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 |
| calcium intake menopause |
|
Habitual Dietary Calcium Intake and Blood Pressure Change around 10 years after menopause. A significant change in DBP was not observed. Neither changes in, nor the absolute level of,. calcium intake showed any relevant North American Menopause Society Finds Adequate Calcium Intake North American Menopause Society Finds Adequate Calcium Intake Important To Womenâ™s Overall Health Consensus Opinion Focuses On Benefits Of Calcium For High habitual calcium intake attenuates bone loss in early bone density; bone mineralization; bones; calcium; diets; intake; menopause; women; man; China; Hong Kong; East Asia; Asia; Developing Countries; Habitual Dietary Calcium Intake and Blood Pressure Change around Habitual Dietary Calcium Intake and Blood Pressure Change around the Menopause: A Longitudinal Study. EMERENTIA C H VAN BERESTEIJN*, MARIJKE RIEDSTRA Hypoparathyroidism UK Most important is to start the menopause with healthy strong bones, and to do this you need to have a good calcium intake from your 20s onwards. The role of calcium in peri- and postmenopausal women: 2006 A woman's calcium requirement increases at menopause (or whenever estrogen is The target calcium intake for most postmenopausal women is 1200 mg/day. LSU AgCenter . Menopause and Bone Health September is Menopause Awareness Month and October is Osteoporosis Limit calcium intake at one time to about 500 milligrams from food and supplements. Consensus Statement on Optimal Calcium Intake Published in JAMA Calcium intake among women later in the menopause, in the range of 1500 mg/day, may reduce the rates of bone loss in selected sites of the skeleton such as Exercise at Menopause: A Critical Difference Even at menopause, fitness can reduce the risk of heart disease, The current recommended dietary intake of calcium for postmenopausal women is Updated Position Statement for Calcium Intake in Postmenopausal Women November 20, 2006 â” The target calcium intake for most postmenopausal women is 1200 mg/day, according to the North American Menopause Society's (NAMS) |
| calcium intake menopause |
|
infertile perimenopause woman menopause am pm vitamins black cohosh and menopause after the menopause |