to help share relevant health related topics for women. Please feel free to comment on any of the articles located below. You may also search for topics that are important to you by using the category listing and search field found on your right.

Caregiver Village, an online community….

October 22nd, 2011 No comments

At Caregiver Village, we’re here to serve the needs and concerns of today’s caregivers. Its a place to connect with other people who face similar challenges, obtain valuable resources, share journal entries and read those of others about caregiving journeys. Visitors can meet well-known authors and participate in their book clubs and play our Village Chronicles game, for learning or just for fun.  The Village Chronicles is an entertaining on-line mystery adventure story that integrates caregiving situations into a game-like atmosphere. You can connect with your friends, find links to valuable resources within Caregiver Village, solve puzzles, achieve ranks, and earn badges. It’s a learning experience that is engaging and fun.

Learn more at:  http://www.caregivervillage.com/social-media

Eat Your Fruit and Vegetable…Extracts

April 23rd, 2011 No comments

As a menopause specialist, I am often asked to review natural supplements. There are plenty of natural options available so I can understand the difficulty one may have in choosing.   Most natural supplements for menopause contain either black cohosh, soy, ginseng, red clover, dong quai or their extracts.   I recently learned of new supplement that didn’t contain any of these ingredients. I was intrigued and decided to learn more about it. This natural supplement called “Warmi” contains vegetable and fruit extracts, from Peru. The vegetable is believed to have been eaten by Incan women 700 years ago.

 
I reviewed the Warmi research. There are three clinical trials completed but not published on the product.   It appears to offer the hot flash, cold sweat and mood swing relief I’ve found with better natural menopause remedies.

Read more…

Find out if you are experiencing Perimenopause. Take our Perimenopause quiz.

December 1st, 2010 No comments

MenopauseRx understands that no two women experience the same perimenopause and menopause transition. For this reason, we have developed a free detailed “Perimenopause and Menopause Assessment Quiz”
http://www.menopauserx.com/health_center/assessment_meno.htm

Gas and Bloating associated with Menopause?

November 16th, 2010 No comments

Reprinted below is a question that is heard very commonly in the office from patients:

Q: Since I went through menopause, I have noticed more gas and bloating. The symptoms are becoming more embarassing and nothing seems to help. Is there an association between gas and menopause? 

A:  Over the last few years, it has become quite apparent that a very common symptom of menopause is bloating in the intestinal tract due to the production of gas. Recent survey results have found over two-thirds of women experience stomach gas during menopause.

While gas and bloating are very common symptoms during menopause, it is unclear if this is related to the actual hormonal adjustments of menopause or solely an issue of aging . Since approximately one quarter of women have noted increased gas during menopause, some doctor’s have suggested that decreasing hormone production may play a role in this process. Other experts have stated that a change in diet around the menopause transition may lead to more gas and bloating. In fact, over 60% of women were eating more fruit and vegetables and over 70% have made changes in their diet during menopause according to a recent survey.

There are many approaches to reducing gas and flatulence. Fortunately, eliminating healthy gas producing foods does not need to be done.

When ingesting gassy foods such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, legumes, grains, cereals, nuts, seeds, and whole-grain breads consider a digestive aid to eliminate gas. Many foods that are part of a healthy diet can cause gas.

Click here for an expanded list of ‘gassy’ foods ( http://www.menopauserx.com/news/gas.htm).

As with all medical conditions, it is recommended to discuss your specific symptoms with your health care provider.

John A. Sunyecz, M.D.
MenopauseRx

Categories: Uncategorized
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November Discussion Topic: Memory Loss/Dementia and Menopause

November 9th, 2010 2 comments

Is it the beginning of dementia or just another symptom of menopause?  Are hormones the answer or part of the problem?

If you are age 35 + this question has probably entered your mind… Is menopause affecting my memory or am I starting to have symptoms of dementia?

Menopausal women often complain of clouded thinking, forgetfulness, and difficulty concentrating; some even wonder if this is the beginning of Alzheimer’s disease. Fluctuating hormone levels could be what are causing these symptoms, so is hormone replacement the answer or part of the problem?

A report released 10/14/10 called The Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Takes on Alzheimer’s found that 10 million American women either have Alzheimer’s or are caring for someone with the disease. This report not only shines a light on the disease, but it reignites a fire to the hormone therapy controversy.  Read more…

Categories: Discussions, Hot Topics
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New report from the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) regarding estrogen plus progestin hormone therapy and breast cancer.

October 30th, 2010 No comments

 There was a report from the WHI that focused on breast cancer cases and risk of dying associated with the use of common hormones used in menopause….Prempro (combined conjugated equine estrogens and medroxyprogesterone acetate).   The study consisted of an average treatment time of 5.6 years and followed patients for an average of 11 years.

The new data relates to the risk of dying from breast cancer.  The study showed an extra 1 to 2 deaths from breast cancer per 10,000 women per year.  Specifically, for every 10,000 women in the study who were randomized to placebo, there were 1.3 deaths from breast cancer per year. For every 10,000 women randomized to combined hormone therapy, there were 2.6 deaths from breast cancer per year.  

Importantly, these results apply to the use of the combination of estrogen and progestin and not to estrogen alone. Therefore, for women who have had a hysterectomy and taking only estrogen…these results do not apply.  Similarly, the study did not study all types of hormone therapy.  Neither estradiol products or progesterone products were studied….therefore, no conclusion can be drawn about these products.  Read more…

A Womens’ Nation Takes on Alzheimer’s Disease

October 19th, 2010 No comments

In women, estrogen loss found in the perimenopausal and menopausal transition can sometimes mimic symptoms of more serious illnesses, like Alzheimer’s Disease. Estrogen influences language skills, mood, attention, and a number of other functions in addition to memory. Estrogen related cognitive deficits may be differentiated from those associated with other conditions through a careful history, examination and testing, so see you doctor soon. Early differential diagnosis and treatment is key to delay the progression of Alzheimer’s Disease.


For more information visit

http://www.alz.org/shriverreport/index.html

Thyroid Problems and Menopause

October 5th, 2010 3 comments

What is Hypothyroidism?

The thyroid gland is one of the major endocrine (hormone secreting) glands of the body. It is a small gland located near the Adam’s apple and shaped like an “H”. Unless enlarged, it can barely be felt or seen. The thyroid gland secretes hormones that adjust the body’s metabolism. Your metabolism controls the speed at which chemical processes occur in the body, which affects many functions such as heart rate, temperature, and stamina/energy. The element iodine is needed to produce the two thyroid hormones, thyroxine (T4) and tri-iodothyronine (T3). The release of T4 and T3 is dependent on a hormone called TSH (thyroid secreting hormone).

 What are the Risk Factors for Hypothyroidism?
In the U.S., between 7 and 10% of the population over the age of 55 are affected by a thyroid disorder, with Caucasians more commonly affected than African-Americans. Females are 5-8 times more likely to have a thyroid disorder compared to men.

Hypothyroidism can be due to a variety of causes, including history of thyroid radiation, treatment for an overactive thyroid (Graves disease), removal of thyroid gland, and certain medications, such as lithium, amiodarone and iodine. The most common cause of hypothyroidism is a medical condition called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.

Read more…

Breast Cancer Prevention

September 28th, 2010 No comments

A timely and well written book is now available as a free download.  Written by Dr. Aaron Tabor, it offers evidence based medical tips about helping to prevent breast cancer.  I would highly recommend reading this book to all patients.  The book is available for download at no cost:

 http://www.fightBCnow.com

 The book empowers one to fight cancer proactively through diet and lifestyle changes based on the latest medical research. For example, switching  to a low-glycemic diet can reduce relative risk by over 250%.   Doctors don’t have time to share this information with their patients so it is critical that we educate others now.

John A. Sunyecz, M.D.

The Perimenopause Explained

September 14th, 2010 2 comments

The perimenopause is a confusing time for women. The perimenopause is a distinct transition between the reproductive years and cessation of menses. This article will hopefully help to explain and offer treatment options for this often frustrating transition. The World Health Organization defines the onset of the perimenopause as the beginning of menstrual cycle changes. Early perimenopause changes include the first break in regular cycling of menses. Late perimenopause is classified after missing 3 to 11 months of menses, while menopause is reached after 12 months of no menstrual flow. Women usually notice the onset of perimenopause symptoms during their 40’s and irregularities usually persist for approximately 5 years.

The range of perimenopause symptom duration may be quite variable, from 2 to 8 years, or even longer. In general, the later in life that perimenopause symptoms begin, the shorter the transition to menopause. The hormonal changes taking place probably represent the major cause of symptoms experienced. These changes can produce many symptoms that are traditionally thought to only occur after menopause.

Contrary to popular belief, the perimenopause may be associated with elevations of estrogen levels. However, these elevations are generally followed by abrupt falls in estrogen levels. The constantly changing hormone levels of the perimenopause can precipitate significant hot flashes and night sweats. The ‘peaks and valleys’ of estrogen production during the hormonal ‘roller coaster’ invariably contribute to these symptoms. Other medical conditions commonly seen during the perimenopause years that can mimic these symptoms are thyroid irregularities and diabetes.

Read more…