Study Finds Menopause Symptoms Can Be Predicted

The 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

early onset menopause symptoms
Menopause Dryness - one of the 34 Symptoms of Menopause.
early onset menopause early menopause signs symptoms menopause weight loss supplement weight gain menopause osteoporosis risk factors menopause

Hardin MD : Menopause Symptoms
Aetna InteliHealth / Harvard Medical School; Menopause early onset symptoms MedicineNet.com; Menopause symptoms NHS Direct online / Self-help guide,

Early onset of perimenopause linked to economic hardship
Early onset of perimenopause linked to economic hardship live through financial hardship 80 percent more likely to experience perimenopausal symptoms

Methods of diagnosing early-onset menopause - Patent 6730476
A younger woman without premonitory perimenopausal symptoms may have no reason to have her hormone levels measured; she may thus enter early onset menopause

Brain Function and Negative Thinking Linked To Late-Onset
"First, the people with late-onset depressive symptoms showed poorer performance on executive function tests than those with early onset depression.

Early Signs Of Menopause Article
This is especially true with women who have early onset menopause. guidance in alleviating the difficult symptoms that accompany the loss of hormones.

Menopause symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment on MedicineNet.com
Perimenopause, often accompanied by irregularities in the menstrual cycle along with the typical symptoms of early menopause, can begin up to 10 years prior

Menopause Symptoms and Signs
The symptoms of the menopause transition can be divided into early and late onset symptoms. Early symptoms include irregular vaginal bleeding, hot flashes,

Early Onset of Perimenopause Linked to Economic Hardship - October
Pathways by which economic hardship could lead to early onset of in relation to early menopause, most have measured it at a single point in time.

But this may be the way her acne whiteheads itself before it comes
Many treatments also lead to symptoms of menopause even though a patient may be just or years old Posted: January 4th, 2008 under Early onset menopause.

But this may be the way her acne whiteheads itself before it comes
After cyclical menopause therapy (8); Blogroll (5); Early onset menopause (6) may help to ease some of the symptoms of menopause such as hot flashes and

Menopause - Early Onset - Causes Symptoms and Treatments of Menopause
Menopause - Early Onset - Causes Symptoms and Treatments of Menopause.

Early Symptoms of Menopause and Early Menopause Sign Symptom
Natural progesterone is what you need to safely reduce or eliminate early symptoms of menopause and symptoms early onset menopause to balance your hormones.

Early Menopause Causes and Signs of Early Menopause
symptoms causes, depression medications cause early onset of menopause and There are several early menopause causes and early menopause symptoms

Early Menopause Symptoms Caused by Hormone Imbalance
"I think a lot of women are confused about menopause and hormone imbalance, especially when there are early onset symptoms," stated Cooper.

Parkinson disease 7, autosomal recessive, early-onset
Womens Health Center · Pregnancy symptoms · Menopause symptoms Symptoms of Parkinson disease 7, autosomal recessive, early-onset

Nemaline myopathy, early onset type - WrongDiagnosis.com
Nemaline myopathy, early onset type information including symptoms, diagnosis, misdiagnosis, treatment, causes, patient stories, videos, forums, prevention,

Menopause: Early Menopause and Early Menopause Symptoms
What are Early and Premature Menopause? Early onset menopause is often Premature menopause symptoms are essentially the same as those of natural

Menopause Symptoms, What is it? When does it happen? Power Surge
Other factors that may contribute to the early onset of menopause include a history of smoking, Additional Reading: The 34 Signs/Symptoms of Menopause.


early onset menopause symptoms
herbal remedy for menopause
diet for post menopause
dhea menopause
after menopause symptoms