menopause

Smoking and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescent Girls Are “Red Flag” for Postmenopausal Osteoporosis
04/04/2013 - 09:19

Depression, anxiety, and smoking are associated with lower bone mineral density (BMD) in adults, but these factors have not previously been studied during adolescence, when more than 50% of bone accrual occurs. This longitudinal preliminary study is the first to demonstrate that smoking and depressive symptoms in adolescent girls have a negative impact on adolescent bone accrual and may become a red flag for a future constrained by low bone mass or osteoporosis and higher fracture rates in postmenopausal years.

 

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Surgical menopause may prime brain for stroke, Alzheimer’s
04/03/2013 - 10:32

Removing the ovaries before menopause, appears to leave more of the brain vulnerable to stroke and increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, researchers report. Low doses of estrogen started right after surgery appear to reduce this vulnerability in an area of the brain that typically is not super-sensitive to stress, said Dr. Darrell Brann, Associate Director of the Institute of Molecular Medicine and Genetics at the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University.

 

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Take the tubes but leave the ovaries: salpingectomy an evolving option for young women at high risk for gynecologic cancers
02/20/2013 - 12:43

In women at high risk for ovarian cancer, the common prevention strategy is to remove fallopian tubes and ovaries as soon as the woman is done having a family – the sooner the better. But this initiates menopause and along with it higher risk of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, sexual side-effects, and perhaps even Alzheimer’s disease. A recent University of Colorado Cancer Center review in the International Journal of Gynecologic Cancer suggests a way young, high-risk women can reduce risk while leaving menopause for later: the technique known as salpingectomy removes the fallopian tubes while leaving ovaries intact.

 

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Early Menopause May Occur In Women with BRCA Gene, New Study Finds
01/30/2013 - 17:46

Women with harmful mutations in the BRCA gene, which put them at higher risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer, tend to undergo menopause significantly sooner than other women, allowing them an even briefer reproductive window and possibly a higher risk of infertility, according to a study led by researchers at UC San Francisco.

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Smaller Estrogen Doses Improve Mood Without Memory Loss
10/04/2012 - 09:33

Ten years ago, the landmark Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) revealed that women older than 65 increased their risk for memory loss if they took estrogen to relieve the symptoms of menopause. But new research by the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) suggests that estrogen given in smaller doses to younger women just entering menopause does not worsen memory and improves mood and symptoms of depression.

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Study Suggests How a High-Fat Diet and Estrogen Loss Lead Women To Store More Abdominal Fat Than Men
09/10/2012 - 11:55

A high-fat diet triggers chemical reactions in female mice that could explain why women are more likely than men to gain fat in the abdomen after eating excess saturated fat, new research suggests. The study also sheds light on why women gain fat following menopause.

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