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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Menopause May Up Asthma Risk In Lean Women, Study: For Asthma Risk When they reach menopause, lean women -- those with a BMI score of less than 23 -- have a fourfold higher risk of asthma. eMedicine - Menopause : Article by Diana Curran, MD, FACOG Menozac is a botanical alternative medicine formulation which contains a blend of all natural herbal extracts developed to ease the transition and provide Early Menopause.com For women going through early menopause or premature ovarian failure (POF) whether naturally, surgically or due to cancer treatments. Menopause < Women's Health in the Yahoo! Directory Yahoo! reviewed these sites and found them related to Women's Health > Menopause. Menopause - Perimenopause - Surgical Menopause Menopause occurs when menstruation ceases for a period of one year; the ten to fifteen years prior to menopause are called perimenopause. Amazon.com: The Wisdom of Menopause: Creating Physical and Amazon.com: The Wisdom of Menopause: Creating Physical and Emotional Health and Healing During the Change, 2nd Edition: Books: Christiane Northrup by ENN: Wild Chimps Skip Menopause Boston - A pioneering study of wild chimpanzees has found that these close human relatives do not routinely experience menopause, rebutting previous studies Bella Femme Fights Menopause The All-Natural Way Women suffering from the effects of menopause now have a natural and safe way to alleviate their symptoms. The makers of Vinetraâ„¢, who have unlocked the Symptomatic Menopause Highlighted In Evidence-Based Clinical Overview Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics has published a supplementary series of articles focusing on symptoms during the menopausal transition and the Menopause and diabetes: A twin challenge - MayoClinic.com Diabetes and menopause â” what to expect, how to stay in control. Menopause What to expect from menopause -- and how to manage it. Menopause Signs and Menopause Symptoms Articles Learn about menopause signs, perimenopause weight gain, hormone imbalance, alternative treatments, hair loss and other related articles. Menopause Online Welcome to Menopause Online, where you'll find up-to-date, easy-to-use information to help you transition through the 'change of life.' Menopause symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment on MedicineNet.com Menopause symptoms include hot flashes, abnormal vaginal bleeding, and mood changes. Patient resources : Menopause Menopause Information. Discussion Groups and Newsgroups. Other Related Sites About Menopause - Basic Overview, Definitions, & Statistics · Overview WebMD Menopause Center - Find menopause information including Menopause affects every woman differently; in fact, 50% of women never suffer symptoms such as hot flashes. Find in-depth menopause information including |
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