Mmm.. relief of menopause symptoms

Citrus Vinaigrette.
2 Tbsp. orange juice 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
2 Tbsp. honey 1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. flaxseed oil 1/8 tsp. pepper
Salad:
6 cups spinach 1 can drained mandarin oranges
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion Garlic croutons


Mix dressing ingredients until blended. Toss with remainder of ingredients. Low fat dressing and salad.

Q&As

Q: SHOULD WOMEN TAKE HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY IF THEY HAVE A HISTORY OF CANCER?
A: NO! One of estrogen's primary roles is to promote the growth of cells in the breast and uterus. There is concern that synthetic estrogen promote further tumor growth.
Q: WHAT NATURAL ALTERNATIVES TO HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY ARE AVAILABLE?
A: There are many natural alternatives to help women as they go through menopause. Black cohosh and don quai are highly effective favorites among women choosing natural hormone replacement therapy. Estrogen-containing foods like soy products, whole-grain cereal, seeds, certain fruits and vegetables are also beneficial for reducing menopause symptoms. Healthy lifestyle - smoking cessation, regular exercise, and good nutrition - is also incredibly important for menopausal women to reduce the risks of heart disease, osteoporosis and certain types of cancer.

HRT and its' Risks

Q: IS THERE A LINK BETWEEN OVARIAN CANCER AND HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY?
A: Yes. A recent study following over 44,000 postmenopausal women during a 20-year span concluded that estrogen use increases the risk of ovarian cancer. In this study, women who used estrogen alone for 10-19 years were twice as likely to develop ovarian cancer than women who did not use postmenopausal hormones. For women who used estrogen for 20 or more years, the risk of ovarian cancer increased to three times that of women who did not use postmenopausal hormones. Because most studies have followed women using estrogen alone, there are currently not enough data to assess the potential effects of the estrogen-progestin combination on ovarian cancer. More data is needed to determine the estrogen-progestin risk for ovarian cancer.
Q: ARE WOMEN USING HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY AT RISK FOR OTHER HEALTH CONDITIONS?
A: Women who use estrogen combined with progestin are at increased risk for blood clots, gallbladder disease, stroke and inflammation of veins. Other studies show a link between hormone replacement therapy and endometrial cancer (cancer of the uterine lining).

2 really important questions

Q: WHAT WERE THE RESULTS OF THE WOMEN'S HEALTH INITIATIVE STUDY?
A: According to these results, estrogen used in combination with progestin increases the risk of both heart disease and breast cancer, strokes and blood clots. The Women's Health Initiative concluded definitively that hormone replacement therapy places women at a significantly elevated risk for breast cancer. The study found a 26 percent increase in breast cancer risk for women taking hormone replacement therapy. The study also showed that, contrary to prevailing belief, hormone replacement therapy also placed women using hormone replacement therapy at a higher risk - 29 percent - for heart disease. The Women's Health Initiative study on the combination of estrogen and progestin halted five years into the eight-year study because researchers determined that the risks to women in study outweighed any benefits. The arm of the trial studying estrogen alone continues and the results of that portion of the study are not yet known.
Q: DOES HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY PREVENT OSTEOPOROSIS?
A: Yes and no. Although hormone replacement therapy has shown to slow bone loss, those effects are not permanent and stop when women discontinue hormone replacement therapy. Because of the risks, hormone replacement therapy is no longer recommended for the prevention of osteoporosis.

Childhood Cancer Survivors Are More Likely To Go Through Early Menopause

Women who survive childhood cancer are more likely to suffer premature menopause, according to a study in the July 5 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Risk factors include radiation to the ovaries and certain forms of chemotherapy.

Over 70% of children or adolescents diagnosed with cancer will survive long-term. Survivors have an increased risk of premature menopause, defined as menopause before age 40.
Charles A. Sklar, M.D., of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, and colleagues examined the incidence of and risk factors for premature menopause in 2,819 childhood cancer survivors over age 18 as identified in the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study and 1,065 female siblings of survivors.

The authors observed that premature menopause occurred in 126 childhood cancer survivors and 33 siblings. Non-surgical premature menopause occurred more frequently in childhood cancer survivors.

For cancer patients treated with both abdominal-pelvic radiation and the class of chemotherapy known as alkylating drugs, the cumulative incidence of premature menopause was nearly 30%. Age, radiation to the ovaries, a diagnosis of Hodgkin lymphoma, and treatment with alkylating chemotherapy increased a cancer survivor's risk of premature menopause.
The authors write, "The results of this study will facilitate counseling current survivors about their future risk of premature menopause and will aid in designing new regimens that seek to diminish late ovarian toxicity."

In an accompanying editorial, Wendy Y. Chen, M.D., and JoAnn E. Manson, M.D., Dr.P.H., from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, discuss the health effects of premature menopause. They write, "The current study helps clinicians to identify women at increased risk of [premature menopause], so that prevention, screening, and treatment strategies can be implemented at an earlier stage."

You know you have asked yourself this! Here is the answer!

Q: WHY ARE SYNTHETIC HORMONES PRESCRIBED FOR MENOPAUSE?

A: Doctors often recommended hormone replacement therapy (either estrogen alone or in combination with progestin) to relieve menopause symptoms. Doctors also prescribed hormone replacement therapy to prevent long-term conditions such as osteoporosis and heart disease. With recent results from the Women's Health Initiative, a trial sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, showing elevated health risks of hormone replacement therapy, many doctors are not as inclined to place women on hormone replacement therapy.

Effects of Menopause

Estrogen and progesterone hormone levels begin to decline in our early 40s. The onset of menopause can begin as early as four years before true menopause sets in (the peri-menopausal phase). In the peri-menopausal phase, ovaries no longer ovulate systematically and estrogen levels begin to fluctuate. Unfortunately, the timeframe for dealing with menopausal symptoms can continue years after menopause has begun, affecting up to one third of a woman's life.


Some women experience only a minor nuisance, while other women find menopause extremely uncomfortable and difficult. "The Change" is really many changes that can happen throughout the menopausal years:
Menstrual Cycle in Peri-menopause: Unpredictable periods (until they cease at the end of menopause). Throughout this time, women may experience interchanging periods with heavier flows and longer duration, or lighter flows and less duration.
Bladder: Inability to hold urine during activities such as exercise or even sneezing, as well as urgency in having to urinate.

Vaginal: Painful intercourse or decreased desire due to vaginal dryness or thinning of the skin.
Temperature: Thirty seconds to five minutes of hot flashing, cold shivers, or night sweats, possibly producing a flushed face or red patches on the skin.
Sleeping: Breaks in sleeping patterns, sleeping too much or too little.
Mood: Reports indicate a link between mood shifts and estrogen.
Cognitive: Intermittent breaks in memory, focus, and decision making may occur.
Bodily: Increase in weight, decrease in muscle mass, lack of muscle and joint flexibility, skin irritations, thinning skin and tissue, or excessive skin and tissue. Decreased connective tissue and bone density.

Behind the Scenes: Decreased estrogen levels may produce other metabolic changes, possibly leading to bone tissue loss (which leads to osteoporosis), high cholesterol (stroke and heart attack risk), changing glucose levels (diabetic risk), among other metabolic changes.

Estrogen and Progesterone

Q: WHAT DO ESTROGEN AND PROGESTERONE DO IN THE BODY?
A: Estrogen is known as a 'female hormone’ and plays a key role in shaping the female body. One of estrogen's primary roles is to promote the growth of cells in the breast and uterus and estrogen affects many aspects of women's physical and emotional health. Progesterone is the second most important female hormone. Progesterone is primarily responsible for regulating the reproductive cycle.
Q: IS HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY SAFE?
A: No. The results of conclusive research prove that hormone replacement therapy is not safe. The use of synthetic estrogen and progestin is linked to increased risks of heart disease, breast cancer, uterine cancer and ovarian cancer, strokes and blood clots. Women should thoroughly investigate these risks and discuss all concerns with her physician before deciding to use a synthetic hormone replacement therapy.

Menopause Symptoms

This list of common symptoms that occur during perimenopause and menopause was developed from the real-life experiences of hundreds of women. All symptoms were experienced by numerous women and were either cyclical in nature, or responded to treatments (both traditional and alternative) known to address hormonal imbalances.

Hot flashes, flushes, night sweats and/or cold flashes, clammy feeling
Irregular heart beat
Irritability
Mood swings, sudden tears
Trouble sleeping through the night (with or without night sweats)
Irregular periods; shorter, lighter periods; heavier periods, flooding; phantom periods, shorter cycles, longer cycles
Loss of libido
Dry vagina
Crashing fatigue
Anxiety, feeling ill at ease
Feelings of dread, apprehension, doom
Difficulty concentrating, disorientation, mental confusion
Disturbing memory lapses
Incontinence, especially upon sneezing, laughing; urge incontinence
Itchy, crawly skin
Aching, sore joints, muscles and tendons
Increased tension in muscles
Breast tenderness
Headache change: increase or decrease
Gastrointestinal distress, indigestion, flatulence, gas pain, nausea
Sudden bouts of bloat
Depression
Exacerbation of existing conditions
Increase in allergies
Weight gain
Hair loss or thinning, head, pubic, or whole body; increase in facial hair
Dizziness, light-headedness, episodes of loss of balance
Changes in body odor
Electric shock sensation under the skin and in the head
Tingling in the extremities
Gum problems, increased bleeding
Burning tongue, burning roof of mouth, bad taste in mouth, change in breath odor
Osteoporosis (after several years)
Changes in fingernails: softer, crack or break easier
Tinnitus: ringing in ears, bells, 'whooshing,' buzzing etc.

Menopause

As a woman ages, her body doesn't make the same amount of hormones any more. She stops releasing eggs and eventually will stop having her period. This is called menopause.
A woman may have other symptoms during this time, such as hot flashes. That's when a woman feels really hot all of a sudden. For most women, menopause is a healthy time in life. When they reach menopause, some women may be grandmothers and are glad to leave periods behind!
So if you've just started your period, now you know that someday they will end for good. But probably not for another 40 years or so!

Q: AT WHAT TIME DO I CONSIDER MYSELF POSTMENOPAUSAL?
A: Most clinicians place the postmenopausal phase at one full year after the last menstrual cycle. Postmenopause is a time when most of the distress of the menopausal changes have faded. At postmenopause, hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause are more mild and less frequent and energy and emotional levels stabilize.
Q: WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF MENOPAUSE?
A: Symptoms of menopause may include hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, vaginal dryness, aching joints and muscle problems, anxiety, irritability, depression and mental fatigue. Decreased libido, headaches, migraines, heart palpitations, urinary tract infections, weight gain, hair loss and incontinence are also symptoms of menopause.
Not every woman will experience these symptoms or at the same severity. Women going through surgical menopause experience most of these symptoms in a more severe fashion than women going through menopause naturally.
Q: WHAT HAPPENS DURING MENOPAUSE?
A: During menopause, the ovaries gradually produce lower levels of estrogen and progesterone. After menopause, the estrogen levels in woman are about one-tenth the level before menopause and progestin levels are near non-existent.

Interesting Q&As about menopause

WHAT IS SURGICAL MENOPAUSE?
A: Surgical menopause is the term used to describe menopause that happens as the result of hysterectomy and bilateral oophorectomy (where both ovaries are removed). Women who begin menopause as the result of surgical intervention often suffer the effects of menopause more drastically than women going through natural menopause. And, the younger the woman is, the more problems she will likely encounter.

CAN A WOMEN BECOME PREGNANT DURING PERIMENOPAUSE?
A: Yes, though pregnancy is less likely since ovulation, when women can conceive, become more irregular. Until a women goes one full year without a period, she should consider herself fertile and continue using birth control methods.