MedicalResearch.com - Latest news, interviews, and insights into medical research, health and wellness, fitness and addiction.
Menopause / 06.08.2025

Perimenopause, the transitional phase preceding menopause, is a chapter that many women embark on in their late 30s to early 40s. Commonly associated with a range of symptoms like hot flashes, mood swings, and irregular periods, perimenopause signals the body's shift towards the eventual cessation of menstruation. This article explores perimenopause, exploring who experiences it, why, and how to get the relief you may want.

What Is Perimenopause?

Perimenopause, often referred to as the menopausal transition, marks the time when a woman's body begins the journey towards menopause. The hormonal fluctuations during this period can lead to various physical and emotional changes.  While menopause signifies the end of a woman's reproductive years, perimenopause typically lasts several years, with symptoms gradually becoming more pronounced over time. The primary difference between perimenopause and menopause is that menopause officially occurs when a woman has gone twelve consecutive months without a menstrual period, meaning women can still get pregnant while experiencing perimenopause. (more…)
Endocrinology, Hormone Therapy, Menopause / 16.12.2024

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a treatment method that helps people with symptoms of menopause. This medication is taken to replace the estrogen that your body stops producing during menopause. Once your hormone levels rise, you may find relief from your symptoms. Hormone therapy also prevents osteoporosis and reduces the risk of fracture in postmenopausal women. To know whether you should consider taking HRT is a decision that you need to discuss with your healthcare provider. Hormone-replacement-image-1 There may be risks associated with using types of hormone therapy. These risks depend on the type of HRT, the dosage, and how long it is taken. Hormone replacement therapy should be designed for each person to ensure the benefits outweigh the risks. (more…)
Menopause / 17.10.2024

Puberty is often depicted in pop culture. Tweens coming of age are widely shown on television and in films, books, and music. But what about menopause?  Discussions on menopause weren’t nearly as common—at least, not until recently. For years, this significant life transition for women has flown under the radar, treated as a hush-hush topic, or simply ignored.  But now, the stigmas surrounding menopause are dissolving. Celebs like Sofia Vergara, Olivia Munn, Tyra Banks, and Angie Harmon have shared their experiences firsthand, bringing more visibility to a long-overdue conversation. Menopause is something every woman will experience in her 40s or 50s.  This natural stage of aging brings about all sorts of changes—hot flashes, mood swings, hair shedding, and more. The good news is that there are ways to manage the symptoms. Some of them are discussed here. 

(more…)

Menopause / 31.07.2024

Menopause, a natural stage in a woman's life, often comes with a range of physical and emotional symptoms. While these can be challenging, many women find relief through natural approaches. By understanding the underlying causes and implementing lifestyle changes, it's possible to manage menopause symptoms effectively.

Understanding Menopause Symptoms

Menopause, marked by the cessation of menstrual periods, occurs due to declining estrogen levels. This hormonal shift can lead to a variety of symptoms, including hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, mood swings, irritability, anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances. These symptoms can significantly impact a woman's quality of life. (more…)
Menopause / 25.04.2024

Menopause isn't merely a biological process—it's a journey that marks a new chapter in a woman's life. It comes with its share of whispers and shadows, often stirring a mix of emotions from relief to apprehension. As the familiar rhythm of your body shifts, it can feel like you’re navigating a path bristling with unknowns, each step echoing with the beats of change. Imagine embracing this transition not just with endurance, but with empowerment. Menopause, with all its intricacies, isn't the end of youth but a rebirth of freedom and strength. Let's redefine what it means to walk through this phase, equipped with knowledge and wrapped in understanding.

Understanding Menopause

From menstrual cycle regularity to temperature regulation, understanding these hormonal changes is essential as they underlie myriad experiences during menopause.

Hormonal Changes

As you approach menopause, your body begins a natural shift in hormone production, primarily estrogen and progesterone. These changes are the conductors behind the scenes, orchestrating everything from your menstrual cycle regularity to the temperature of your skin. Understanding these hormonal ebbs and flows is crucial, as they are pivotal in what you experience during menopause. (more…)
Alzheimer's - Dementia, Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Gender Differences, JAMA, Menopause / 03.04.2023

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Rachel Buckley, PhD ​Assistant Professor Department of Neurology Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: While a fair amount of studies have focused on the effects of menopause and hormone therapy on risk of dementia, far fewer studies have tested their association with the biology of Alzheimer’s disease, namely amyloid and tau. This is critical to know given that it still remains unclear what might be the driving mechanism of the menopause transition on risk for dementia. This is what our study set out to investigate. This study is one of the first to report a link between women’s age at menopause and tau in the brain, which we measured with positron emission tomography neuroimaging. We found that in multiple areas of the brain that tend to be most likely to show higher tau in women than men, women with earlier age at menopause and elevated levels of amyloid showed higher levels of tau than those who reported an average age at menopause (~50 years in the United States). Women who reported premature menopause (<40 years at menopause onset) exhibited a much higher risk of tau in the brain. This supports the notion that longer exposure to estrogen throughout life might be protective against Alzheimer’s disease. (more…)
Aging, Author Interviews, JAMA, Menopause, USPSTF / 09.11.2022

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: James Stevermer, M.D., M.S.P.H. Vice chair for clinical affairs Professor of family and community medicine University of Missouri Medical director of MU Health Care Family Medicine–Callaway Physicians, Dr. Stevermer joined the U.S. Preventive Service Task Force in January 2021. MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: As people get older, they are more at risk for many chronic conditions like heart disease, osteoporosis, cancer, and diabetes. It’s unclear how much menopause—which typically occurs around age 50—contributes to this risk. Although we all want to stay healthy as we age, the Task Force does not recommend that people who have already gone through menopause use hormone therapy to prevent chronic health problems. (more…)
Author Interviews, Heart Disease, Menopause / 05.08.2022

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Jean Shin Department of Family Medicine Korea University College of Medicine Seoul,Republic of Korea

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?

Response: Younger age at menopause is a possible risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. However, data on the association among premature menopause, age at menopause, and the risk of heart failure and atrial fibrillation are lacking. We aimed to examine the association of premature menopause and age at menopause with the risk of heart failure and atrial fibrillation.  (more…)

Author Interviews, Lancet, Menopause, Orthopedics, Osteoporosis, UCLA / 05.05.2021

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Carolyn Crandall, M.D. Professor, Medicine Health Sciences Clinical Professor, UCLA MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Previously-published studies had not examined in detail the risk of subsequent fractures after initial fractures in a large national sample of women in the us. Clinical guidelines mostly emphasize initial hip and spine fractures, but they do not emphasize fractures of other types.  We hypothesized that subsequent fracture risk would be higher after initial fracture even at locations other than the hip or the spine. (more…)
Author Interviews, Fertility, JAMA, Menopause / 10.04.2021

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Duke Appiah, Ph.D., MPH Assistant Professor,Public Health Texas Tech University  MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Reports from several countries point towards increasing trends in age at natural menopause. However, epidemiological report from the United States on the long-term trends in age at natural menopause or reproductive life span among a nationally representative sample of women is lacking. Understanding changes in the timing of age at natural menopause and length of the reproductive life span and their associated factors are important. For instance, earlier age at natural menopause is reported to be associated with cardiovascular diseases, neurological diseases and osteoporosis while later onset of menopause has been associated with the occurrence of breast, endometrial, and ovarian cancers. Similarly, longer durations of reproductive life span are associated with reduced morbidity and mortality. (more…)