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

hot menopause spot woman
Change of Life Menopause Formula for Women
C.O.L. is effective for good hormone balance in all women, hot flashes or not, Siberian Ginseng helps with menopause, anemia, age spots, child birth,

Menopause video compilations | Menopause Videos
Related: symptoms, women, hot, natural, stress, health, advice, lifestyle, information, Revival Soy Menopause Spot 1 · Revival Soy Menopause Spot 1

Menopause Information and Medication
Menopause brings hot flashes, but medical research can make your head spin. Millions of scared women dropped the pills on the spot.

Estroleve - Menopause Relief and Bone Support in One!
Now that most women live long enough to go through menopause, hot Some women begin to spot in between periods, and other women begin missing periods.

Revival Soy Menopause Spot 2 - AOL Video
Revival Soy Menopause Spot 2. Close. To share this media with a friend, . Women who suffer from hot flashes and night sweats during menopause may want to

Menopause Symptoms
The main menopause sign that most women will experience is Hot Flashes. brittle fingernails, dry skin, and age spots are also known signs of menopause.

Natural News for Women á» Blog Archive á» Menopause SOS: Instant
Menopause SOS: Instant solutions for hot flushes, mood swings and more a hot flush or a low mood catches you unawares the on-the-spot solutions below

What's Hot: Diabetes and Menopause
Diabetic-Lifestyle What's Hot informs and stimulates with monthly in-depth Among non-diabetic women, menopause is associated with more atherogenic lipid

DRY EYE HOT SPOTS Fact Sheet
The DRY EYE HOT SPOTS are a listing of the 100 cities with the environmental including hormonal changes due to aging and menopause, thyroid problems,

Menopause humor, hot flashes, research, links, Minnie Pauz
Menopausal women rate this site as one of the best for Menopause Management! or a pimple on their face, oh and how about an age spot or two.

Ending confusion about menopause, including menopausal symptoms
Menopause symptoms can range from mild hot spells at night to constant dripping sweats all day and night. Some women spot for a few months, others bleed

Age Spots
Symptoms: ÁœWeÁ™ve trivialized menopause by thinking of it as one big hot flash,Á« Dr. Blackwell says. In reality, some women may have mild symptoms while

The Common Signs and Symptoms of Menopause hot flash, night sweats
Hot Flashes: 75 percent of women going through menopause experience hot flashes. Dry Skin, Age Spots: To diminish the affects of this menopause symptom,

The Pleasure Spot : sensual products for women and couples
The Pleasure Spot What is menopause and what symptoms can a woman expect ? irritability, irregular and sometimes heavy periods, hot flushes,

34 menopause symptoms and signs to help you decide which treatment
Most women experience the majority of hot flashes in the first two years of Dry Skin, Age Spots: To diminish the affects of this menopause symptom,

hot menopause spot woman
hot menopause spot woman - While it may be all well-intended, people who often give advice on menopause do not understand the extent through which a womans

My Menopause Blog: My Menopause Blog: Menopausal Woman's Hot Spot
My Menopause Blog: Menopausal Woman's Hot Spot. Here's the thing. Layers of clothing is where it's at. Especially if you need to cool down fast from a hot

BBC News | HEALTH | Women 'fail to spot menopause'
Women 'fail to spot menopause'. Women wait up to three years before seeing hot flushes, night sweats, mood changes and loss of libido, women are at risk

Just Ask A Woman . . . About Menopause, Mary Lou Quinlan Says
Menopause was once a subject that women were uncomfortable with, but as Mary Lou Quinlan reports, today's generation is much more comfortable making hot


hot menopause spot woman
effexor side effects menopause
cytoxan and menopause and herbs
herb perimenopause
menopause causes