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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Hormone therapy, treatment for menopause on MedicineNet.com Hormone Therapy (HT), can ease the symptoms of menopause and protect against osteoporosis. Estrogen Patch (ET Patch), Menopause Treatment and Hormone Therapy An estrogen patch for menopausal symptom relief and the prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Menopause & Hormone Therapy - Menopause Resources Menopause & Hormone Therapy . North American Menopause Society (NAMS) (Offers publications in Spanish) PO Box 94527 Cleveland, OH 44101 Midlife and Menopause - Menopause and Hormone Therapy - Our Bodies Menopause and Hormone Therapy The 9/04 issue of the journal Health & Sexuality (published by the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals) focuses Hormone replacement therapy: Benefits and alternatives You might be wondering how this shift in opinion over hormone replacement therapy, also known as hormone therapy for menopause, affects you personally. Hormone Natural Menopause There are a lot of hormone drugs out there to take during menopause but will all of them cause a hormone natural menopause? When you are looking to take a Scientists Question Hormone Therapies For Menopause Ills - New About 20 percent of women who reach menopause naturally use hormone replacement at least temporarily, according to the North American Menopause Society. Menopause and Hormone Replacement In recent months and years, there has been a great deal of confusion concerning menopause and hormone replacement therapy (HRT). The FDA regulates the drugs Menopause and Hormone Replacement Therapy WebMD looks at the role of hormone replacement therapy in treating menopause. The Hormone Jungle - Surgical Menopause Hormone Jungle Information for Surgical Menopause, Estrogen, Progesterone, Testosterone on Message Boards and archived information. Menopause - Hormone Replacement Therapy Clinical synthesis conference: Hormone replacement therapy. The Lancet 1999; Vol. 354: pp. 152-55. Dr R. St J. Honner. Problems of the menopause. Menopause Symptoms Perimenopause Hormone Replacement Therapy Offering treatment for menopause symptoms such as perimenopause hormone replacement therapy and other resources. Amazon.com: Dr. Susan Love's Menopause and Hormone Book: Making Amazon.com: Dr. Susan Love's Menopause and Hormone Book: Making Informed Choices: Books: Susan M. Love,Karen Lindsey by Susan M. Love,Karen Lindsey. Menopause & Hormone Therapy Patti is talking about menopause â” what many women refer to as the "change of life" that signals the end of a woman's reproductive years. Menopause & Hormone Therapy - Treatment and Talking to your Doctor Menopause and Hormone Replacement - In recent months and years, there has been a great deal of confusion concerning menopause and hormone replacement Menopause and Hormones Menopause & Hormone Therapy Page National Women's Health Information Center. Menopausal Hormone Therapy Information National Institutes of Health Menopause - symptoms, effects and information on HRT This fall in hormone levels disrupts your menstrual cycle and produces the other symptoms that are associated with menopause. Menopause, Hormone Replacement Therapy, Home, Natural alternatives A comprehensive treatment of menopause, osteoporosis, Hormone Replacement therapies, treatments, conventional treatment, holistic treatments, Menopause Hormone Blood Tests The Menopause Hormone Blood Test identifies deficiencies (or excesses) of sex hormones estradiol, estrone, estriol, progesterone, and testosterone. |
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