Study Finds Menopause Symptoms Can Be PredictedThe number of eggs left in a woman's ovaries are like the grains of sand in an hourglass, ticking away the hours on her biological clock.Researchers now say they may be able to predict when that clock will wind down. And while doctors can't actually count the number of eggs in an ovary, they can measure ovarian volume. British researchers say there's a direct correlation between the two, and by measuring ovarian volume with transvaginal ultrasound, doctors should be able to predict when menopause will set in and how many fertile years a woman has left. According to the study authors, this information will revolutionize the care of women looking for assisted reproductive technologies, including those who were treated for childhood cancers as well as women who want to put off starting a family for whatever reason. Although information still needs to be validated in clinical studies, its benefit is most likely to start with women who are being treated for cancer and women attending fertility clinics, said Tom Kelsey, co-author of the study appearing June 17 in the journal Human Reproduction. "If women looking for some sort of assisted conception and their physicians know that they've got a long time till menopause, then you could plan for a range of treatments," said Kelsey, who is a senior research fellow at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. "If you knew menopause was likely in four to five years, you'd plan a different set of IVF [in vitro fertilization] treatments." Others reiterate, however, that the findings should be treated with caution. "Should a young woman who is 30 years old go for a test to figure out whether she's got three, five or 10 years left on her fertility? Should she make career decisions and life decisions? Are these data good enough to make those determinations?" asked Dr. Alan Copperman, director of reproductive medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. "The answer is obviously no to all of those questions. The predictive value of this test is not good enough to go and tell someone to change their life." According to the article, eggs form in a female's ovary while she is still in the womb, peaking at several million about halfway through gestation and then starting a continuous decline. At birth, there are several hundred thousand and, when menstruation begins, about 300,000. At about age 37, a woman has about 25,000 eggs left, and at menopause only about 1,000. The time at which menopause sets in is widely believed to be based on the number of eggs reaching a critically low threshold. The authors of this study measured ovarian volume with transvaginal ultrasound, then looked at the relationship between ovarian volume -- ovaries shrink as a woman ages -- and number of eggs. They then applied mathematical and computer models to predict menopause. The study authors are negotiating with a medical school to set up clinical trials. The idea would be to follow women to see if their predictions were indeed correct. While these authors have come up with a tool to potentially help women plan their lives, a second study in the same issue of Human Reproduction warned that women might not want to leave it too late. Assisted reproductive technology (ART) could not be relied upon to fully compensate for lack of natural fertility after the age of 35, the article stated. The authors used a computer simulation model to determine that the overall success rate of assisted reproductive technology would be 30 percent for those attempting to get pregnant from age 30, 24 percent for those trying from age 35, and 17 percent from age 40. SOURCES: Tom Kelsey, Ph.D., senior research fellow, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, Scotland; Alan Copperman, M.D., director, reproductive medicine, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York; June 17, 2004, Human Reproduction |
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Breast pain - CNN.com Cyclic breast pain appears to have a strong hormonal association. The fact that cyclic breast pain often decreases or disappears with pregnancy or menopause Chaste berry : by Ray Sahelian, M.D., pms, menopause, breast pain Chaste berry pms chasteberry research chaste berry chasteberry for menopause. Menopause symptom: breast tenderness. Symptoms of breast tenderness include pain, heaviness and sensitivity to touch. stages of menopause (perimenopause) breasts tend to become tenderer. Breast pain - Menopause - MedHelp Breast pain. Answered by. Machelle Seibel, MD - Women's Health, Menopause, ReproductiveMedicine. University of Massachusetts Medical School MA Female breast pain as a menopause symptom Learn all about female breast pain as a menopause symptom. Knowing how it works will help you manage it better. Health-and-Age - Health Topics - Breast Pain with HRT for Breast Pain with HRT for Menopause Symptoms. Using hormone replacement therapy to treat postmenopausal symptoms may result in breast discomfort. Relief for breast pain in perimenopause IÁ™ve often found that breasts are just screaming out, ÁœTake care of me!Á« ThatÁ™s a key reason menopause and breast pain are related. Causes of breast pain (mastalgia) Learn about the causes of breast pain (mastalgia) and its relation to breast before menopause, the hormones are a bit off balance and the breasts suffer MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Breast pain For example, premenstrual tenderness may cause breast pain. Approach of menopause -- once your menstrual periods have stopped completely, breast Breast Pain | General Health | Women's Health Information | SOGC Cyclical breast pain affects up to 40% of women before menopause, most often in their 30Á™s. In about 8% of these women the pain will be severe and interfere WHS - M&Y - Newsletter - Breast Pain During Menopause Dr. Robert M. Smink of Lankenau Hospital in the Philadelphia suburbs discusses the sources for breast pain symptoms as they relate to menopause and outlines |
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